What is customer journey mapping and how can it inform decision making?

• A. Diagram of the supply chain
• B. Diagram of pricing changes over time
• C. Diagram of customer steps and touchpoints to identify pain points
• D. Diagram of marketing budgets and allocations

Answer: (C)

Customer journey mapping visually traces the steps a person goes through when interacting with a brand, from initial awareness to post-purchase, and notes every touchpoint along the way. The value lies in uncovering where the experience works smoothly and where friction or confusion slows the customer down. Because it highlights pain points and moments that shape satisfaction and behavior, it directly informs decisions about which parts of the process to fix first, which channels to optimize, and where to invest in people, technology, or changes to the product or service. You might map stages like discovery, consideration, purchase, onboarding, use, and advocacy, and mark touchpoints such as ads, website visits, sales conversations, customer service, emails, and in-store interactions, paying attention to the emotions or problems at each step. This perspective helps prioritize actions that will have the biggest impact on conversion, retention, and overall experience.

The option describing a diagram of customer steps and touchpoints to identify pain points is the best fit because it captures both the sequence of the customer’s interactions and the goal of finding friction to improve decision making. Other diagrams focus on internal systems like supply chains, price changes over time, or budgeting and allocations, which don’t center the customer’s lived experience.