Journey workshops usually start with everyone trying to remember a good example. These are twelve real ones, tagged by the stage of the journey, what problem they solve for the customer, and whether technology or people did the work.
Each card ends with a question to put to your team. Print them and they come out as two cards per page.
01 · Domino's
After you order, a bar shows your pizza moving through prep, the oven, a quality check and delivery. It turns twenty minutes of guessing into something you can watch.
Friction it removesNot knowing when the food will show up.
Ask your teamWhere in our journey is someone waiting without knowing what's happening?
02 · Uber
Before pickup you see the driver's name, the car, the plate and where they are on a map. You know which car to walk to before it stops.
Friction it removesFinding the right car and wondering how far away it is.
Ask your teamWhat would people want to see before the handoff happens?
03 · Delta
Delta put RFID tags on checked bags and, in 2016, started showing each scan in the Fly Delta app. You can see your bag was loaded before you board.
Friction it removesWorrying whether your bag made the flight.
Ask your teamWhat are we tracking internally that customers would love to see?
04 · Starbucks
You order and pay in the app on the way, then pick it up from the counter without getting in line. Your usual order is one tap.
Friction it removesStanding in line to say the same order you always say.
Ask your teamWhich step could people finish before they arrive?
05 · Chick-fil-A
When the line gets long, team members walk the drive-thru with tablets and take orders car by car. A person answers questions while the line keeps moving.
Friction it removesA slow speaker box and a line that barely moves.
Ask your teamWhere could a person meet customers earlier instead of at the counter?
06 · Apple Store
The specialist who helped you rings you up on a handheld device wherever you are in the store, and the receipt goes to your email.
Friction it removesWalking to a register and waiting again after you've decided.
Ask your teamWhat if the last step happened wherever the customer already is?
07 · Amazon
Many deliveries come with a photo of the package where it was left. You can see it's on your porch before you get home.
Friction it removesWondering whether it really arrived, and where.
Ask your teamWhat proof would make people stop checking?
08 · Disney Parks
One wristband works as the park ticket, the hotel room key and a way to pay. You tap it instead of digging through a bag.
Friction it removesJuggling tickets, keys and cards with kids in tow.
Ask your teamHow many things do people carry to get through our experience?
09 · Lemonade
In 2016 Lemonade said its claims bot reviewed and paid a renter's claim in three seconds. The customer talked to a chat, not a form.
Friction it removesClaims that take weeks of forms and follow-up calls.
Ask your teamWhich requests could we say yes to instantly?
10 · Chewy
Customers who call to return food after their pet dies have been told to keep it or donate it, then received flowers and a handwritten card. The stories spread because nobody expects it from a store.
Friction it removesAn awkward return call at a sad moment.
Ask your teamWhen do our customers contact us on a hard day, and what do we do?
11 · Ritz-Carlton
When a boy left his Thomas toy at a Ritz-Carlton, staff mailed it back with photos of Thomas lounging by the pool and meeting the hotel's staff. The family told the story everywhere.
Friction it removesA lost item turning into a sad goodbye.
Ask your teamWhere could a small mistake turn into a story people tell?
12 · Spotify
Every December you get a shareable recap of your year in listening: top songs, artists and minutes. People post it without being asked.
Friction it removesA year of use that nobody ever sees.
Ask your teamWhat do we know about a customer's year that they'd want to share?
Thinking about building this
I'm thinking about a searchable library of customer experience moments across categories, with new ones every month. You'd filter by journey stage, friction and how much tech is involved, then export a set as workshop cards or slides for a pitch.
Writing the brief after the workshop?
The One-Page Brief is free and you send it as a link. If a client wants files, the One-Page Strategy Kit has the brief, messaging framework and measurement plan as fillable PDFs and Word files for $19.
Made by Cody Simmonds, a strategist who has run a lot of these workshops. Programs change, so check that one is still running before you put it in a deck. The site counts anonymous clicks, never anything about you.