Run a customer journey mapping workshop with adaptive questions and outputs. Use when you need to map stages, actions, emotions, pain points, and opportunities for a persona and scenario.

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. Input Works best with: The persona (actor) and the scenario or goal to map. Also useful: Journey phases you already know, research artifacts, and where you suspect the experience breaks. Anything supplied with the invocation itself — text after the skill name, a pasted context dump, or an appended ARGUMENTS: line — counts as answers already given. Use it and skip whatever it covers; don't re ask. Arriving empty handed? That works too. The workshop opens with the actor question (Q1) and proceeds one question at a time per the facilitation protocol. Example invocation: Run a journey mapping workshop: persona is a first time landlord, scenario is listing and leasing their first property through our app. 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) 1. Actor — A specific persona or user whose perspective anchors the map 2. Scenario + Expectations — The situational context and associated goals 3. Journey Phases — High level stages organizing the experience (e.g., discover, try, buy, use, seek support) 4. Actions, Mindsets, and Emotions — User behaviors, thoughts, and emotional responses throughout phases 5. Opportunities — Insights identifying where experience can improve Journey Map Structure 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 ](../workshop facilitation/SKILL.md) 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: 1. Primary persona — "Your main target customer (e.g., 'small business owner')" (Most common starting point) 2. Secondary persona — "A secondary user segment with different needs (e.g., 'enterprise admin' vs. 'end user')" (Use if primary persona already mapped) 3. High churn persona — "User segment with highest churn rate (e.g., 'trial users who don't convert')" (Good for retention initiatives) 4. 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: 1. First time use — "New user onboarding, from discovery to activation" (Common for SaaS, apps) 2. Core workflow — "Recurring task the user does regularly (e.g., 'create invoice,' 'run report')" (Common for established products) 3. Problem resolution — "User encounters issue and seeks help (e.g., 'forgot password,' 'billing question')" (Good for support/retention) 4. 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"): 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"): 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: 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: 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: Q4 Phase 3 (Try) Mapped: Q5 Opportunities Identified: 1. Add onboarding checklist (HIGH — affects activation) 2. Simplify terminology (MEDIUM — affects understanding) 3. 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 Related Skills customer journey map.md — Component skill with journey map template proto persona.md — Defines actor for journey mapping problem statement.md — Converts opportunities into problem statements discovery interview prep.md — Gathers research input for mapping opportunity solution tree.md — Designs solutions for journey opportunities External Frameworks Nielsen Norman Group, "Journey Mapping 101" (2016) — Definitive guide to journey mapping Adaptive Path, "Guide to Experience Mapping" (2013) — Experience vs. journey maps Dean's Work [If Dean has journey mapping resources, link here] Skill type: Interactive Suggested filename: customer journey mapping workshop.md Suggested placement: /skills/interactive/ Dependencies: Uses customer journey map.md , proto persona.md , problem statement.md , jobs to be done.md

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