Research

Future State Journey Mapping

You've diagnosed experience problems. Now, envision the ideal experience. Future State Journey Mapping details the improved customer journey. It shows touchpoints, emotions, and outcomes after addressing pain points. This 90-minute exercise turns improvements into a cohesive vision. Teams align on 'good' before building. This works best after identifying pain points, but before detailed design. It's valuable when teams coordinate improvements or when making the case for experience investments. The magic happens when teams realize solving individual problems isn't enough. The future state must be intentionally designed. Reality check: balance aspiration with feasibility. Too ambitious becomes fantasy. Too conservative doesn't inspire. The facilitator balances that tension. Expect creative energy and grounding discussions. The 90-minute duration enables both. You'll know it's working when teams identify dependencies and sequence improvements.

Duration
1.5 hours
Group Size
10-16
Category
Research
Difficulty
Easy
Create a detailed future state journey map. Show each journey phase after improvements. Include touchpoints, interactions, emotions, and outcomes. Identify changes needed to enable the future state. Consider new capabilities, processes, technology, and organization. Translate the vision into requirements. Sequence improvements into a realistic roadmap. Show what can be done in 3, 6, and 12 months. Recognize dependencies. Build progressively toward the full vision. Create stakeholder alignment on the target experience. Make the future state concrete enough for reaction, debate, and commitment.
Designed future state customer journey. Clear vision of improved experience. Gap analysis between current and desired state.
Before the session, set the right aspiration level with sponsors. Be ambitious, but credible. Pre-identify constraints (budget, timeline, technology) to focus visioning. Have inspiration examples ready. During facilitation, balance 'blue sky' thinking with feasibility. Encourage bold ideas early. Introduce reality checks later. Prevent perfectionism: achievable is better than perfect. Watch for internal focus: bring discussion back to customer experience. Warning signs: Future state looks like the current state (not ambitious). Future state requires massive change (not achievable). No connection to pain points (solving wrong problems). Teams can't articulate enablers (vision without substance). Success indicators: Compelling future state, clear enablers, realistic roadmap, stakeholder commitment, quick wins. After the session, document the future state journey. Create an implementation roadmap with owners and timelines. Brief engineering/operations teams. Use the future state as a north star.

  1. Setup & Current State Review (10 minutes): Briefly review the current state journey and prioritized pain points. Frame the exercise: design the journey as it should be, grounded in feasibility.

  2. Future State Visioning (30 minutes): For each journey phase, describe the future experience. What does the customer do? What touchpoints exist? How do they feel? What outcomes occur? What's delightful? Capture it on sticky notes or directly on a future state journey canvas. Push for specificity.

  3. Enabler Identification (20 minutes): For each part of the future state, identify what must exist to make it real. New capabilities? Technology? Process changes? Partnerships? Organizational changes? Capture enablers alongside the journey elements.

  4. Feasibility Assessment (15 minutes): Review the complete future state. Assess honestly: What's achievable near term? What requires investment? What dependencies exist? Mark journey elements as: Quick wins (3 months), Medium-term (6-9 months), Long-term (12+ months), or Stretch goals.

  5. Roadmap Sequencing (15 minutes): Organize improvements into implementation phases showing logical sequence. Phase 1: foundational changes and quick wins. Phase 2: core experience improvements. Phase 3: advanced capabilities and refinements. Ensure each phase delivers value independently.

  6. Validation & Next Steps (10 minutes): Review the complete future state: Does this vision excite us? Is it achievable? Does it address our top pain points? What's missing? Identify next steps to begin implementation.

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For Facilitators

  • Review participant profiles and expectations
  • Prepare all materials and supplies
  • Test technology and room setup

For Participants

  • Complete pre-session survey
  • Review background materials
  • Prepare examples or case studies

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  • Large journey canvas for future state (phases across timeline)

  • Sticky notes (multiple colors: touchpoints, emotions, enablers, timing)

  • Markers

  • Current state journey for reference

  • Future state journey template (prepare 1 week ahead): blank canvas with journey phases marked

  • Pain point/opportunity summary (distribute 48 hours ahead)

  • Inspiration examples from other industries (optional)

  • Persona descriptions (optional)

  • Technology capability briefs (optional)

  • Simplified journey framework (optional)

  • Digital tools for remote collaboration (optional)

  • Camera for documentation (optional)

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