Let's Make a Movie!: How User Journeys Can Help You Deliver More Value

In this talk, we explore the intriguing overlap of product management and cinematic storytelling. We draw parallels between user journeys in product development and crafting compelling narratives in movies to uncover insights on creating captivating, value-driven products.

As we anticipate the challenges and opportunities of 2023, product managers confront discerning customers and fierce competition. By mastering user journeys, we can enhance user retention, adoption, and satisfaction, gaining a competitive edge. Key trends like personalization, customization, and immersive technologies such as AR and VR will reshape user experiences, paving the way for the future of product development.

In essence, understanding and narrating our users' stories better equips us to deliver exceptional value in the outcomes our teams seek to achieve.

Transcript

1. Let’s Make a Movie! How user journeys can help you deliver more value Chisara (Chisa) Nwabara PROW 2023 Timișoara, Romania 27 October, 2023
2. Summary In this talk, we explore the intriguing overlap of product management and cinematic storytelling. We draw parallels between user journeys in product development and crafting compelling narratives in movies to uncover insights on creating captivating, value-driven products. As we anticipate the challenges and opportunities of 2023, product managers confront discerning customers and fierce competition. By mastering user journeys, we can enhance user retention, adoption, and satisfaction, gaining a competitive edge. Key trends like personalization, customization, and immersive technologies such as AR and VR will reshape user experiences, paving the way for the future of product development. In essence, understanding and narrating our users' stories better equips us to deliver exceptional value in the outcomes our teams seek to achieve.
3. I’m Chisa, and I enjoy visual storytelling Reading them, watching them, listening to them, but especially telling them.
4. By the end of this talk… ❏ I hope you have a deeper appreciation for storytelling ❏ The what’s, how’s, when’s and why’s of User Journey Maps ❏ Common mistakes made and what I learned from them
5. In our household, we told stories.
6. In our household, we watched movies.
7. What makes a movie “good”? Compelling storyline Engaging Characters Exceptional Acting Effective Direction Visual & Audio Elements Editing/Pacing Originality & Creativity Emotional Impact Relevance & Themes Critical & Audience Reception
8. What makes a product or service “good”? Positive User Experience Good Support Value for Money Solves a problem or meets a need User-Friendly All the NFRs… Innovation Brand Reputation Market Fit Customer -centric w/Feedback loops
9. The Parallels are Paralleling…. Positive User Experience Good Support Value for Money Solves a problem or meets a need User-Friendly All the NFRs… Innovation Brand Reputation Market Fit Customer -centric w/Feedback loops Compelling storyline Engaging Characters Exceptional Acting Effective Direction Visual & Audio Elements Editing/Pacing Originality & Creativity Emotional Impact Relevance & Themes Critical & Audience Reception
10. What is a user journey?
11. A user journey, often referred to as a customer journey or user experience journey, is a visualization or narrative representation of the steps a user takes when interacting with a product or service from their initial awareness or discovery through their entire experience. It's a valuable tool for product managers to understand and improve the user experience, identify pain points, and optimize the product.
12. By mapping out the user journey, product managers gain insights into the user experience, allowing them to identify pain points, opportunities for enhancement, and areas for innovation. It can help teams align their efforts through a shared understanding to create a more user-centric product and improve overall customer satisfaction.
13. If you’re not on the same page, STOP.
14. Have you ever been in a situation where you didn’t have shared understanding? How did that go?
15. Pros and Cons?
16. Pro’s - Improved User Experience - Enhanced User Understanding - Customer-Centric Approach - Cross-Functional Collaboration - Alignment of Efforts - Problem Identification
17. Con’s - Simplification of Complexity - Subjectivity - Assumptions - Time-Consuming - Maintenance - Complexity of Large Organisations
18. When would I use one in the product lifecycle?
