Experience mapping

I create experience maps as a way of modelling how users interact with a product. Usually these will start with a defined persona. I use quantative data that can be taken for example from traffic reports or user surveys. I also use qualitative data taken from users during testing or focus groups to undertsand their motivations, pain points and goals. The resultant journey makes a great basis for a strategy for understanding how opportunities can be exploited, and how the various touchpoints can be harmonised to provde a better user experience.

Experience mapping on the whiteboard

Story boarding

Another method I use to understand the real world of users is through storyboards. I find that images and stories can be a more powerful way of showing what is going on in the world of users and how we can make their lives better. Below are a few examples of storyboards I have created.

Storyboarding example 1

Storyboarding example 2

Persona creation

There is a maxim in UX, "it all starts with knowing the user". For almost every project I have worked on, I have used personas and, where none existed I have taken steps to create them. I gain insights from talking to users during focus groups or testing to large scale ethnographics studies.
More recently I have found myself shifting towards the Job To Be Done paradigm, particularly in those projects where it was necessary to challenge the perceived business objectives against those of the user.

Datasheet of persona created from Ehtnographic study for Openreach