Great marketing isn’t just about driving traffic, it needs to lead to conversion. It’s about building trust, earning preference, and inspiring action. But across industries, we see the same problem: even strong customer journeys miss the mark. Not because the UX is bad, or the creative isn’t sharp, but because the strategy behind them lacks real clarity and empathy.

We don’t see customer journey design as just a UX task. To us, it’s about creating experiences that actually help meet people where they are and guide them toward what they need, without confusion or clutter. When that’s done well, it doesn’t just feel better for the customer, it works better for the business, too.

And those paths? They’re rarely linear. They twist, they turn, and they change depending on who’s walking them.

The best journeys start with a clear storyline

Too often, teams jump straight to building websites, campaigns, or tools without clearly understanding the full picture of what the business is trying to achieve, who the customer really is, and what’s standing in their way of satisfying their customer’s needs.

We’ve seen it in large enterprises and scale-ups alike. There’s often a well-crafted strategy deck from a consultancy, which is thoughtful, data-rich, and full of big ideas. But when it’s time to turn that strategy into something real for customers, teams still find themselves asking:

"I’ve got a lot of strategic recommendations in front of me, how do I figure out where to start?"
"Which initiatives will have the biggest impact and be worth putting our energy into right now?"
"What roadmap will help me bring this strategy to life?”

Without clear answers to these questions, even the best digital experiences will underdeliver.

Our take on what actually works

We’ve seen what works and what doesn’t when it comes to guiding people through meaningful digital experiences. For us, a journey isn’t just about navigating a website or triggering a conversion. It’s about showing up in the right way at the right time, as part of a longer relationship built on trust. These are the beliefs that shape how we approach every journey we design.

A journey is a narrative arc, not just a series of pages. People aren’t clicking through steps, they’re following a story. One that needs to make sense, build momentum, and lead somewhere that matters.
A website isn’t the journey, it’s just one stop along the way. Your homepage, your campaign, your ad, they’re not endpoints. They’re moments in a bigger relationship. Each one has to do its part, but none should try to do it all.
Conversion isn’t one thing, it’s whatever business outcome you need to move. Sometimes it’s a sale. Sometimes it’s a signup, a referral, or a shift in perception. The point is: define success clearly, and build toward that.
Great journeys start with deep customer understanding, not assumptions or personas. We don’t guess. We don’t rely on dusty profiles. We ask, listen, and map real needs so we can respond in a meaningful way.
One-size-fits-all is one-size-fits-nobody. Not every customer walks in the same shoes. Your message and how you deliver it, should reflect that.
The best journeys create clarity, reduce friction, and build trust over time. People don’t convert when they’re confused, rushed, or overwhelmed. They convert when it feels right, when it’s easy to take the next step and they know they’re in good hands.

For example, when we partnered with TELUS on the MyTELUS mobile self-service app, we didn’t start with features or interface ideas. We started with people: customers trying to manage accounts on the go, older users struggling with complex flows, and busy parents juggling multiple lines. Their frustrations and goals became our blueprint.

From customer insight to real results

We treat journey design as the foundation of strategy not an add-on. It’s through this lens that we uncover what matters most to customers, identify real opportunities, and build solutions that drive real business outcomes. This isn’t just a process, it’s how strategy comes to life.

Create winning journey infographic

Understand your customer

Start with what they’re trying to accomplish, not with what you’re selling. Ask:

What job is the customer hiring this product or service to do?
What context are they in when they try to solve this?
What frustrates them about current options?

Define success from their perspective

Figure out what “good” looks like for them, not for you. Ask:

What does success look like before, during, and after the job is done?
What would make this feel effortless, fast, or better?
What gets in their way?

Segment by needs

Group customers by what they need, not who they are. Ask:

Which needs cluster together naturally?
How do different types of users prioritize outcomes?
Where do underserved needs align with distinct groups?

Prioritize needs that are underserved

Spot the gaps where each segment’s expectations aren’t being met. Ask:

Which outcomes are most important but least satisfied today?
Where are customers making do or using workarounds?
What causes friction or drop-off?

Build strategy that aligns with real opportunity

Focus efforts where customer needs and market gaps meet. Ask:

Where can we create the most value, fastest?
What capabilities or assets already position us well?
How will we measure progress against customer outcomes?

This isn’t just a planning tool, it’s how we bridge the gap between strategy and execution.

What are most teams missing?

A clear, human-centred journey isn’t just one part of the plan, it is the plan. When teams align around it, strategy becomes more than a deck. It becomes a shared direction.

Here are a few watch-out for when projects get stuck or underperform. It's usually not because people aren’t working hard enough. It’s because a few foundational pieces are missing:

There’s no shared clarity on what the business really wants to move.
The story is inconsistent across channels, what the ad promises isn’t what the landing page delivers.
Personalization is lacking; too often, every user gets the same message, even though their needs are very different.

Before we dive in, we make sure the path is clear and the foundation is strong, so we can grow, adapt, and improve with confidence.

What can you do differently?

If you’re leading a marketing team, here are a few questions to ask:

Do we know what problem we’re solving for the business and for the customer?
Are we telling the right story for each customer, based on what they need and where they are in their journey?
Are we meeting people where they are, or are we making them work too hard to connect the dots?
And most importantly, is the journey you are designing actually moving the needle? These questions sound simple, but they cut to the heart of what separates good marketing from great.

Helping people find their way

Good customer journeys aren’t just built to drive clicks. They’re designed to create clarity. Because when people feel unsure, they pause. When they feel overwhelmed, they walk away. And when nothing seems made for them, they tune out.

A strong journey meets people where they are. It understands what they’re trying to do and helps them do it without friction or second-guessing.

How to design digital customer journeys that convert