Purpose Guide product managers through creating a customer journey map by asking adaptive questions about the actor (persona), scenario/goal, journey phases, actions/emotions, and opportunities for improvement. Use this to visualize the end-to-end customer experience, identify pain points, and create a shared mental model across teams—avoiding surface-level feature lists and ensuring discovery work focuses on real customer problems, not assumed solutions. This is not a feature roadmap—it's a discovery and alignment tool that uncovers where the experience breaks down and where improvements will have the greatest impact. Key Concepts What is a Customer Journey Map? A journey map (NNGroup) visualizes "the process that a person goes through in order to accomplish a goal." It compiles user actions into a timeline, enriched with thoughts and emotions to create a narrative, then condenses and polishes into a visual artifact. Five Key Components (NNGroup Framework) Actor — A specific persona or user whose perspective anchors the map Scenario + Expectations — The situational context and associated goals Journey Phases — High-level stages organizing the experience (e.g., discover, try, buy, use, seek support) Actions, Mindsets, and Emotions — User behaviors, thoughts, and emotional responses throughout phases Opportunities — Insights identifying where experience can improve Journey Map Structure Actor: [Persona Name] Scenario: [Goal/Context] Phase 1: Discover → Phase 2: Try → Phase 3: Buy → Phase 4: Use → Phase 5: Support ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ Actions: Actions: Actions: Actions: Actions: Thoughts: Thoughts: Thoughts: Thoughts: Thoughts: Emotions: 😊😐😞 Emotions: Emotions: Emotions: Emotions: ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ Opportunities: Opportunities: Opportunities: Opportunities: Opportunities: Why This Works Forces conversation: Teams align on shared understanding of customer experience Reveals pain points: Emotions + actions highlight where experience breaks down Prioritizes improvements: Opportunities ranked by impact guide roadmap decisions Human-centered: Focuses on customer perspective, not internal processes Anti-Patterns (What This Is NOT) Not a service blueprint: Journey maps focus on customer perspective; service blueprints map internal operations Not a user story map: Journey maps support discovery; user story maps facilitate implementation planning Not an experience map: Journey maps target specific users and products; experience maps explore broader human behaviors When to Use This Starting customer discovery (understanding current experience) Identifying pain points for retention/engagement initiatives Aligning cross-functional teams on customer perspective Prioritizing which problems to solve first When NOT to Use This When you already understand the customer journey deeply For technical refactoring (no customer-facing journey) As a substitute for user research (maps require research input) Facilitation Source of Truth Use workshop-facilitation as the default interaction protocol for this skill. It defines: session heads-up + entry mode (Guided, Context dump, Best guess) one-question turns with plain-language prompts progress labels (for example, Context Qx/8 and Scoring Qx/5) interruption handling and pause/resume behavior numbered recommendations at decision points quick-select numbered response options for regular questions (include Other (specify) when useful) This file defines the domain-specific assessment content. If there is a conflict, follow this file's domain logic. Application This interactive skill asks up to 5 adaptive questions , offering 3-4 enumerated options at each step. Interaction pattern: Pair with skills/workshop-facilitation/SKILL.md when you want a one-step-at-a-time flow with numbered recommendations at decision points and quick-select options for regular questions. If the user asks for a single-shot output, skip the multi-turn facilitation. Step 0: Gather Context (Before Questions) Agent suggests: Before we create your journey map, let's gather context: Customer Research: User interviews, discovery notes, support tickets Churn reasons, exit surveys, NPS feedback Analytics data (drop-off points, feature usage) Personas or proto-personas Product Context: Website copy, product descriptions, positioning Competitor journey maps or reviews (G2, Capterra) Existing journey documentation (if any) You can paste this content directly, or describe the customer experience briefly. Question 1: Identify Actor (Persona) Agent asks: "Who is the actor for this journey map? (Which persona or user segment?)" Offer 4 enumerated options: Primary persona — "Your main target customer (e.g., 'small business owner')" (Most common starting point) Secondary persona — "A secondary user segment with different needs (e.g., 'enterprise admin' vs. 'end user')" (Use if primary persona already mapped) High-churn persona — "User segment with highest churn rate (e.g., 'trial users who don't convert')" (Good for retention initiatives) Newly discovered persona — "Emerging user segment from recent research (e.g., 'remote teams' post-COVID)" (Good for market expansion) Or describe your specific persona. Adaptation: Use personas from context (proto-personas, JTBD research, etc.) User response: [Selection or custom] Question 2: Define Scenario + Goal Agent asks: "What's the scenario and goal for this journey? (What is the actor trying to accomplish?)" Offer 4 enumerated options: First-time use — "New user onboarding, from discovery to activation" (Common for SaaS, apps) Core workflow — "Recurring task the user does regularly (e.g., 'create invoice,' 'run report')" (Common for established products) Problem resolution — "User encounters issue and seeks help (e.g., 'forgot password,' 'billing question')" (Good for support/retention) Upgrade/expansion — "Free user considering paid plan, or existing customer expanding usage" (Good for growth initiatives) Or describe your specific scenario. User response: [Selection or custom] Agent extracts: Actor: [Persona from Q1] Scenario: [Context from Q2] Goal: [What actor is trying to accomplish] Question 3: Identify Journey Phases Agent says: "Let's break the journey into high-level phases (typically 4-6 phases from start to end)." Agent generates 4-6 journey phases based on scenario (Q2). Example (if Scenario = "First-time use"): Journey Phases (left to right): 1. Discover — User learns about product 2. Evaluate — User researches, compares alternatives 3. Try — User signs up, starts onboarding 4. Activate — User reaches "aha moment," experiences value 5. Use — User integrates product into workflow 6. Expand — User considers upgrading or inviting team Agent asks: "Do these phases capture the full journey? Should we add, remove, or rename phases?" User response: [Approve or modify] Question 4: Map Actions, Thoughts, Emotions per Phase Agent says: "Now let's map what the actor does, thinks, and feels in each phase." Agent generates 3-5 actions, thoughts, and emotions per phase based on context (Step 0) and scenario (Q2). Example (for Phase 3: "Try — User signs up, starts onboarding"): Phase 3: Try (Onboarding) Actions: - Signs up with email - Receives welcome email - Logs in for the first time - Sees empty dashboard - Searches for "getting started" guide Thoughts: - "This looks promising, but I'm not sure where to start" - "Do I need to watch a tutorial video?" - "What's the first step?" Emotions: - Curious but uncertain 🤔 - Slightly frustrated (no clear next step) 😕 - Hopeful it will get easier 🙂 Pain Points: - No onboarding checklist or guided tour - Empty state doesn't suggest next action - Too many options in navigation (overwhelming) Agent repeats for all journey phases , showing full map. Agent asks: "Does this capture the customer experience accurately? Should we adjust actions, thoughts, or emotions?" User response: [Approve or modify] Question 5: Identify Opportunities (Pain Points to Address) Agent says: "Based on the journey map, let's identify opportunities for improvement—ranked by impact." Agent generates 5-7 opportunities (pain points with highest emotional intensity or drop-off rates). Example:

