Unit 1 · Lesson 1 of 20
Follow the person's whole task
Map a patient's goal across the kiosk, staff, and appointment system.
01 / Learn
Learn the method
Fictional case
Mira arrives for a clinic appointment. A kiosk greets her, and a receptionist manages the arrival queue.
Terms for this lesson
- Goal
- The outcome a person wants to reach.
- Touchpoint
- A moment when the person meets the service through a screen, message, place, or person.
- Handoff
- A transfer of information or responsibility between parts of the service.
User experience describes what a person goes through while pursuing a goal. Mira's goal is to let the clinic know she has arrived and reach the right waiting area. The kiosk is one touchpoint in that experience. Her reminder message, the entrance signs, the receptionist, and the eventual call to the consultation room also shape it.
Begin a task map with four labels: person, goal, starting point, and successful end point. Then place each action in order. Mira reads her reminder, finds the entrance, identifies the check-in route, enters her appointment code, receives a status, and waits. Beside each action, record the information she needs and the system or person that receives it.
A handoff occurs when responsibility or information moves between people or systems. The kiosk sends an arrival request to the appointment service. The service sends a receipt. The staff queue then shows the arrival to reception. These events can happen at different times, so the map gives each one its own line.
A useful map ends at the person's outcome. Mira reaches a waiting area with a clear expectation about what happens next. The map also shows a route through reception when she needs help. This wider view helps a team find the point where the service needs attention.
Use the method
- Name the person, goal, starting point, and successful end point.
- Place patient actions and service events on a shared timeline.
- Mark each handoff and the confirmation the patient receives.
The interface interaction and the service outcome are two connected parts of Mira's task.
- Nielsen Norman Group: The Definition of User Experience (UX) ↗Use to distinguish a person's whole experience from interface usability.
- Nielsen Norman Group: UX Basics: Study Guide ↗Beginner reading sequence and vocabulary check.
- GOV.UK Service Manual: Designing good government services: an introduction ↗Consider a service from beginning to end, front to back, and across channels.
02 / See the reasoning
Worked example
The team first sketches one box labeled 'Check in.' They expand it into entering an appointment code, sending an arrival request, receiving a service receipt, updating the staff queue, and showing Mira where to wait. The expanded map reveals a useful question: when does Mira learn that the clinic has received her arrival? The team adds that moment to the map before discussing screen layout.
Try a decision →03 / Decide
Guided decision
The kiosk sends Mira's request at 09:02. The service returns a receipt at 09:02:03, and the staff queue updates at 09:03. Which map best represents her task?
Feedback on your choice
What could change the answer: A clinic that confirms arrival through reception would place the staff conversation and its confirmation at the center of the map.
Use this feedback to examine your choice and written reasoning.
Build your case file →04 / Build the case
Your case file
Fictional case update
Receptionists use a queue that refreshes roughly every 90 seconds. Mira may ask them about her status while the queue catches up.
Evidence and constraints
- Fictional service detail: the appointment service issues a receipt after accepting an arrival request.
- Fictional service detail: the reception queue can display that receipt up to 90 seconds later.
- Fictional access detail: reception staff can look up an appointment code directly.
Extend the task map through the staff queue and Mira's next step. Mark the source of each status and one place where she may seek help.
Create: A one-page task map showing Mira, the kiosk, the service receipt, the staff queue, and the waiting instruction.
The map starts with Mira's goal, follows the information through each handoff, and ends with a clear next step for her.
- The person and goal appear at the start.
- Each status has a named source.
- The map includes a help route and a successful end point.
The task map shows where Mira needs a clear signal from the service. The next lesson studies that signal.
Lesson complete
You added to your case file.
You studied the method, practiced a decision, and added an artifact to your case file. Carry that reasoning into the next lesson.
05 / Keep working