Unit 3 · Lesson 9 of 20
Design the connected journey
Trace patient, kiosk, service, and staff through a complete check-in.
01 / Learn
Learn the method
Fictional case
The team has a problem statement and wants to see where a change would affect the whole appointment journey.
Terms for this lesson
- Journey map
- A view of the person's experience across time and touchpoints.
- Task flow
- A detailed sequence of actions within one interaction.
- Backstage event
- Service work that supports a visible step from behind the scenes.
A journey map follows a person's goal across time and touchpoints. A task flow examines the steps inside a particular interaction. Start with Mira's journey from reminder to consultation, then zoom into kiosk check-in. The two views connect a screen decision to the larger service that gives the decision meaning.
Place each event on a shared timeline: Mira arrives, enters her code, receives a service receipt, waits, appears in the staff queue, and hears the call. Add the patient-visible information beside each event. Add the staff or system owner underneath. This view reveals both visible uncertainty and the backstage event that produces it.
Draw a successful path and a delayed path. In the delayed path, the kiosk submits a request while the staff queue refreshes later. Mira needs a status that matches the receipt and a way to seek help. The receptionist needs a lookup route and a shared explanation of the current state.
Use the map to place a design change at the handoff it can improve. A message can clarify what the receipt means; a queue change can shorten staff delay; an entrance sign can guide patients toward the right starting route. The journey view keeps these changes connected.
Use the method
- Map the patient's goal from arrival to waiting.
- Place service and staff events beneath the patient actions.
- Draw a detailed flow for the handoff the team plans to improve.
A journey and a task flow work together: one shows the whole service, and the other details an interaction within it.
- Nielsen Norman Group: User Journeys vs. User Flows ↗Connect the broad journey with the detailed sequence for one task.
- GOV.UK Service Manual: Designing good government services: an introduction ↗Consider a service from beginning to end, front to back, and across channels.
- GOV.UK Service Manual: Provide a joined up experience across all channels ↗Coordinate digital, phone, paper, and face-to-face help as needed by users.
02 / See the reasoning
Worked example
The team draws one row for Mira and one for reception. At 09:14 the kiosk receives a service receipt and tells Mira to wait. At 09:15 the staff queue displays her arrival. The 60-second gap becomes visible between the rows. The team adds a kiosk message that names the receipt event and a staff lookup step for questions during the gap.
Try a decision →03 / Decide
Guided decision
Which map would best help the team decide where to improve the check-in handoff?
Feedback on your choice
What could change the answer: A clinic that uses immediate staff acknowledgment would show a shorter handoff and may focus the design on lobby guidance.
Use this feedback to examine your choice and written reasoning.
Build your case file →04 / Build the case
Your case file
Fictional case update
During an appointment delay, reception updates the queue and Mira receives a message on her phone.
Evidence and constraints
- Fictional service detail: the appointment service issues an arrival receipt.
- Fictional operations detail: reception sees the update after a queue refresh.
- Fictional extension: a staff member can mark an appointment delayed and trigger a phone message.
Add the delay to the journey map. Show the source of the update and the next action available to Mira and reception.
Create: A patient journey and a focused check-in flow with one delayed branch and named owners.
The map connects Mira's visible information to the system and staff events that support it.
- The journey begins with Mira's goal and reaches the waiting outcome.
- The staff and system handoffs appear on the timeline.
- The delayed branch gives Mira a next step.
The map locates the handoff. The next lesson compares ways to support it.
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