Most businesses have many audience segments. Pick one persona to focus on per map to make it less overwhelming to create and easier to read and interpret.
2. Cut Down on Persona Traits
2. Cut Down on Persona Traits
Using too many details can make filling out your map difficult and leave out members of the audience segment. Focus on audience goals, obstacles and experiences.
3. Map With Intention
3. Map With Intention
If all you need is an in-depth look into one part of your business or section of your ecommerce site, create a zoom-in map that only looks at that process.
4. Limit Map Goals
4. Limit Map Goals
Consider creating separate maps for current state and future state journeys as well as different products, user flows and touchpoints.
5. Streamline Business Processes
5. Streamline Business Processes
The more department silos and customer handoffs and reroutes are present throughout the customer journey, the more complex your map becomes.
6. Don’t Anticipate Complexity
6. Don’t Anticipate Complexity
If you expect the map to be complex, you may trick yourself out of trying or do more work than needed. If you expect it to be too simple, you may miss clues to dig deeper.
7. Start With an Overview
7. Start With an Overview
Start with a high-level look at each stage, and then go into more detail, adding as you go. This eases you into the process and allows information to flow naturally.
8. Be Picky About Details
8. Be Picky About Details
You can condense a lot by being picky with the details you include, making sure each point contributes valuable information about the customers’ experience.
9. Use Success, Effort and Emotion
9. Use Success, Effort and Emotion
Success is whether customers meet their goal, effort is how difficult it was and satisfaction is how pleased they are. Make these your priority.
10. Play With Color
10. Play With Color
Using color makes maps more appealing to look at, and when used with purpose, clarifies path flows and information.
11. Have Fun With It
11. Have Fun With It
Hold a group brainstorm session to make the process more enjoyable. Get excited about potential discovery, and remember your job is to tell a story.
12 . Prioritize
12 . Prioritize
To prioritize opportunities revealed, categorize each accordingly:
High impact; Easy – Top priorityHigh impact; Hard – High priorityLow impact; Easy – Mid priority Low impact; Hard – Low priority