{"id":935139,"date":"2024-07-03T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-03T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.questionpro.com\/blog\/?p=935139"},"modified":"2026-09-07T22:50:08","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T05:50:08","slug":"types-of-journey-maps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.questionpro.com\/blog\/types-of-journey-maps\/","title":{"rendered":"Types of Journey Maps and When to Use Each"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There are six main types of journey maps: current state, future state, day-in-the-life, service blueprint, persona-based, and customer lifecycle. Each one answers a different question about how customers or users experience your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

US customers move across many channels in a single relationship with a brand, from a website to a mobile app to a phone call with support. A journey map makes that scattered experience visible in one place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this guide, we\u2019ll break down each type of journey map, when to use it, and how to pick the right one for your next customer experience project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

What is a journey map?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A journey map is a visual tool that shows the steps a customer or user takes while interacting with a product, service, or brand. It captures what people do, think, and feel at each stage of that experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Nielsen Norman Group<\/a> describes a journey map as a visualization of the process a person goes through to reach a goal tied to a business or product, used to understand and address customer needs and friction points. That framing matters because a good map centers the customer’s goal, not the company’s internal workflow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most journey maps include the same core elements, even when the format changes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n
Element<\/th>\n What it means<\/th>\n <\/tr>\n <\/thead>\n
Stages<\/td>\n The main phases of the journey, such as awareness, purchase, onboarding, or support<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Touchpoints<\/td>\n The places where the customer interacts with the brand<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Actions<\/td>\n What the customer does at each stage<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Emotions<\/td>\n How the customer feels during the experience<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Pain points<\/td>\n Problems, delays, or frustrations the customer faces<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Opportunities<\/td>\n Ways the business can improve the experience<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n <\/tbody>\n <\/table>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

A map is only useful if a team can act on it. Loading every channel, emotion, and backend process into one diagram usually makes it harder to read, not easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What should a journey map include at a minimum?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At minimum, a journey map should include the customer’s goal, a defined persona, the journey stages, touchpoints, actions, emotions, pain points, and improvement opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These eight parts connect what customers do with how they feel and where the experience breaks down:<\/p>\n\n\n\n