Avoid Common Anti-Patterns

As you work to visualize what you know, avoid these common anti-patterns.

Getting bogged down in endless debate. If you find yourself debating minute details, try to draw out your differences instead of debating them. We often debate details when we already agree. We just don’t realize we already agree. When you are forced to draw an idea, you have to get specific enough to define what it is. This often helps to quickly clear up the disagreement or to pinpoint exactly where the disagreement occurs. Drawing really is a magic tool in your toolbox. Use it often.

Using words instead of visuals. Because many of us are uncomfortable with our drawing skills, we tend to revert back to words and sentences. Instead, use boxes and arrows. Remember, you don’t have to create a piece of art. Stick figures and smiley faces are perfectly okay. But drawing engages a different part of your brain than language does. It helps us see patterns that are hard to detect in words and sentences. When I was first learning to draw, I was reluctant. I still don’t draw well, but I now draw every day. The more you draw, the more you’ll realize drawing is a superpower.

Moving forward as if your map is true. One of the drawbacks of documenting a customer-experience map is that it can start to feel like truth. Remember, this is your first draft, intended to capture what you think you know about your customer. We’ll test this understanding in our customer interviews and again when we start to explore solutions.

Forgetting to refine and evolve your map as you learn more. It can be easy to think of this activity as a one-time event. However, as you discover more about your customer, you’ll want to make sure that you continue to hone and refine this map as a team. Otherwise, you’ll find that your individual perspectives will quickly start to diverge even when you are working with the same set of source data. Each person will take away different points from the same customer interview or the same assumption test. You’ll want to continuously synthesize what you collectively know so that you maintain a shared understanding of your customer context.