Author: Vitaly Friedman

User journey maps are a remarkably effective way to visualize the user’s experience for the entire team. Instead of pointing to documents scattered across remote fringes of Sharepoint, we bring key insights together — in one single place.

Let’s explore a couple of helpful customer journey templates to get started and how companies use them in practice.

This article is part of our ongoing series on UX. You might want to take a look at Smart Interface Design Patterns 🍣 and the upcoming live UX training as well. Use code BIRDIE to save 15% off.

AirBnB Customer Journey Blueprint (also check Google Drive example) is a wonderful practical example of how to visualize the entire customer experience for two personas, across eight touch points, with user policies, UI screens and all interactions with the customer service — all on one single page.

Now, unlike AirBnB, your product might not need a mapping against user policies. However, it might need other lanes that would be more relevant for your team. For example, include relevant findings and recommendations from UX research. List key actions needed for the next stage. Include relevant UX metrics and unsuccessful touchpoints.

Whatever works for you, works for you — just make sure to avoid assumptions and refer to facts and insights from research.

Spotify Customer Journey Blueprint (high resolution) breaks down customer experiences by distinct user profiles, and for each includes mobile and desktop views, pain points, thoughts, and actions. Also, notice branches for customers who skip authentication or admin tasks.

To get started with user journey maps, we first choose a lens: Are we reflecting the current state or projecting a future state? Then, we choose a customer who experiences the journey — and we capture the situation/goals that they are focusing on.

Next, we list high-level actions users are going through. We start by defining the first and last stages and fill in between. Don’t get too granular: list key actions needed for the next stage. Add the user’s thoughts, feelings, sentiments, and emotional curves.

Eventually, add user’s key touchpoints with people, services, tools. Map user journey across mobile and desktop screens. Transfer insights from other research (e.g., customer support). Fill in stage after stage until the entire map is complete.

Then, identify pain points and highlight them with red dots. Add relevant jobs-to-be-done, metrics, channels if needed. Attach links to quotes, photos, videos, prototypes, Figma files. Finally, explore ideas and opportunities to address pain points.

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel from scratch. Below, you will find a few useful starter kits to get up and running fast. However, please make sure to customize these templates for your needs, as every product will require its own specific details, dependencies, and decisions.

• User Journey Map Template (Figma), by Estefanía Montaña B.
• Customer Journey Mapping (PDF), by Taras Bakusevych
• End-To-End User Experience Map (Figma), by Justin Tan
• Customer Journey Map Template (Figma), by Ed Biden
• Customer Journey Map Template (Miro), by Matt Anderson
• Customer Journey Map (Miro), by Hustle Badger
• Customer Experience Map Template (Miro), by Essense
• The Customer Journey Map (Miro), by RSPRINT

Keep in mind that customer journeys are often non-linear, with unpredictable entry points and integrations way beyond the final stage of a customer journey map. It’s in those moments when things leave a perfect path that a product’s UX is actually stress-tested.

So consider mapping unsuccessful touchpoints as well — failures, error messages, conflicts, incompatibilities, warnings, connectivity issues, eventual lock-outs and frequent log-outs, authentication issues, outages, and urgent support inquiries.

Also, make sure to question assumptions and biases early. Once they live in your UX map, they grow roots — and it might not take long until they are seen as the foundation of everything, which can be remarkably difficult to challenge or question later. Good luck, everyone!

If you are interested in UX and design patterns, take a look at Smart Interface Design Patterns, our 10h-video course with 100s of practical examples from real-life projects — with a live UX training later this year. Everything from mega-dropdowns to complex enterprise tables — with 5 new segments added every year. Jump to a free preview. Use code BIRDIE to save 15% off.

100 design patterns & real-life examples.
10h-video course + live UX training. Free preview.

Getting support for accessibility efforts isn’t easy. There are many accessibility myths, wrong assumptions, and expectations that make accessibility look like a complex, expensive, and time-consuming project. Let’s fix that!

Below are some practical techniques that have been working well for me to convince stakeholders to support and promote accessibility in small and large companies.

This article is part of our ongoing series on UX. You might want to take a look at Smart Interface Design Patterns 🍣 and the upcoming live UX training as well. Use code BIRDIE to save 15% off.

A common way to address accessibility is to speak to stakeholders through the lens of corporate responsibility and ethical and legal implications. Personally, I’ve never been very successful with this strategy. People typically dismiss concerns that they can’t relate to, and as designers, we can’t build empathy with facts, charts, or legal concerns.

The problem is that people often don’t know how accessibility applies to them. There is a common assumption that accessibility is dull and boring and leads to “unexciting” and unattractive products. Unsurprisingly, businesses often neglect it as an irrelevant edge case.

