Defining a “Super User Journey”
A sub-project simplifying and streamlining the dynamic user journeys that I previously designed to be a reference point for Drinkaware’s service blueprint (see Service Blueprint project)
Overview
The service blueprint project for my organisation Drinkaware (a charity with a mission to reduce alcohol related harm in the UK) required a user journey to map out all organistion processes.
The user journeys I previously designed were varied and complex, therefore a coordinated sub-project was needed to design a top-line “super user journey“ that collated the previous work and defined a linear journey across the Drinkaware digital estate, cross referencing behavioural states of change and our newly formed organisation Theory of Change.
The final version was the reference point for the service blueprint, linking daily work to organisational goals and user needs.
Inital Draft
Leveraged previous work: I drew from insights gathered during a prior project where I defined Drinkaware’s user journeys.
Ideal path created: I covered all possible user touch points from initial contact to end point. This proved quite tough as I had to ignore aspects of my previous work highlighting the dynamic nature of user behaviour—including loops, backward steps, and repeated stages.
Steps were kept intentionally vague, key touchpoints highlighted: The journey was designed to apply to a wide range of user experiences, while still emphasising critical interactions like digital tools (e.g., Drinking Check, App).
Emotional journey added: I used emojis to signal potential pitfalls and emotional highs/lows, making the journey more relatable. This is where I could feed in the dynamic aspects of my previous work- while the journey is straight, the emotions reflect the dynamic nature.
Mapped behavioural stages: (E.g., pre-contemplation → action) alongside emotional cues to show progression in the change journey.
Use of draft: I used my first draft of the linear journey when conducting stakeholder sessions for mapping the service blueprint project. It was a good visual aid allowing stakeholders to better engage with the process while also providing me feedback to improve the design.
Final Design
Aligned phases: The initial stages of behaviour change from the first draft were merged and upgraded into layers to show user phases (e.g. awareness of their risk level) and simplifying the connection between user needs and organisational aims.
Extra step added: Added a shop purchase step after identifying it as a potential (but previously overlooked) user action. Including this step ensured the service blueprint could properly highlight gaps, as you can’t identify what’s missing without first mapping what’s possible.
New user steps detail: Including detailed step descriptions at the bottom of the journey, clarified the relationship between layers without cluttering the top-level flow.
See Service Blueprint project to see how this journey was used in the bigger project.