Displaying Chronology

Chronological maps are simple for others to grasp, but present a challenge: not all aspects of an experience may be sequential. Some events are ongoing, some have a variable order, and others may have different sub-flows. You’ll have to overcome what I call “the chronology problem,” or showing irregularities in a strict timeline. Some tactics are shown in Figure 2-4 through Figure 2-7.

Figure 2-4. a. REPEAT BEHAVIOR: Use arrows and circles to show repeating actions. For instance, during a sales call, the salesperson may alternate between showing a product and responding to customer questions.

Figure 2-5. b. VARIABLE ORDER: A cloud-like form can indicate that activities don’t happen sequentially. For instance, a salesperson may generate new leads, maintain existing relationships, and maximize reach all at the same time.

Figure 2-6. c. ONGOING ACTIVITY: Indicate the first time that an ongoing behavior occurs, and then show that it continues to avoid repetition. For instance, a salesperson may continually look for new leads throughout.

Figure 2-7. d. ALTERNATE FLOWS: You may come across distinct sub-flows in the experience. Insert a decision point if needed, but keep this to a minimum to avoid over-complication. For instance, a salesperson may have distinct activities based on the customer type.

Qualitative Information

A majority of information to describe experiences is qualitative—rich descriptions of the why and the how, rather than quantitative data about how many. The following are the primary qualitative elements to include.

Create phases, categories, and divisions

Determine the major “joints” of the model you’re creating. In chronological maps, this means creating phases, e.g., become aware, purchase, use, get support. There are typically anywhere from four to twelve phases. For spatial maps and hierarchical diagrams you need to create categories. Try to find what feels natural for you and for stakeholders. Also keep in mind that the phase labels should be formulated from the perspective of the individual, not the organization. For instance, if you’re mapping the experience of getting a new job, the first phase could be “Start Search” (what the individual does) and not “Recruit” (what the organization does).

Describe the experience

Decide what aspects to show to describe the experience. Core elements include actions, thoughts, and feelings. Consider ways to make the description as rich as possible. For instance, you can include direct quotes from customers or photos from your investigation. It’s up to you to determine what is most relevant for your given effort. The aim is to demonstrate what is valuable to both the individual and the organization through condensed findings of your investigation.

Show touchpoints

Describe the interfaces between the individual and organization for each phase. Think about their context of use. Remember, a touchpoint takes place within a given set of circumstances. Be sure that the information in the map surrounding the list of interfaces provides the context for those touchpoints.

Include aspects of the organization

Indicate which roles or departments are involved at each touchpoint. Other elements you can map are the goals of the organization, strategic imperatives, and even policies. Show what is valuable to the organization.

Quantitative Information

Including quantitative content adds validity to your diagram. Consider how to include metrics, survey results, and other data into the diagram. There are several ways to represent quantitative data, shown in Figure 2-9 through Figure 2-12.

.

Figure 2-9. a. SHOW NUMBERS AS TEXT: Include numbers and figures to show absolute values. For instance, you may have quantitative data on how people find your service.

Figure 2-10. b. USE BARS TO AMOUNTS: Vertical bars show relative quantities. Absolute values can be included in text if needed.

Figure 2-11. c. PLOT VALUES ON A GRAPH: A simple graph shows rise and fall of a given measure across a diagram. For instance, you may have quantitative data for customer satisfaction at the end touchpoint in a journey.

Figure 2-12. d. USE SIZE TO INDICATE QUANTITY: It’s also possible to show quantity with the size of a shape. For instance, the example in this figure could be used to indicate the number of customers that move through a typical purchase funnel.

Typography

Typography refers to the selection of letter-forms and the general design of text. Since experience maps are mostly text, the typography of your diagram is paramount to facilitating its practical use.

Options with typography can overwhelm. Let function and purpose guide your choice. When in doubt, favor legibility and intelligibility over flair and expression. Consider typeface, size and width, case, and bold and italic styling (Figure 2-13 through Figure 2-16)

Figure 2-13. a. SELECT A TYPEFACE: There are two major categories of typefaces: serif and sans-serif. Typically, diagrams make use of sans-serif typeface for the bulk of the information, but you can find serif typefaces being used as well. It’s best to use only one or two different typefaces in a diagram.

Figure 2-14. b. CONSIDER FONT SIZE AND WIDTH: You will be motivated to use a small font size to get more information into the diagram. Avoid making the size so small it can’t be read. Instead, work with the content to reduce it to its most meaningful essence. Also, be aware of the overall width of the font you’re using. For instance, Verdana is a very wide font and not recommended. Instead, try a condensed or narrow font. Pair these with their regular versions for greater consistency.