So, I use another strategy. I start conversations about accessibility by visualizing it. I explain the different types of accessibility needs, ranging from permanent to temporary to situational — and I try to explain what exactly it actually means to our products. Mapping a more generic understanding of accessibility to the specifics of a product helps everyone explore accessibility from a point that they can relate to.

And then I launch a small effort — just a few usability sessions, to get a better understanding of where our customers struggle and where they might be blocked. If I can’t get access to customers, I try to proxy test via sales, customer success, or support. Nothing is more impactful than seeing real customers struggling in their real-life scenario with real products that a company is building.

From there, I move forward. I explain inclusive design, accessibility, neurodiversity, EAA, WCAG, ARIA. I bring people with disabilities into testing as we need a proper representation of our customer base. I ask for small commitments first, then ask for more. I reiterate over and over and over again that accessibility doesn’t have to be expensive or tedious if done early, but it can be very expensive when retrofitted or done late.

Throughout that entire journey, I try to anticipate objections about costs, timing, competition, slowdowns, dullness — and keep explaining how accessibility can reduce costs, increase revenue, grow user base, minimize risks, and improve our standing in new markets. For that, I use a few templates that I always keep nearby just in case an argument or doubts arise.

1. “But Accessibility Is An Edge Case!”

❌ “But accessibility is an edge case. Given the state of finances right now, unfortunately, we really can’t invest in it right now.”

🙅🏽♀️ “I respectfully disagree. 1 in 6 people around the world experience disabilities. In fact, our competitors [X, Y, Z] have launched accessibility efforts ([references]), and we seem to be lagging behind. Plus, it doesn’t have to be expensive. But it will be very expensive once we retrofit much later.”

2. “But There Is No Business Value In Accessibility!”

❌ “We know that accessibility is important, but at the moment, we need to focus on efforts that will directly benefit business.”

🙅🏼♂️ “I understand what you are saying, but actually, accessibility directly benefits business. Globally, the extended market is estimated at 2.3 billion people, who control an incremental $6.9 trillion in annual disposable income. Prioritizing accessibility very much aligns with your goal to increase leads, customer engagement, mitigate risk, and reduce costs.” (via Yichan Wang)

3. “But We Don’t Have Disabled Users!”

❌ “Why should we prioritize accessibility? Looking at our data, we don’t really have any disabled users at all. Seems like a waste of time and resources.”

🙅♀️ “Well, if a product is inaccessible, users with disabilities can’t and won’t be using it. But if we do make our product more accessible, we open the door for prospect users for years to come. Even small improvements can have a high impact. It doesn’t have to be expensive nor time-consuming.”

4. “Screen Readers Won’t Work With Our Complex System!”

❌ “Our application is very complex and used by expert users. Would it even work at all with screen readers?”

🙅🏻♀️ “It’s not about designing only for screen readers. Accessibility can be permanent, but it can also be temporary and situational — e.g., when you hold a baby in your arms or if you had an accident. Actually, it’s universally useful and beneficial for everyone.”

5. “We Can’t Win Market With Accessibility Features!”

❌ “To increase our market share, we need features that benefit everyone and improve our standing against competition. We can’t win the market with accessibility.”

🙅🏾♂️ “Modern products succeed not by designing more features, but by designing better features that improve customer’s efficiency, success rate, and satisfaction. And accessibility is one of these features. For example, voice control and auto-complete were developed for accessibility but are now widely used by everyone. In fact, the entire customer base benefits from accessibility features.”

6. “Our Customers Can’t Relate To Accessibility Needs”

❌ “Our research clearly shows that our customers are young and healthy, and they don't have accessibility needs. We have other priorities, and accessibility isn’t one of them.”

🙅♀️ “I respectfully disagree. People of all ages can have accessibility needs. In fact, accessibility features show your commitment to inclusivity, reaching out to every potential customer of any age, regardless of their abilities.

This not only resonates with a diverse audience but also positions your brand as socially responsible and empathetic. As you know, our young user base increasingly values corporate responsibility, and this can be a significant differentiator for us, helping to build a loyal customer base for years to come.” (via Yichan Wang)

7. “Let’s Add Accessibility Later”

❌ “At the moment, we need to focus on the core features of our product. We can always add accessibility later once the product is more stable.”

🙅🏼 “I understand concerns about timing and costs. However, it’s important to note that integrating accessibility from the start is far more cost-effective than retrofitting it later. If accessibility is considered after development is complete, we will face significant additional expenses for auditing accessibility, followed by potentially extensive work involving a redesign and redevelopment.

