Impact Mapping is a product planning technique that lets you set business goals and visualize the way and the means to achieve them. This method shows you the impact that this or that feature will make (or won’t) one implemented. By creating an Impact Map, you can see the bigger picture, align business goals and prioritize tasks.
And you need to make only 4 simple steps to transform abstract ideas into complete user stories:
1. Set and describe business goals
2. Identify personas (or actors) – people that can help you achieve your goals
3. Define actions that you want these actors to take
4. Come up with deliverables, aka what you can do to inspire these actions
Simple enough? Let’s put theory into practice by creating an Impact Map for an imaginary coffee house. We’ll go through the process of creating a map step by step. By the end of this tutorial, you won’t need any proof that mapping impact is simple and fun. We'll be creating it with UXPressia's Impact Mapping Online Tool (https://www.uxpressia.com)
1. HOW TO CREATE AN IMPACT MAP
IN 4 EASY STEPS?
with UXPressia
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2. Impact Mapping is a
product planning
technique that lets you
set business goals and
visualize the way and
the means to achieve
them.
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3. When it’s time to create a map?
When you don’t know what
should be in the product.
When you want to prove to
your client that a particular
feature isn’t worth enough.
When you want to plan the
next sprint or release.
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4. Here’s how it works
1. Set & your business goals
Tip: keep them S.M.A.R.T.
2. Identify personas (actors)
people that help you achieve your goals
3. Define impacts
actions you want personas to take
4. Come up with deliverables
what you can deliver to personas so that
they do what you want them to do
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8. Let’s say you want to boost sales
by 15% by the end of this quarter.
What exactly you want
to achieve.
Why achieving this goal is
important.
How you will know that
you’ve achieved this goal.
Describe
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9. Let’s put it in our map
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10. Defining the personas (actors)
persona Find people who can help you achieve
your business goals. And describe:
What you know about them.
What they need
What their frustrations are
How you can solve their problem
Tip: you actors may also be those standing in your way
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11. Meet our coffee heroes
Per Edvarsen.
A coffee lover. Worries that
He spends too much money
on coffee.
Gilbert Arnaud.
Occasional coffee buyer. Always in
a rush. Hates waiting in lines.
Amy Stoyer.
Loves to catch up with
friends over a cup of coffee
Hates distracting noises.
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12. Let’s put them in our map too
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13. Time to Define Actions
you want your personas to take in order
to help you achieve your business goals
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14. Add Impacts
We want Per to buy more
coffee without thinking about
spending too much money
We want Amy to stay in our
coffee shop longer so that
she wants to buy another cup
We want Gilbert to pop in
more often so that he’s not
afraid to get stuck in a line
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15. In our map they go
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16. Last step:
Come up with
Deliverables
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17. Deliverables. What can we offer?
Offer Per “Every 7th coffee” is
on the house loyalty program
Help Amy by decreasing the
level of noise produced by
coffee grinders
Optimize inner process so
that Gilbert doesn’t have to
wait for too long
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18. Fill you map with deliverables
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19. Wrap it up in
User Stories
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20. As a coffee lover, I don’t want
to spend too much money
without cutting down how
much coffee I drink.
As an occasional coffee
buyer I want my drinks to be
served ASAP so I can make it
to my meetings in time.
As someone who wants to
enjoy chatting with friends I
don’t want to be disturbed by
noises.
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21. Our Impact Map is Ready!
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