Opportunities (Ranked by Impact)

1. Onboarding lacks guided first steps (Phase 3: Try)

Pain Point: Users see empty dashboard, don't know what to do first Evidence: 60% of signups don't complete first action within 24 hours Opportunity: Add interactive onboarding checklist ("Create your first project," "Invite a teammate") Impact: HIGH — Directly affects activation rate

2. Pricing page is confusing (Phase 2: Evaluate)

Pain Point: Users don't understand which plan fits their needs Evidence: High bounce rate on pricing page (70% leave without signing up) Opportunity: Add plan comparison tool or "Which plan is right for me?" quiz Impact: HIGH — Directly affects trial conversion

3. Support is hard to find (Phase 5: Use)

Pain Point: Users encounter issues, struggle to find help Evidence: Support tickets often say "I couldn't find an answer in docs" Opportunity: Add in-app help widget, contextual tooltips Impact: MEDIUM — Affects retention, but fewer users hit this phase

4. Email confirmations lack context (Phase 1: Discover)

Pain Point: Marketing emails don't explain value clearly Evidence: Low click-through rate on email campaigns (5% vs. industry avg 15%) Opportunity: Rewrite emails with customer language, clear CTAs Impact: MEDIUM — Affects top-of-funnel awareness

5. Upgrade prompts feel pushy (Phase 6: Expand)

Pain Point: Users perceive upgrade prompts as sales-y, not helpful Evidence: Negative sentiment in NPS comments ("too many upgrade popups") Opportunity: Show upgrade value contextually (when user hits free plan limit) Impact: LOW — Affects smaller user subset Agent asks: "Do these opportunities align with your priorities? Which should we focus on first?" User response: [Selection or custom] Output: Customer Journey Map + Opportunity List After completing the flow, the agent outputs:

Customer Journey Map: [Scenario from Q2] ** Actor: ** [Persona from Q1] ** Scenario: ** [Context from Q2] ** Goal: ** [What actor is trying to accomplish] ** Date: ** [Today's date]

Journey Phases [Phase 1] → [Phase 2] → [Phase 3] → [Phase 4] → [Phase 5] → [Phase 6]

Full Journey Map

Phase 1: [Name] ** Actions: ** - [Action 1] - [Action 2] - [Action 3] ** Thoughts: ** - "[Quote 1]" - "[Quote 2]" ** Emotions: ** - [Emotion 1] 😊 - [Emotion 2] 😐 ** Pain Points: ** - [Pain point 1] - [Pain point 2]

Phase 2: [Name] [...repeat structure for all phases...]

