Mapping Experiences: A Complete Guide to Creating Value through Journeys, Blueprints, and Diagrams

by James Kalbach

Customers who have inconsistent, broken experiences with products and services are understandably frustrated. But it’s worse when people inside these companies can’t pinpoint the problem because they’re too focused on business processes. This practical book shows your company how to use alignment diagrams to turn valuable customer observations into actionable insight. With this unique tool, you can visually map your existing customer experience and envision future solutions. Product and brand managers, marketing specialists, and business owners will learn how experience diagramming can help determine where business goals and customer perspectives intersect. Once you’re armed with this data, you can provide users with real value. Mapping Experiences is divided into three

Genres: Design, Business, Nonfiction, Reference, Academic, Collections, Management

379 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2015

Reviews

[Ahmad hosseini · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so good!
This is book is one I will using for many years. This is about insight, strategy, business and how to create value in it and also diagrams!
Author offers good tips, tricks and case studies on different kind of diagrams like service blueprints, customer journey map, spatial models, experience map, etc.
This is a truly must read book for all product managers, ux experts, strategists, designers, business owners and everyone building products and services for great customer experience.

[Jose Papo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a truly must read book for all Product Managers, UX Experts, Designers and everyone building products and services for great customer experience. In Part 1 the author explains the fundamentals of visualizing value and offer a fundamental on mapping experiences and strategic insight. Part 2 is all about a general process you can use to map customer experiences. Part 3 goes in details and offer tips and tricks on different kind of diagrams(like service blueprints, customer journey maps, Spatial Models, etc) and how to better use them. I strongly recommend the book and for the best customer experience buy the printed book. The visuals are great and you can use it a lot as reference!

[Nelson Zagalo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gostei do livro "Mapping Experiences Diagrams" (2016), mas não me será útil, ou seja, considero que aquilo que James Kalbach tenta aqui fazer, mapear as experiências de uso das aplicações, pelo menos do modo como foi feito, não funciona porque peca por um excesso de formalização do conhecimento. No fundo a intenção era excelente, ajudar os designers a criar mapas de experiência, num tempo em que a experiência se assumiu como o mais importante de qualquer aplicação, mas o caminho escolhido pelo autor acaba sendo algo despropositado.

O resto da análise pode ser lida no VI em:
https://virtual-illusion.blogspot.com...

[Anna Epishcheva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very comprehensive book for the person who have been using only CJMs & JTBDs :)

I consider this book as ultimate guide and very structured tool for those people who want to dig deep into mapping. Information is tightly packed, I've been reading this book for almost a month (with pauses) because my brain was not able to digest all information at the speed of reading.

Each chapter has an practical example (I even was able to test one of the maps on my current engagement) and what is more interesting - list of articles and books who wants to go event deeper.

Might be a good table book for working group who does customer experience work in a broad sense, might be used as a reference.

[Gerard Chiva · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to get started with experience mapping this is a great book. Great overview of different approaches (Customer Journey Maps, Service Blueprints, Experience Maps, …) and plenty of references to dig further.

[Sashko Valyus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Мастхев для тих хто малює моделі досвіду користувача. Поглиблене вивчення і розуміння CJM і його похідних.

[Michael Dubakov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book that provides you with many ideas and mechanisms how to explore user experience. Many real examples, decent explanations.

[Glenn Burnside · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think there's a group of people who would find this book indispensable. But I'm not one of them. I just don't think this way. Too many years as a non-ui, systems and libraries developer. When I think of "user experience" I still in my head just envision....the code a user of my libraries would write. This journey and experience mapping feels like complicated, 2D, over-size renderings of what could have been some basic documents and visuals. And I keep thinking "ok, but someone's got to take all this and translate it into some working docs we can all actually refer to, right?"

[Mariana García · Rating 4 out of 5]

When in doubt on how to create information maps that help taking product decisions forward, check this book. Reusing several of the examples here displayed has given me an obvious advantage when displaying complex information relationships for my stakeholders meetings. Everyone leaves happy to have been able to contribute into the information map and with clear action points to develop next without getting lost in abstract conversations. It's almost like I've learned a secret weapon, all information can be diagrammed with enough practice.

[Michael Cabus · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so good...comprehensive work on how to formulate and communicate strategy. I feel it is a bit of a secret...and I would rather keep the wisdom in this book to myself.

This book, like Dan Brown's Communicating Design, is one I will be using for many years. The author has a clear, engaging writing style, which helps immensely. If you want to know how to take your organization or business to new heights this is the book for you.

Look smart...look brilliant..read this book!

[ichbinkreativ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mapped user experience in the past and read other literature on the subject. However, this is the first time I have read Mapping Experience, even though it is more or less considered a reference work in this field. All the greater, unfortunately, was my disappointment after the last few pages.

In my opinion, mapping experience seems more complicated by this book than it really is. Which is due in no small part to the structure and length of the book. Instead of breaking the subject down to the essential common features, explaining step by step using an example, and then explaining variations, this book sometimes resembles a rather aimless wandering. Yes, the book contains a large number of examples. But I think that especially for beginners, this variety is overwhelming. Particularly since this multiplicity brings in each case its own terminology with itself, in order to separate allegedly completely different procedures. All in all, however, only unnecessary noise is generated. Thus, chapters 10 to 14, which are supposed to present the primary maps and diagrams in detail, focus on related variations rather than the actual topic. Quite apart from the fact that one chapter is by far not sufficient to explain Mental Model Diagrams or rather the method behind them sufficiently. Whether or not they are even up to date is another issue.

