What it is for: An experience map, often called a journey map, is a visual timeline of one person's journey through a service. Your team leaves with one shared picture of the journey, moment by moment, showing what people do, what they need and where the evidence comes from, with gaps marked honestly.
Who it helps: Service and product teams, especially where a journey crosses several departments and nobody owns the whole of it.
When to use it
After interviews or observations, to bring the findings into one view.
When a service crosses several teams and nobody owns the whole journey.
When you need a shared starting point before choosing which problem to work on.
How to use it
Pick one person type and one journey, and agree where it starts and ends.
Lay out 8 to 15 moments from your research, including waiting and silence.
Under each moment, add what the person does and what they need, in their words.
Attach evidence to every moment and mark gaps where you have none.
Walk the map aloud in the first person and agree the two or three moments that matter most.
Tip: Map one person type at a time. A map that tries to cover everyone ends up describing no one.
Credits and sources: Original Tiremesù worksheet and wording. Further reading: 18F Methods https://github.com/18F/methods/tree/main/_methods
Full guide and film:https://www.tiremesu.com/guides/experience-mapping
