Overview
Experience Maps
Walking through the problem with your future user – a visualized end-to-end user experience for specific profiles
Exploratory method
Suggested Time
1-2 days (if hypothesis-driven) / Several weeks (if research-driven)
Level of UX Expertise
Medium
Materials
Research results (if research-driven), template
Participants
Design, Management, Marketing
Must have
This method can be applied to all types of innovations.
What
An experience map is a step-by-step visualization of the experience that your potential users goes through to accomplish a goal in a given field currently, e.g. getting agricultural advisory, but not tied to a specific product or service.
Who
Experience maps can be a brainstorming tool used either by yourself or with a small group that is involved in your user research process (3-5). You can later share your results with a team and/or your program partners.
When
Experience maps are part of the early-on tools in the scoping phase of your research process. It is done after having a problem statement points you towards which experience you would like to map. User experience maps are built before defining User Journeys related to a specific product and the user’s experience with it.
How much time
In hypothesis-driven maps, this can be a quick drafting exercise of an hour, you could identify some information gaps, collect information and come back to it later. If you want to create a map already based on research, you need to count with several weeks of research.
Why
They can be a useful tool to understand how potential users solve the problem you are trying to address currently. Experience maps can:
- Present findings of exploratory research – e.g. user interactions, important touchpoints
- Align your team and partners on the right problem to solve for your user
- Identify knowledge gaps about the context and perspective of your users
Why it’s useful
Gives you the big picture: quick overview on steps and pitfalls of your future users’ current experience with your topic Facilitates prioritization of features
Potential challenges
Research-driven maps needs prior researchNot specific for different users
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Melissa Bonilla - Consultant, Alliance Bioversity and CIAT
Image by Melissa Bonilla
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