Opportunities (Prioritized)

Opportunity 1: [Name] (HIGH IMPACT) ** Phase: ** [Journey phase] ** Pain Point: ** [Description] ** Evidence: ** [Data/research] ** Proposed Solution: ** [How to address] ** Impact: ** HIGH — [Rationale]

Opportunity 2: [Name] (HIGH IMPACT) ** Phase: ** [Journey phase] ** Pain Point: ** [Description] ** Evidence: ** [Data/research] ** Proposed Solution: ** [How to address] ** Impact: ** HIGH — [Rationale]

[...continue for all opportunities...]

Next Steps 1. ** Validate opportunities: ** Use discovery-interview-prep.md to test hypotheses with customers 2. ** Prioritize fixes: ** Use prioritization-advisor.md to choose which opportunities to tackle first 3. ** Create problem statements: ** Use problem-statement.md to frame top opportunities 4. ** Build experiments: ** Use opportunity-solution-tree.md to design solutions and POCs

** Ready to start addressing opportunities? Let me know if you'd like to refine the map or dive into a specific pain point. ** Examples Example 1: Good Journey Map (SaaS Onboarding) Q1 Response: "Primary persona — Small business owner" Q2 Response: "First-time use — New user onboarding, from discovery to activation" Q3 - Phases Generated: Discover → Evaluate → Try → Activate → Use → Expand Q4 - Phase 3 (Try) Mapped: Actions: - Signs up via Google SSO - Receives welcome email - Logs in, sees empty dashboard - Clicks "Help" button, watches 5-min tutorial - Attempts to create first project, gets stuck on form Thoughts: - "This looks easy enough" - "Wait, what's a 'workspace' vs. 'project'?" - "Do I need to fill out all these fields?" Emotions: - Excited initially 😊 - Confused by terminology 😕 - Frustrated by unclear form 😞 Pain Points: - No guided onboarding checklist - Terminology not explained (workspace vs. project) - Form has too many required fields upfront Q5 - Opportunities Identified: Add onboarding checklist (HIGH — affects activation) Simplify terminology (MEDIUM — affects understanding) Reduce required form fields (MEDIUM — affects completion rate) Why this works: Emotions + actions reveal pain points clearly Opportunities tied to specific phases Evidence from research (drop-off data, support tickets) Example 2: Bad Journey Map (Too Generic) Phase: "Use Product" Actions: Uses product Does tasks Thoughts: "This is good" Emotions: Happy 😊 Why this fails: No specificity (what tasks? which features?) No pain points identified (everything is "good") Can't extract actionable opportunities Fix: Get specific: "User creates invoice → sends to client → tracks payment status" Include real customer quotes: "I wish I could bulk-send invoices" Show emotional highs AND lows (not just happy) Common Pitfalls Pitfall 1: Mapping Internal Process, Not Customer Experience Symptom: Journey phases = "Lead generated → Qualified → Demo scheduled → Deal closed" Consequence: Focuses on sales process, not customer perspective Fix: Map from customer POV: "Discovers problem → Researches solutions → Tries product → Adopts" Pitfall 2: No Emotions or Pain Points Symptom: Journey map lists actions only, no thoughts/emotions Consequence: Misses the point—can't identify where experience breaks down Fix: Add customer quotes, emotional states (frustrated, delighted, confused) Pitfall 3: Too Many Personas in One Map Symptom: Trying to map "all users" in a single journey Consequence: Loses focus, becomes generic Fix: One map per persona. If multiple personas, create separate maps. Pitfall 4: Opportunities Aren't Prioritized Symptom: List 20 opportunities with no ranking Consequence: Team paralyzed, doesn't know where to start Fix: Rank by impact (HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW) based on evidence and emotional intensity Pitfall 5: Map Created in Isolation Symptom: PM creates journey map alone, doesn't involve team Consequence: No shared mental model, map doesn't drive decisions Fix: Facilitate workshop with cross-functional team (PM, design, engineering, support) References