Furthermore, I found the increasing marketing for the company MURAL, where the author has been working for quite some time, a bit too intrusive.

Not factored into the rating is the awful format of the printed book. Presumably the editor wanted to ensure that the maps and diagrams were as large as possible; however, at the same time, it provides a terrible reading experience combined with the thin paper. Please next time in portrait format and rotate the maps and diagrams 90 degrees.

For those who want to get a clearer picture on mapping user experiences, I recommend the book “Collaborative Product Design” by Austin Govella.

[Uriel Vidal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es muy libro bastante amplio que trata de abarcar muchas formas de generación de mapas mentales, pero no profundiza en ninguno. A veces tiene partes donde no se sabe exactamente cual es el propósito del capítulo en el libro, como si fuera un compendio de cosas que se agruparon por el hecho de ser representaciones pictóricas de la experiencia de usuario. Va dirigido, al menos eso sentí, a diseñadores y artistas gráficos que ayuden en la generación de producto.
El gran punto a favor es que da muchas recomendaciones de lectura, sirve como referencia de los mapas presentados y tiene muy buenas ilustraciones que vale la pena comprar el libro físico.

[Andre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book that has been an essential reference for me since it came out. So much valuable information (especially the diagrams) that has helped me in my professional life. I have recommended this book to several of my colleagues who have used in our design efforts in our workplaces. I also like how the author added other book references and articles if you wanted to learn more about the items he discussed in the chapters. I initially bought this in digital format but I found having a book copy essential for me. I highly recommend this book.

[Heather Stark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the most thoughtful Product/UX Design focussed treatment of experience mapping I've seen to date.

No more vapid eye-roll-inducing boring and obvious journey maps! If you want to power up your tool choice, check this out.

People in industry tend to grab a framework off the shelf because "it's how it's done", and splash it around, without thinking of what the representation actually does for them, and their team, and why.

You can do better. And you will, if you check out this book.

[Juan Manuel Vera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelente. Muy completo.

Excelente libro, muy completo y con estupenda bibliografía para consultar. Dirigido a Profesionales de experiencia del Cliente.
Muestra una gran cantidad de ejemplos muy detallados y da una clara explicación de las diferentes opciones de mapping

Es sin duda un libro que no debe faltar en tu biblioteca.

[Deepthi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent to read for someone focusing on mapping user journeys for Product strategy and overview. It has numerous case studies, which makes it easier to understand the methodologies. Precisely for people who would like to have an in-depth knowledge of Experience/ Journey mapping especially Product managers/designers & UX Designers.

[Nicole Guerzoni · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for anyone who’s willing to understand the customer and improve their experience with the product/service. It’s hard to create empathy with the customer and see things from an outside perspective when you’re inside the organization, that’s why it’s so important to map experiences and understand what the customer feels in each step of their journey.

[Cairo Cananea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ótima referência para entender e colocar em prática o mapeamento de experiências das pessoas.
Linguagem didática com diversos exemplos e estudos de caso.

A versão brasileira em português deixou um pouco a desejar na qualidade do material (impressão das imagens) mas nada que atrapalhe a leitura do conteúdo.

[Gedi௨]

+ Locating Value with Alignment Diagrams (venn: individual vs. org = value)
+ diagrams that represent the value creation equation
+alignment diagrams: Customer Journey Map, Service Blueprint, Experience Map, Mental Model Diagram, Spatial Map
+ value-centered design




“The purpose of visualization is insight, not pictures.”
―Ben Shneiderman, Readings in Information Visualization

[James Seow · Rating 5 out of 5]

For one who is relatively new to the field of facilitation and mapping, this was a welcome book - highly readable and practical. Lots of beautiful coloured maps of all kinds, opening up my eyes to a whole variety of ways to look at and frame issues, problems, experiences. Surely a book I will go back to as a handy guide as I go about undertaking more mapping and facilitation activities.

[Elchin Jafarov · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorry, but this book did not make any sense and looks like a compilation of various course works by students, who adapted articles from the Internet. For comparison, I have read quite a lot of business and project management books, and this one gets 2 stars, because it does some job of compiling many visuals from the Internet.

[Ahmad · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a 'reference book', the one you keep on your shelves, and open it once in a while if you need to read some specific part. Not really cup of coffee tho.. but i think its good to have it on my book shelves just in case.

[Juan Pedro PS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rarely do you find a book that is so generous in novel ideas on a subject. Mapping Experiences is valuable for its insights but also for its many clever charts, mapping their mind boggling multidimensionality.

[Thomas Ziegelbecker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great at getting the basics and getting started. A very visual book that goes well with the actual topic. I really appreciated the chapter by chapter summary at the end that helps to revisit certain chapters quickly and to keep the basics.

[Ecaterina Moraru · Rating 3 out of 5]

It shows the differences between Service Blueprints, Customer Journey Maps, Experience Maps, Mental Models and Ecosystem Models, with some examples of diagrams. Part 3 it's the most useful for me, the rest is a lot of filler.

[Gabriel Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are too many business books which read like wordy inflations of a couple of years of blog posts. This isn’t one of them. Best consumed in sections, preferably whilst you’re working to actually apply it. Excellent in every way.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

useful guidance to the graphic organizers and mapping processes in business. A full variety of cases and visual diagrams for business and customer journeys.

[Hellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful overview of customer-centric mapping. It makes a great resource!

[Mika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good advice on creating diagrams. I learned so much.

[Abhilash Gopalakrishnan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Customer experience mapping is explained end to end with example diagrams in this book. The diagrams help generate insights and this is a great toolbox anyone interested in innovation.