In my last post, I shared why so many journey mapping efforts fall flat—either because the map itself is flawed or nothing gets done with it. (Impact Guide to Journey Mapping: Part 1)
But let’s say your team does build a strong map. What’s the next move?
For many teams, this means jumping straight into personas and trying to customize the journey for different customer types.

Here’s the problem:
𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻’𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁, 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸.
You start designing for Sarah the “Savvy Shopper” or Carl the “Busy Business Owner”…
Meanwhile, your core processes are still broken for everyone.

𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆

Before segmenting, teams need to answer:
• What’s the 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆 most customers go through?
• Where are the 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀 across all segments?
• How do internal 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘀 affect the experience?

A solid baseline journey gives everyone—from CX to Ops to IT—𝗮 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵.
That’s the foundation. Personas are the customizations you layer in after.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗠𝗣𝗔𝗖𝗧™ 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝗜𝘁 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱
The 𝗜𝗠𝗣𝗔𝗖𝗧™ 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱 avoids this trap by grounding the work in what’s really happening:
• 𝗠 = 𝗠𝗮𝗽 the whole end-to-end journey first
• 𝗔 = 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀 importance and satisfaction through both customer and employee lenses
• Then we prioritize, align, and layer in personas where they truly change the experience

𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗲:
Don’t design for personas until there is a solid understanding of the journey that connects them all.
Start with alignment. Then segment. Then design.

𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗨𝗽:
𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟯: 𝗠𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗖𝗫 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗲
Why the best journey maps don’t end in a workshop—they drive prioritization, investment, and ROI.

🗣️ Let’s talk about how to turn your customer journey into a business advantage.