Templates & tools · Template

Customer journey map
template

A customer journey map shows the stages a user goes through to reach a goal — such as discover, try, first use, repeat and recommend — with lanes for what they do, think and feel, touchpoints, pain points and opportunities. Build it from research for one persona and one scenario, then turn the biggest pain points into prioritised product fixes.

By , FounderUpdated 3 min read

Share

Quick answer: What is a customer journey map and how do you make one?

  1. Columns — journey stages.
  2. Rows — actions, thoughts, emotions, touchpoints, pains, opportunities.
  3. Scope — one persona, one scenario.
  4. Evidence — research, not guesses.
  5. Output — prioritised fixes.

Key takeaways

  • Journey maps make invisible friction visible to the whole team.
  • Emotion curves show where users are most likely to give up.
  • Map one scenario well rather than everything vaguely.
  • Each pain point should lead to an owner and an action.
  • Revisit the map after fixes to measure change.

Teams build features in pieces; users experience journeys as a whole. A journey map puts the whole experience on one wall so everyone can see where it breaks. NN/g defines it as a visualisation of the process a person goes through to accomplish a goal1.

What is a customer journey map and how do you make one? At a glance: Columns; Rows; Scope; Evidence; Output.
At a glance: What is a customer journey map and how do you make one?

The template

Customer journey map template
LaneDiscoverSign upFirst useRepeatRecommend
Doing
Thinking
Feeling (1–5)
Touchpoints
Pain points
Opportunities

A filled example: food-delivery app

Example journey map for a food-delivery app
LaneDiscoverSign upFirst orderDeliveryRepeat
DoingSees referral linkEnters phone, OTPBrowses, adds items, pays UPITracks riderReorders favourite
Thinking"Is it cheaper?""Why location access?""Which fees will appear?""Is it late?""Same as last time"
Feeling32245
TouchpointsWhatsApp, store pageAppMenu, cart, paymentMap, notificationsHome, reorder
Pain pointsUnclear offerOTP delaySurprise fees at checkoutVague ETA—
OpportunitiesClear first-order valueFaster OTP, explain permissionShow fees earlyLive, honest ETAOne-tap reorder

The emotional low at checkout matters: people remember peaks and endings most3, so a frustrating payment colours the whole experience.

How to run a mapping session

Diagram of 6 steps for how to run a mapping session: 1. Pick one persona and one scenario; 2. Bring evidence; 3. Define stages; 4. Fill the lanes; 5. Mark pain points; 6. Generate opportunities.
How to run a mapping session
  1. Pick one persona and one scenario — "first order on a weekday evening".
  2. Bring evidence — interview notes, analytics funnels, support tickets.
  3. Define stages — from the user's point of view.
  4. Fill the lanes — doing, thinking, feeling, touchpoints.
  5. Mark pain points — with evidence for each.
  6. Generate opportunities — then prioritise and assign owners.

When the problem lives behind the screen — kitchens, riders, support — extend the map into a service blueprint2.

Turn pains into fixes

Checklist: Turn pains into fixes — Rank pain points by frequency and severity; Link each to a metric (drop-off, ratings, support volume); Assign an owner and a next step; Re-map after changes to confirm improvement.
Turn pains into fixes
  • Rank pain points by frequency and severity
  • Link each to a metric (drop-off, ratings, support volume)
  • Assign an owner and a next step
  • Re-map after changes to confirm improvement

For first-use problems, our onboarding audit maps and fixes the stage where most apps lose users.

Key terms, defined

Journey map — a visual of a user's steps toward a goal. Touchpoint — any interaction between user and product or brand. Pain point — a moment of friction or frustration. Emotion curve — how feelings rise and fall across stages. Service blueprint — a map including behind-the-scenes processes.

Frequently asked questions

What is a customer journey map?

A visual of the steps a user takes to achieve a goal with your product, including actions, thoughts, emotions, touchpoints and pain points.

What's the difference between a user journey and a customer journey?

They're often used interchangeably. Customer journeys sometimes include pre-purchase and support stages; user journeys may focus on product use.

What is a service blueprint?

A map that extends the journey with the behind-the-scenes processes, systems and staff that deliver each step.

How long does journey mapping take?

A focused workshop of two to four hours, after research is done, is enough for one scenario.

What tools can I use?

Miro, FigJam, a spreadsheet or sticky notes on a wall all work.

How do I know a journey map is accurate?

Base it on interviews, analytics, support tickets and observed behaviour, and note the evidence for each pain point.

Sources

  1. Nielsen Norman Group — Journey mapping 101
  2. Nielsen Norman Group — Service blueprints: definition
  3. Laws of UX — Peak-end rule (Science of Apps)
  4. Checked October 23, 2026. Figures that change — fees, salaries, prices — are reviewed every six months; if something is out of date, tell us.
Pass it on

Know someone who'd enjoy this?

Send it to them — one tap, no sign-up. Good ideas travel best between friends.

Keep exploring

Where to go from here

Join free

Get the ideas, not the noise.

Sign up with Google and we’ll send you short UX psychology tips by email — why people tap, stall and leave, and what to do about it. Unsubscribe anytime. Prefer something to keep? Get the free Laws of UX guide as a PDF.

Get the free Laws of UX PDFFree · no spam · unsubscribe anytime
Templates help

Evidence helps more.

A behavioral UX audit of your app or SaaS product: why users hesitate, stall and leave, and a prioritized fix list. Fixed price, 2–4 weeks.

Free certification

Turn what you know into a credential.

Free, test-based UX, UI and product certifications. Answer real product scenarios, graded on our server, and earn a founder-signed certificate anyone can verify and you can add to LinkedIn.

  • Credential ID
  • QR verification
  • LinkedIn-ready
Free PDF · 74 pages · 2 editions

The Laws of UX, in one field guide

60 research-backed principles in 6 categories — what each one means, why it works on the human brain and how to use it on your own screens. Written by Sushant Singh, founder of Science of Apps, who has scaled consumer apps to lacs of users and spent 10+ years leading product across startups and digital businesses in the US, EU & India.

Pick your edition
Free. No card, no paywall — just your email.
Free PDF · 74 pages

Get Laws of UX by email

Choose your edition

You’ll also get occasional UX psychology tips. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy

Free PDF · 90 pages · 2 editions

100+ Subscription Paywalls, decoded

110 real paywalls from top apps, taken apart, rated out of 5 and decoded with the Laws of UX — plus the frameworks, copy and checklists to ship your own. By Sushant Singh, founder of Science of Apps.

  • 110 paywalls rated
  • 34 Laws of UX
  • 12 frameworks

Which paywall scored 4.8 out of 5, and which scored 2.6? It’s all inside.

Pick your edition
Free. No card, no paywall — just your email.
Free PDF · 90 pages

Get 100+ Paywalls, Decoded by email

Choose your edition

You’ll also get occasional UX psychology tips. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy