Build a Customer Journey Map for a Real Product
Part of the Product Management Roadmap
In short
Pick a product you actually use and map every step, every feeling and every annoying moment. You'll end up with a portfolio piece that shows how you think.
Apply journey mapping to a product you actually use, backed by your own experience plus a few other users' input, not guesswork alone.
Think of it like this
Following one dinner order
Imagine trailing a single food order: you get hungry, scroll for ages, pick a dish, watch the rider icon freeze, then finally eat. Every pause and smile on the way is a data point for your map.
Watch it happen
Feelings at each stage, scored 1 to 5
1/5Six stages of ordering dinner: hungry, browse, order, wait, eat, review. Each number is how users felt, from research.
The big ideas
What you need to know
Base it on real users
Talk to at least three people who use the product, plus your own experience. Don't map only yourself.
Standard rows
Stages across the top. Rows for actions, touchpoints, thoughts, feelings and opportunities.
Find the dips
Plot the feelings line. The lowest points become your recommendations.
Make it portfolio-ready
Add a short intro, your method, the map and three recommendations. Keep it readable.
Save yourself the pain
Common mistakes
Oops
Mapping only what happens inside the app.
Do this instead
Include before and after: how they decided to order, and what happens if something goes wrong.
Oops
Ending with a pretty map and no suggestions.
Do this instead
Finish with two or three clear opportunities, each tied to a low point.
Your mission
First milestone: stages and feelings
Quick check
Your map shows the lowest feeling during waiting for delivery. What's the best next step?
Go deeper
- 1Choose a product with a journey you can trace end-to-end yourself.
- 2Interview 1-2 other users to check your map against their experience.
- 3Present the map with one clear, prioritized recommendation at the end.
More projects at this stop
Conduct 5 User Interviews & Synthesize Findings
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