This process can be significantly more expensive than embedding accessibility from the beginning. Furthermore, delaying accessibility can expose your business to legal risks. With the increasing number of lawsuits for non-compliance with accessibility standards, the cost of legal repercussions could far exceed the expense of implementing accessibility now. The financially prudent move is to work on accessibility now.”

You can find more useful ready-to-use templates in Yichan Wang’s Designer’s Accessibility Advocacy Toolkit — a fantastic resource to keep nearby.

As mentioned above, nothing is more impactful than visualizing accessibility. However, it requires building accessibility research and accessibility practices from scratch, and it might feel like an impossible task, especially in large corporations. In “How We’ve Built Accessibility Research at Booking.com”, Maya Alvarado presents a fantastic case study on how to build accessibility practices and inclusive design into UX research from scratch.

Maya rightfully points out that automated accessibility testing alone isn’t reliable. Compliance means that a user can use your product, but it doesn’t mean that it’s a great user experience. With manual testing, we make sure that customers actually meet their goals and do so effectively.

Start by gathering colleagues and stakeholders interested in accessibility. Document what research was done already and where the gaps are. And then whenever possible, include 5–12 users with disabilities in accessibility testing.

Then, run a small accessibility initiative around key flows. Tap into critical touch points and research them. As you are making progress, extend to components, patterns, flows, and service design. And eventually, incorporate inclusive sampling into all research projects — at least 15% of usability testers should have a disability.

Companies often struggle to recruit testers with disabilities. One way to find participants is to reach out to local chapters, local training centers, non-profits, and public communities of users with disabilities in your country. Ask the admin’s permission to post your research announcement, and it won’t be rejected. If you test on site, add extra $25–$50 depending on disability transportation.

I absolutely love the idea of extending Microsoft's Inclusive Design Toolkit to meet specific user needs of a product. It adds a different dimension to disability considerations which might be less abstract and much easier to relate for the entire organization.

As Maya noted, inclusive design is about building a door that can be opened by anyone and lets everyone in. Accessibility isn’t a checklist — it’s a practice that goes beyond compliance. A practice that involves actual people with actual disabilities throughout all UX research activities.

To many people, accessibility is a big mystery box. They might have never seen a customer with disabilities using their product, and they don’t really understand what it involves and requires. But we can make accessibility relatable, approachable, and visible by bringing accessibility testing to our companies — even if it’s just a handful of tests with people with disabilities.

No manager really wants to deliberately ignore the needs of their paying customers — they just need to understand these needs first. Ask for small commitments, and get the ball rolling from there.

Set up an accessibility roadmap with actions, timelines, roles and goals. Frankly, this strategy has been working for me much better than arguing about legal and moral obligations, which typically makes stakeholders defensive and reluctant to commit.

Fingers crossed! And a huge thank-you to everyone working on and improving accessibility in your day-to-day work, often without recognition and often fueled by your own enthusiasm and passion — thank you for your incredible work in pushing accessibility forward! 👏🏼👏🏽👏🏾

Making A Case For Accessibility

• “How To Make The Business Case For Accessibility”, by R Gregory Williams
• “How We’ve Built Accessibility Research at Booking.com”, by Maya Alvarado
• “Designer’s Accessibility Advocacy Toolkit”, by Yichan Wang
• “Making The Case for Accessibility”, by Susanna Zaraysky
• “Making A Strong Case For Accessibility”, by Todd Libby
• “Accessibility Case Studies and Success Stories”, by Deque
• “Inclusive Design Toolkits and Templates”, by yours truly

Accessibility Testing

• “A Comprehensive Guide to Accessible UX Research”, by Brian Grellmann
• “Inclusive User Research: Recruiting Participants”, by Ela Gorla
• “Testing With Blind Users: A Cheatsheet”, by Slava Shestopalov
• “Mobile Accessibility Research with Screen-Reader Users”, by Tanner Kohler
• “How To Conduct UX Research With Participants With Disabilities”, by Peter McNally
• “How To Conduct Accessibility UX Research”, by AnswerLab

If you are interested in UX and design patterns, take a look at Smart Interface Design Patterns, our 10h-video course with 100s of practical examples from real-life projects — with a live UX training later this year. Everything from mega-dropdowns to complex enterprise tables — with 5 new segments added every year. Jump to a free preview. Use code BIRDIE to save 15% off.

100 design patterns & real-life examples.
10h-video course + live UX training. Free preview.

Why do we see login forms split into multiple screens everywhere? Instead of typing email and password, we have to type email, move to the next page, and then type password there. This seems to be inefficient, to say the least.

Let’s see why login forms are split across screens, what problem they solve, and how to design a better experience for better authentication UX (video).

