User journey map: Example and Use Cases

1 user journey map example

Trial to paid journey

Five stages of a free trial and how the user feels at each one.

The sentiment curve is the point of the map. It dips hard at the usage limit, so that stage gets the accent and the two pain markers underneath it name exactly what to fix first.

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What is a user journey map?

A user journey map, or customer journey map, shows the stages a person goes through to reach a goal, what they do and think at each stage, and how they feel along the way. It comes from service design and UX research.

Read it left to right across stages, such as signup, trial and purchase. Rows below describe actions, touchpoints and pain points, and an emotion curve rises and falls to show where the experience works and where it breaks.

When to use a user journey map

Use it to understand why trial users do not convert, by placing their frustrations on the stage where they happen.
Use it to align product, marketing and support around one shared view of the customer.
If you need the internal steps and systems behind the experience, use a service blueprint or process map instead.

How to make a good user journey map

Base it on one persona and one goal; a map that tries to cover everyone says nothing.
Ground the stages and emotions in research, interviews or analytics, not assumptions.
Highlight the lowest point of the emotion curve and the moment of truth that decides the outcome.
End with opportunities: for each pain point, note what you could change.