Journey Maps Part 1: What Belongs on the Map, and Whose Journey Is It? (w/ Andrew Schall)

Send us Fan Mail Why do so many personas and journey maps end up forgotten shortly after they are created? In this episode of The Design Psychologist, Thomas Watkins talks with Andrew Schall, author of The Persona and Journey Map Playbook: Designing Human-Centered Artifacts to Inspire and Drive Change . Andrew explains why personas and journey maps should be treated as strategic decision-making tools—not attractive, check-the-box deliverables. They discuss selecting the right “altitude,” connecting personas to user goals, avoiding irrelevant demographic details, and determining how much specificity a team actually needs. The conversation also explores live journaling, service blueprints, moments that matter, and using current-state research to build a practical bridge toward a future-state vision. If you want to create research artifacts that remain useful, align stakeholders, and influence product strategy, this episode provides a practical framework for doing it. If today’s conversation helped you think more deeply about your work, I’d love it if you left a quick rating or review on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast listening app . It helps more thoughtful designers discover the show—and keeps these meaningful insights coming your way. Just a star rating or a sentence or two makes a big difference. Thanks for listening! Go to thedesignpsychologist.substack.com to get episode summaries right in your inbox so you can easily reference, save, and apply what you learn.

Journey Maps Part 1: What Belongs on the Map, and Whose Journey Is It? (w/ Andrew Schall) | S2 E8