Map > Improve > Repeat
Improve Moments > Improve Experiences > Increase Approach
As we’ll explore within the Adapting to Change section, society is undergoing rapid and continuous transformation. The pace of change will continue to be both volatile and will have impacts on individual and organization approach-avoid actions. As customers and employees attempt to adapt, their perceptions of inputs within their lives will change more often.
With the rise of the internet, artificial intelligence, and other emerging technologies, the human brain is being inundated with information. As a result, capturing and maintaining the attention of customers and employees comes with more competition and costs.
Organizations need to stay ahead in this intensifying competitive business environment. A strategy to provide an edge on competition is to map the human experience using the concept of approach-avoid actions. With mapping, an organization can see perception changes quicker and provide the best moments and experiences for their customers and employees. By exploring and better understanding individual subconscious and conscious approach-avoid actions, an organization can develop stronger loyalty (approach) in their staff, customer base, and in their brand.
Mapping Terms and Definitions
Below you will find a list of mapping terms
This list will be updated periodically. Feel free to suggest additions.
Experience & Journey Design
A/B Testing – Comparing two versions of a webpage or app to determine which performs better.
Agile Experience Design – An iterative approach to designing experiences using agile principles.
Anchoring – A cognitive bias where people rely heavily on the first piece of information encountered.
Anticipated Emotion – The emotion a person expects to feel as a result of an action.
Attrition Rate – The rate at which employees leave an organization.
Behavioral Intent – The likelihood or plan to perform a specific behavior.
Behavioral Trigger – An event or cue that prompts a specific action or decision.
Channel – The medium through which a touchpoint occurs (e.g., phone, app, in-person).
Change Management – A structured approach to transitioning individuals, teams, and organizations to a desired future state.
Choice Overload – Difficulty making a decision when faced with many options.
Churn Rate – The rate at which customers or employees leave over time.
Clickstream Analysis – Tracking and analyzing the sequence of clicks made by users.
CLV (Customer Lifetime Value) – The total value of a customer over the entire relationship.
Cognitive Load – The mental effort required to complete a task.
Confirmation Bias – Seeking or interpreting information in ways that confirm existing beliefs.
Continuous Improvement – Ongoing efforts to enhance products, services, or processes.
Conversion Rate – The percentage of users who take a desired action.
Cross-channel Journey – A journey spanning multiple communication or interaction channels.
CRM Integration – Connecting customer relationship management systems with other tools.
CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score) – Measures satisfaction with a specific interaction.
Culture of Feedback – An environment where feedback is regularly shared to foster growth.
Customer-Centricity – A strategy placing the customer at the center of decisions.
Customer Lifecycle – The stages a customer goes through with a company.
Decision Point – A moment where a choice must be made.
Delight Point – A positive experience that exceeds expectations.
Design Thinking – A problem-solving approach emphasizing empathy, ideation, and experimentation.
Diary Study – Participants record experiences over time for research.
Emotional Journey – Emotional highs and lows across a journey.
Emotional State – Feelings experienced at each stage.
Employee-Centricity – A strategy prioritizing employee needs and experiences.
Employee Lifecycle – Stages of an employee’s journey (recruitment to exit).
Engagement Loop – A cycle of actions and rewards sustaining engagement.
Engagement Score – Measures how actively involved users or employees are.
Escalation Path – A predefined route for handling complex issues.
Ethnographic Research – Studying people in their natural environment.
Expectation Gap – Difference between expected and actual experience.
Experience Archetype – Common patterns of experience across users.
Experience Dashboard – A visual display of key experience metrics.
Experience Flow – The sequence and structure of interactions across a journey.
Experience Gap – Gap between intended and delivered experience.
Experience Governance – Policies ensuring consistent experience delivery.
Experience Layer – Conceptual layer of user interactions and perceptions.
Experience Ownership – Accountability for improving experiences.
Experience Prototype – A model used to test and refine experience concepts.
Experience Strategy – A plan for delivering meaningful experiences.
Feedback Loop – Using outputs as inputs to improve future performance.
Flow State – Deep focus and immersion in an activity.
Focus Group – Moderated group discussion for insights.
Friction Point – An obstacle disrupting the experience.
Framing Effect – How presentation of information influences decisions.
Funnel Analysis – Visualizing steps users take toward a goal.
Habit Loop – Cue, routine, reward pattern forming habits.
Heatmap – Visualization showing interaction intensity.
Human-Centered Design – Designing around human needs and behaviors.
Inhibitor – A factor that discourages action.
Interaction Log – A record of user interactions.
Internal Alignment – Teams working toward shared goals.
Journey Analytics – Analysis of journey-related data.
Journey Hypothesis – An assumption about how a journey works.
Journey Map – Visual representation of steps in an experience.
Journey Orchestration – Coordinating touchpoints for seamless experience.
KPI (Key Performance Indicator) – A measurable indicator of success.
Loss Aversion – Preference for avoiding losses over gaining benefits.
Micro-moment – An intent-driven moment of action.
Moment of Truth – A critical interaction shaping perception.
Motivation Driver – A factor compelling action.
Mystery Shopping – Evaluating service quality by acting as a customer.
NPS (Net Promoter Score) – Measures loyalty based on likelihood to recommend.
Omnichannel Experience – Integrated experience across all channels.
Pain Point – A problem or frustration in the journey.
Perceived Control – Belief in influence over outcomes.
Perceived Value – Worth assigned to a product or service.
Persona – A research-based fictional user representation.
Priming – Exposure to a stimulus influencing later responses.
Psychological Safety – Feeling safe to speak without fear.
Real-time Analytics – Immediate data analysis.
Reciprocity – Tendency to return favors.
Retention Rate – Percentage of users who remain over time.
Root Cause Analysis – Identifying the underlying cause of a problem.
Scenario – A specific context of interaction.
Sentiment Analysis – Identifying emotions in text data.
Service Blueprint – Diagram of frontstage and backstage service actions.
Service Design – Planning people, processes, and systems for service quality.
Service Recovery Plan – Strategy for resolving service failures.
Shadowing – Observing users during real interactions.
Social Proof – Influence of others’ behavior on decisions.
Stage – A phase in the journey.
Stakeholder Mapping – Identifying people affected by a project.
Storyboard – Visual sequence illustrating a journey.
Timeline – Chronological order of stages or events.
Touchpoint – Any interaction with an organization.
Touchpoint Inventory – Complete list of interactions.
Trust Signal – Element that builds confidence.
Use Case – Description of achieving a goal using a system.
Usability Testing – Evaluating a product with real users.
User Story – Short description of a feature from the user’s perspective.
Voice of the Customer (VoC) – Insights gathered from customers.
Voice of the Employee (VoE) – Insights gathered from employees.
