Roads, Rails & Rest Stops
Helping people understand customer journeys and how to address needs using cross-channel experiences is difficult because they are abstract and unfamiliar concepts. This makes it a perfect candidate for a good metaphor to offer some clarity. I've begun using the metaphor of roads, rails, & rest stops to help people understand what we're trying to accomplish with cross-channel experiences.
Railroads & trains are extremely efficient at moving people or good from a predetermined starting location to a predetermined destination. There are few, if any, factors that can derail the train along its journey. Rail travel is largely impervious to weather and dangers, especially compared to driving. Railways are inconvenient if there is no station where you are hoping to travel. Jumping from one rail line to another can be frustrating & time consuming, negating the convenience & speed of rail travel. If the train schedule doesn't align with yours, inconvenience is also possible.
Roads, on the other hand, offer the greatest flexibility in destination and route. In a car, you are free to travel according to your own time schedule along a route that suits you. Drivers are free to stop and see a roadsite attraction, rest, or grab something to eat. Convenience comes with tradeoffs. Drivers encounter road hazards, construction zones, dangerous drivers, weather conditions. These conditions cause users to deviate from their intended course, and in some cases, abandon the journey altogether. Roads are somewhat random, chaotic, and dangerous.
A road network is supported by rest stops, gas stations, or outposts that help drivers along their journey. They can be found on even the most remote of roads.
Railroads are "happy paths", they are an ideal route of travel. Railways make sense for certain experiences, like a shopping checkout, that have very specific, linear steps. However, most user journeys are more like roadways which are not linear experiences. They start and stop their journeys randomly, change direction, get distracted, interact with other people, and there are no happy paths.
Drawing out linear "customer journeys" is, perhaps, misleading in that it represents a railroad, or at best, a single user's road journey. Additional value may be gained by examining how to position a product in the chaos of the user behavior road system.
Just like a brick & mortar business, digital products can increase "foot traffic" through careful positioning along key "roadways" and by offering value. Think of how the creation of "rest stops", convenient places along a journey that add value to a user, could benefit your business and supplement your destination experience.
Have any comments about this metaphor? Suggestions or tweaks? Sound off in the comments.
