Mapping Experiences, 3rd Edition

INTRODUCTION

It’s not the map. It’s the mapping.

A lot has changed since I wrote the first edition of Mapping Experiences in 2016. Back then, the question was: what is an experience map and how do I create one? By the time the second edition was published in 2020, I’d started getting more questions about what to do with the map when it’s finished and incorporated more about the necessary follow-through.

This third edition goes one step further. It uses maps as a centripetal force for conversation and collaboration, showing that the process of mapping is just as important as the map itself.

Some practitioners argue that journey mapping is dead. They say static maps built for workshops can’t keep pace with real-time data and AI-driven personalization. This critique, however, confuses the artifact with the activity.

The problem stems from treating maps as deliverables rather than catalysts for ongoing dialogue. Those decorative “wall maps” with butterflies and unicorns never had a chance to be strategic tools. They failed because no one facilitated conversations around them. They were documentation, not dialogue to challenge assumptions, foster healthy debate, drive decisions, and sustain team alignment.

Critics also tend to narrow their focus too much, typically taking aim specifically at customer journey maps. This is just one type of diagram. My scope for mapping experiences includes far more than maps of a current customer experience. For example:

• Service blueprints connect ...