Figure 2-15. c. PAY ATTENTION TO CASE: Generally, longer texts are harder to read in capital letters than in mixed case. They will take up more space as well. Single words or short phrases, however, such as the title of a phase in a journey, may work well in uppercase. Use all caps sparingly to add emphasis or show differences.

Figure 2-16. d. EMPHASIZE WITH BOLD AND ITALIC STYLES: Use bold and italics to help distinguish different information types, but use them sparingly. Generally, the information will be more readable if you keep the same weight and style. A mix of bold and italics can get messy quickly. Legibility also changes with bold and italics. Making a text large and bold may not necessarily make it more readable. For instance, Frutiger UltraBlack draws attention but doesn’t make the text easier to read. Likewise, long texts in Frutiger Condensed italics are less legible.

Graphic Elements

After you have compiled the content, consider how to represent it visually. Graphic elements play an important part. You may not be able to create the graphics yourself but being aware of a few basics helps plan and critique the outcome. Figure 2-17 shows some of the key elements to consider.

Convey information with color

Color is more than just decoration. It helps create a sense of priority and facilitates overall understanding. Two key uses of color in experience mapping are color coding and showing background regions, as shown in Figure 2-17.

• Color coding allows viewers to see individual facets of information across the diagram. This is crucial for creating a sense of visual alignment. For instance, pain points or moments of truth may have a consistent color throughout the diagram, as shown below. Even if they are not on the same line of sight, color will visually connect different facets of information throughout the diagram. Note that color blind viewers may not be able to distinguish colors well, and also that colors have different meanings in different cultures.

• Use color to create backgrounds within the diagram. This avoids unnecessary use of lines. For instance, the phases of a journey may each have a different color to distinguish them. You can accomplish dividing and containing by using values of a single color, rather than introducing new colors. The background regions in this image, for instance, are different shades of the same grey tone.

The use of too many colors can have diminishing returns. Use color purposefully for emphasis, and be sure to make it consistent.

Figure 2-17. Convey information with color.

Add icons for efficiency

Icons not only communicate a great deal of information in a small amount of space, they also add visual interest. Typical icons found in maps of experiences include people, physical evidence of touchpoints, emotions, and moments of truth (see Figure 2-18). There are many directions you can take with near endless variation (e.g., solid backgrounds versus outlines only as seen in row a. of Figure 2-18). The intent is to come up with your own style for icons and keep that consistent throughout the diagram.

Figure 2-18. Add icons for efficiency.

Keep in mind that not all information types can be represented as icons. Create a key to explain the icons. However, keep in mind that if there are too many icons it will be difficult to comprehend the diagram: the reader will have to refer back and forth to a key to understand the information. Strive to represent the content of the diagram so it can be read without reference to a key or further explanation.

Also note that icons can have different meanings in different cultures. Consider how might express the thought or concept you’d like to iconize with as little bias or cultural implications as possible.

The Noun Project is a website that aggregates icons and symbols from contributors around the world (http://thenounproject.com). The images are readily accessible for use, either in the public domain or with a Creative Commons license. It’s a great resource for icons that helps you achieve consistency in your diagram.

Visual Hierarchy

Not all information in a diagram is of equal importance. Create a visual hierarchy to direct how the eye perceives the experience you’re mapping with good alignment, different visual weights for emphasis, and layering, as well as avoiding chartjunk, illustrated and explained in Figure 2-19 through Figure 2-22.

Figure 2-19. a. ALIGN ELEMENTS: Visual alignment is critical to your diagram. A grid is an invisible structure of equally spaced lines to which elements are justified. This creates clear lines and guides readers’ line of sight vertically and horizontally. Strive for alignment even if you are using a spreadsheet or mapping sticky notes on a wall.

Figure 2-20. b5. CREATE EMPHASIS: Weight and size of both text and graphic elements provide focus and differentiation. For instance, in this image the phase headers (e.g., “RUN,” “FOLLOW-UP,” etc.) are larger than the text body, providing a sense of hierarchy. There are also different sizes of the arrows to show different aspects of the experience.

Figure 2-21. c. LAYER INFORMATION: Make some elements stand out more than others by layering different sized texts and different shading. In this example, “uncertainty” is shown with background shading, and specific emotions are shown as positive or negative, all within a small space on the diagram.

Figure 2-22. d. AVOID CHARTJUNK: Coined by information design expert Edward Tufte “Chartjunk” is anything unnecessary in an information display. Make every mark count.

