Mapping Experiences

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 2. Fundamentals of Mapping Experiences

“The purpose of visualization is insight, not pictures.”

— Ben Shneiderman

Readings in Information Visualization

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Framing the mapping effort
• Touchpoints
• Moments of truth
• Value creation
• Case Study: Identifying Opportunities: Combining Mental Model Diagrams and Jobs to Be Done

In my first book, Designing Web Navigation, I discuss the principle of transitional volatility. First described by David Danielson in 2003, transitional volatility is the degree of reorientation a person experiences when moving from page to page in a website. If there is too much volatility, they get lost in hyperspace.

Figure 2-1 shows this pattern of interaction. It’s a sequence of becoming accustomed to one location (habituate), forming an expectation about the next point (predict), and then adjusting to a new position (reorient). The pattern then repeats.

FIGURE 2-1. The pattern of transitional volatility across points of interaction.

We see the same thing happening on a larger scale when individuals interact with an organization. Instead of page to page, they move from touchpoint to touchpoint. At each interaction there is a reorientation period, even if brief. If there is too much reorientation at each touchpoint, the experience feels disjointed.

A high degree of transitional volatility arises from an inconsistency in ...