This article is part of our ongoing series on design patterns. It’s also an upcoming part of the 10h-video library on Smart Interface Design Patterns 🍣 and the upcoming live UX training as well. Use code BIRDIE to save 15% off.

If there is one thing we’ve learned over the years in UX, it’s that designing for people is hard. This applies to login forms as well. People are remarkably forgetful. They often forget what email they signed up with or what service they signed in with last time (Google, Twitter, Apple, and so on)

One idea is to remind customers what they signed in with last time and perhaps make it a default option. However, it reveals directly what the user’s account was, which might be a privacy or security issue:

What if instead of showing all options to all customers all the time, we ask for email first, and then look up what service they used last time, and redirect customers to the right place automatically? Well, that’s exactly the idea behind 2-page logins.

You might have seen them already. If a few years ago, most login forms asked for email and password on one page, these days it’s more common to ask only for email first. When the user chooses to continue, the form will ask for a password in a separate step. Brad explores some problems of this pattern.

A common reason for splitting the login form across pages is Single Sign-On (SSO) authentication. Large companies typically use SSO for corporate sign-ins of their employees. With it, employees log in only once every day and use only one set of credentials, which improves enterprise security.

The UX Intricacies of Single Sign-On (SSO)

SSO also helps with regulatory compliance, and it’s much easier to provision users with appropriate permissions and revoke them later at once. So, if an employee leaves, all their accounts and data can be deleted at once.

To support both business customers and private customers, companies use 2-step-login. Users need to type in their email first, then the validator checks what provider the email is associated with and redirects users there.

Users rarely love this experience. Sometimes, they have multiple accounts (private and business) with one service. Also, 2-step-logins often break autofill and password managers. And for most users, login/pass is way faster than 2-step-login.

Of course, typically, there are dedicated corporate login pages for employees to sign in, but they often head directly to Gmail, Figma, and so on instead and try to sign in there. However, they won’t be able to log in as they must sign in through SSO.

Bottom line: the pattern works well for SSO users, but for non-SSO users, it results in a frustrating UX.

There is a way to work around these challenges (see the image below). We could use a single-page look-up with email and password input fields as a default. Once a user has typed in their email, we detect if the SSO authentication is enabled.

If Single Sign-On (SSO) is enabled for that email, we show a Single Sign-On option and default to it. We could also make the password field optional or disabled.

If SSO isn’t enabled for that email, we proceed with the regular email/password login. This is not much hassle, but it saves trouble for both private and business accounts.

🤔 People often forget what email they signed up with.
🤔 They also forget the auth service they signed in with.
🤔 Companies use Single Sign-On (SSO) for corporate sign-in.
🤔 Individual accounts still need email and password for login.
✅ 2-step login: ask for email, then redirect to the right service.

✅ 2-step-login replaces “social” sign-in for repeat users.
✅ It directs users rather than giving them roadblocks.
🤔 Users still keep forgetting the email they signed in with.
🤔 Sometimes, users have multiple accounts with one service.
🚫 2-step logins often break autofill and password managers.
🚫 For most users, login/pass is way faster than 2-step-login.

✅ Better: start with one single page with login and password.
✅ As users type their email, detect if SSO is enabled for them.
✅ If it is, reveal an SSO-login option and set a default to it.
✅ Otherwise, proceed with the regular password login.
✅ If users must use SSO, disable the password field — don’t hide it.

Personally, I haven’t tested the approach, but it might be a good alternative to 2-page logins — both for SSO and non-SSO users. Keep in mind, though, that SSO authentication might or might not require a password, as sometimes login happens via Yubikey or Touch-ID or third parties (e.g., OAuth).

Also, eventually, users will be locked out; it’s just a matter of time. So, do use magic links for password recovery or access recovery, but don’t mandate it as a regular login option. Switching between applications is slow and causes mistakes. Instead, nudge users to enable 2FA: it’s both usable and secure.

And most importantly, test your login flow with the tools that your customers rely on. You might be surprised how broken their experience is if they rely on password managers or security tools to log in. Good luck, everyone!

Useful Resources

• When To Use A Two-Page Login, by Josh Wayne
• Don’t Get Clever With Login Forms, by Brad Frost
• Why Are Email And Password On Two Different Pages?, by Kelley R.
• Six Simple Steps To Better Authentication UX, by yours truly

If you are interested in similar insights around UX, take a look at Smart Interface Design Patterns, our 10h-video course with 100s of practical examples from real-life projects — with a live UX training later this year. Everything from mega-dropdowns to complex enterprise tables — with 5 new segments added every year. Jump to a free preview.

100 design patterns & real-life examples.
10h-video course + live UX training. Free preview.