💡6 UX mapping techniques in product design
Here are some of the most popular mapping techniques used in product design projects to improve understanding, alignment, and decision-making:
1️⃣ Affinity map
It’s a tool to quickly organize individual bits of information from research into key topics. The tool is primarily used after qualitative research, such as usability testing or discovery research. Use for: Sense-making from open-ended interviews, survey responses, or open feedback.
2️⃣ Assumption map
It is a visual tool that helps identify, systemize, and track assumptions about a product development process. It is used to explore ideas and uncertainties related to the project with the goal of establishing a more effective design process. Usually, it’s used as part of a kick off meeting to help highlight the key assumptions team members have. Use for: Lean UX, hypothesis-driven development, and de-risking early ideas.
3️⃣ Empathy map
It’s a summary of the UX of a product in the format of one-page document. It centralizes what a user has said, thought, done, and felt when they interacted with product. The tool is particularly useful during the early stages of the product design process when you’re building a profile of your users and want to build empathy with them. Use for: Aligning the team around real user insights and guiding product direction.
4️⃣ Ecosystem map
It expands with people, products, or services that the user may interact with during the experience. Use it when you want to reveal the major players and the complexities of the interaction with a product in the format of a document that you can share with your peers. Use for: Products with integration points or when designing for multi-platform experiences.
5️⃣ Service blueprint
A way to align how both front-stage and back-stage stakeholders involvement in the user journey. Use it when you want to know what resources are required to operate the service. Use for: Analysing complex systems like healthcare, finance, or SaaS tools with support layers.
6️⃣ Customer journey map
A sequential map that outlines the steps a user goes through when trying to achieve their goal. Use this tool when you want to understand your user’s end-to-end journey. Use for: UX optimization, such as optimizing particular scenarios of interaction. 📺 Customer journey mapping in FigJam:
