At last I have updated the high-res version of my take on a customer experience map.
Prompted by a request for a high-res copy (a proper high-res, mind) I decided to review and update the original customer experience map I posted in June 2010, based on my original how-to customer experience map. Much time and practice has passed since I first did the original version so I took some time to reflect on what I’d do differently.
[insert pithy quote about the pain/embarrassment of looking back at naïve work and “when you know better you do better” sentiment]
I’ve done quite a few of these maps in real life now and it was a fun! (…”fun”? Is that the right word? – “fun” if it means bloody hard work, concurrently occurring with ‘ohmigod I’m never going to capture the complexity of the experience, followed quickly by ‘yeah, this is something!”)
I haven’t changed much from my original proposed content – bearing in mind it’s a public sector service focus:
- I’ve eliminated the touchpoint qualifications (describing the nature of the information) because they’re too much to take on board, and make the map more about the delivery of the service than the experience of it.
- While I’ve left them in the example, I don’t actually tend to do the Opportunity identifiers on the map itself anymore. Opportunities need to be put into the context of the service delivery parameters. That is, an improved experience opportunity might be great for the customer, but public sector context may mean, parameters, policy, funding, constraints just can’t cater for it. The packaged up service design (what I call the Service Design Specification) addresses all these aspects of how the service should be designed and implemented. Again, this is just a map of experience – not the design of the service.
- One of the comments I had on the original map example was that ‘moment of truth’ was missing. I appreciate what the ‘moment’ means, but – as this is a public sector service – the ‘moment’ that leaves a lasting impression, say in the hospitality industry, just isn’t the same in a regulatory service. I have attempted to use it in a recent map, but it hasn’t resonated with the outcome the service change is seeking. I will continue to consider how it could fit, but it’s not represented here.
It’s still got a fairly dense level of content, but it is a map. Maps aren’t for reading they’re for using. And, if nothing else, the experience I’ve experienced of experience maps is that they really work when you involve clients in the development experience. And that they’re bloody hard and satisfying work.
As always, comments welcome.