Example Diagramming Process

Overall, the process of illustrating an experience in a single diagram is iterative. The insights you’ll map drive the visualization, and the visualization will impact the form of those insights.

Figure 2-23 shows an example draft diagram for organizing a conference event. It reflects a first pass at consolidating the research observations to include in the map. Thought has been given to the chronological phases, the wording and format of text, and the balance of content in general.

The next step is to add a more visually compelling narrative. Figure 2-24 shows an updated version of the draft diagram created by Hennie Farrow, VP of Design.

Figure 2-23. Before adding graphic detail, find the right layout and consolidate the insights from your investigation into a draft diagram.

Figure 2-24. Use visual design elements to tell a more compelling story and guide your audience through the experience.

Various aspects of design come together in Figure 2-24 guide the audience through the experience in more engaging and compelling way.

Typography

In addition to a regular font (Frutiger), this diagram also uses a condensed font (Frutiger Condensed) to make the best use of space. All capitals are used for row headers for emphasis and to set them off from other text. The text has even size and weighting for the most part, with bold and italics used sparingly for emphasis.

Hierarchy

Horizontal and vertical alignment create a sense of rows and columns across the diagram. Different background shadings also set row headers off from the content of the map, as well as indicate the three larger phases of “Plan,” “Run,” and “Follow-Up.”

Graphic elements

Color is used to distinguish the different facets of information in the rows. The first column with the row labels has darker backgrounds, providing depth to the overall diagram and giving that information priority.

Icons are added for visual interest. Each information type also includes a unique element to help provide a sense of cohesion. For instance, the organizational goals have arrows to show desired direction of the outcome, pain points have a square bullet, and key questions have a line. The moment of truth in this experience is indicated with a graphic element in the middle.

Content

There is a consistent use of syntax—for instance, verbs for the main phase and adjectives for feelings. The voice is consistent as well.

Desktop software

Spreadsheets

It’s also possible to create diagrams in programs like MS Excel. The important thing to look for in alternative programs like this is the ability to work on a large, near-limitless canvas. Presentation programs, such as PowerPoint or Keynote, generally don’t extend far enough in width or height to be able to accommodate a full alignment diagram.

Diagramming tools

Omnigraffle for Mac and Visio for Windows are often used to create workflow diagrams, flowcharts, and sitemaps. They have rich diagramming capabilities that can yield high-quality final diagrams.

High-end graphics applications

The programs from Adobe Creative Suite are widespread applications, including Illustrator (shown in Figure 2-27), InDesign, and Photoshop. Sketch is a more recent tool that has become very popular, and Figma offers a powerful online graphics editing environment online directly through a browser. These programs require training and practice to use properly.

Figure 2-27. The experience map example in Figure 2-24 as created with Adobe Illustrator, a high-end graphics program.

Web-Based Tools

Web-based tools for mapping are becoming more powerful. They have the benefit of easy sharing and high portability. If you’re working with people in different locations, an online tool can support remote collaboration.

Touchpoint management programs

Touchpoint Dashboard (www.touchpointdashboard.com) is a leading example of an online tool specifically for managing touchpoints (see Figure 2-28). This type of tool is best for tracking changes to touchpoints over time. Because it’s database-driven, it also allows for multiple views of information. For instance, you can filter and change views to see your data from multiple perspectives. This isn’t possible with graphics programs and other desktop software.

Figure 2-28. Touchpoint Dashboard is an online tool used to manage touchpoints.

Online mapping tools

UXPressia (www.uxpressia.com) is a leading for-purpose online mapping tool that offers many templates to get started, as well as the ability to collaborate with colleagues directly in a map. Others include Smaply (www.smaply.com) and Canvanizer (www.canvanizer.com).

Online diagramming tools

Lucidchart (www.lucidchart.com) is an online diagramming tool akin to Omnigraffle or Visio. It has the advantage of being integrated directly into Google Drive.

Online whiteboards

Online whiteboards such as MURAL (http://mur.al) and other similar tools work well for all aspects of the mapping process. Their flexibility and large canvas area allow for the creation of detailed diagrams, all online. This opens up the process for active contributions from others on an ongoing basis.

Figure 2-29 shows a mapping exercise I completed using MURAL. First, you’ll see that multiple activities can be included on one diagram: value chain mapping, personas, empathy maps, and experience maps. Second, the large virtual service allowed us to compare two different experiences—in this case, going to the supermarket by bicycle and by car. Finally, working online allows for the integration of images to make a description of the experience even richer. MURAL also allows for multiple people to collaborate in real-time in the cloud.

Figure 2-29. Several mapping activities and a comparison of different experiences all in one place using MURAL (http://mur.al).