19. Some examples include… Discovery - Usability Testing - Marketing and Sales - Competitive Analysis - Strategic Planning - Product Design Development - Feature Prioritisation - Continuous Improvement - Customer Support & Issue Resolution - Product Development Delivery - User onboarding - User Retention & Engagement - Friction Mapping to Root Cause - Post-Launch Evaluation
20. TLDR, anywhere someone is having an experience, is an opportunity to define the perspective of them as the main character.
21. How do I make a user journey map?
22. User Journey Elements… Stages User Actions Touchpoints Emotions & Motivations Channels & Devices Time Frames …Let’s put it all together!
23. 0. Do your prep; Set expectations - 4-8 people - 60-90 minute run time - Medium to Hard Practice makes better!
24. 1. Set the scene with a title/assumptions A Descriptive Scenario Title
25. Onboarding is painful and inconsistent CREATE A BETTER END TO END EXPERIENCE FOR ANY NEW PERSON COMING INTO THE COMPANY
26. 2. Map out scenes and corresponding actors A Descriptive Scenario Title User Actions Touchpoints Channels & Devices
27. 3,4,5... Flesh it out with more detail A Descriptive Scenario Title TIME FRAME Time Frames Stages
28. 3,4,5... Flesh it out with more detail ONBOARDING A NEW PERSON INTO THE COMPANY BEFORE HIRING HIRED -1 WEEK -1 DAY 1ST DAY 1ST WEEK 1ST MONTH 2ND MONTH 3RD MONTH
29. 3,4,5... Flesh it out with more detail A Descriptive Scenario Title TIME FRAME EMOTIONS & MOTIVATIONS Emotions & Motivations
30. Do what works.
32. Most common lessons learned? (8 total!)
33. 1. If you don’t do the character development, you won’t be able to write about them… - Do your user research. - Know, don’t assume the user motivations and emotions.
34. 2. Most movies are a collection of experiences, and different people will be affected by a story in different ways… - Make sure you consider the diversity of users. - Include your stakeholders in the storytelling.
35. 3. You have to take the good with the bad and the ugly… - Capture the “sad paths” and the decision points, potentially as separate journeys.
36. 3. You have to take the good with the bad and the ugly… - Capture the “sad paths” and the decision points, potentially as separate journeys. - Think “choose your own adventure”
37. 4. This is realistic non-fiction, not a fantasy… - Incorporate the real-world context. - AMBITIOUS? OK! OUTRAGEOUS? NO THANKS.
38. 5. Good editing is hard… - Not too much, not too little…this takes practice. - Keep the big picture in mind.
39. 6. There’s more than one way to tell someone’s story… - Adapt the mapping process to fit the needs of the project and user(s).
40. 7. The worst movies (for me) are the ones with no conclusion. - The goal is to have actionable insights connected to clear data. - Don’t forget that the story oftentime starts waaaay before you first see the main character.
41. 7. The worst movies (for me) are the ones with no conclusion… - The goal is to have actionable insights connected to clear data. BEGINNING MIDDLE END
42. 7. The worst movies (for me) are the ones with no conclusion… - The goal is to have actionable insights connected to clear data. BEGINNING MIDDLE END PREQUEL SEQUEL
43. 7. The worst movies (for me) are the ones with no conclusion… - The goal is to have actionable insights connected to clear data. BEGINNING MIDDLE END BEFORE EXPERIENCE AFTER EXPERIENCE DURING EXPERIENCE
44. 8. Unlike a film, IRL, things can change and that’s ok… - Done is better than perfect, so iterate and update as necessary.
45. 8. Unlike a film, IRL, things can change and that’s ok… - Done is better than perfect, so iterate and update as necessary.
46. Can you think of a time when you or your team would have benefited from creating shared understanding through visual storytelling (i.e. a user journey!)?
47. The script is the backbone that holds everything together…when that’s strong, the entire body of work will function better for the story you’re hoping to tell.
48. The user journey is the backbone that holds everything together…when that’s strong, the entire body of work will function better for the experience you’re hoping to deliver.
49. Resources
50. Here are a few to get your started… - https://www.coursera.org/articles/creating-user-journey-maps-a-guide - https://miro.com/templates/customer-journey-map/ - https://servicedesigntools.org/tools/journey-map - https://www.atlassian.com/team-playbook/plays/customer-journey-mapping
51. Let’s connect! Let me know how I can help!