Easily map your complete value proposition before you build it

Most teams validate individual components of their ideas (the product concept, the pricing model, the messaging) but never see how these pieces connect into a complete customer experience. They end up with solutions that work in theory but fall apart when customers try to use them from start to finish.

What's a Journey Walkthrough test?

It's a systematic visualisation of how customers would experience your complete value proposition across every touchpoint, from initial problem awareness through ongoing use.

No prototypes required. No complex setups. Just collaborative mapping sessions that reveal where your assumptions about customer behavior break down and where real value gets created.

The goal is uncovering how your entire proposition works together, not just whether individual elements make sense in isolation.

How a major bank avoided a £15M digital service misstep

A leading UK bank we work with was developing a new digital financial wellness service for their existing customer base. Their research showed strong demand for budgeting tools, spending insights, and savings goal features. Each component tested positively in customer interviews and focus groups.

Before committing to their launch strategy, we ran a Journey Walkthrough test to map how customers would actually discover, evaluate, and use their complete digital service proposition. The team:

• Sketched 12 different customer scenarios from initial financial stress through ongoing service engagement

• Mapped touchpoints across awareness, onboarding, daily use, and retention phases

• Identified critical moments where customers would compare their solution to existing fintech alternatives

• Analysed which complete journeys created the most compelling value within their existing banking relationship

The exercise revealed a fundamental positioning problem. While customers appreciated individual features, the complete journey positioned them as "another budgeting app" competing directly with established players like Monzo and Starling.

But one scenario stood out. When they mapped the journey for customers managing financial stress alongside existing bank products, they discovered an entirely different value proposition. These customers weren't just looking for budgeting tools. They needed integrated financial guidance that connected their current accounts, savings, loans, and investment products.

Based on this insight, the bank repositioned completely. Instead of launching a standalone financial wellness app, they built:

• Integrated debt management across all bank products

• Automated savings optimisation using existing account relationships

• Personalised financial guidance leveraging transaction history

• Proactive alerts connecting spending patterns to existing goals

Within 18 months of launch, this repositioned service:

• Engaged 280,000 existing customers who increased product usage by 40%

• Generated £8.5M in additional revenue through increased product cross-sell

• Created clear differentiation from standalone fintech competitors

Without the Journey Walkthrough test, they'd have launched another undifferentiated budgeting tool and struggled to compete with nimble fintech alternatives.

How to run a Journey Walkthrough test

To run this test effectively, you'll need:

• Your target customer segment clearly defined

• 8-12 alternative value propositions or service concepts to explore

• A collaborative space (physical or virtual) for mapping scenarios

1. Prepare your scenarios

Start with your core customer segment and think through different ways they might experience your value proposition:

• Different entry points (how they discover you)

• Various use cases (what jobs they're hiring you for)

• Alternative contexts (different situations or constraints)

• Competing priorities (what else they're considering)

2. Map complete journeys

For each scenario, sketch the end-to-end customer experience:

• Problem recognition and awareness

• Information gathering and evaluation

• Decision-making and onboarding

• Initial use and value realisation

• Ongoing engagement and potential expansion

3. Identify critical moments

Look for patterns across scenarios:

• Where customers get confused or frustrated

• When they compare you to alternatives

• Which steps feel unnecessary or overwhelming

• What questions arise at each stage

• How your solution fits into their existing workflows

4. Prioritise by customer value

Rank scenarios by the jobs customers are trying to do, pains they're avoiding, and gains they're seeking. Focus on complete journeys that create the most compelling value propositions.

Common mistakes to avoid:

• Mapping ideal scenarios rather than realistic customer behaviour

• Focusing on your internal processes instead of customer experience

• Assuming customers will follow linear paths through your proposition

• Ignoring how your solution competes with existing alternatives

Try this next week

Pick your most promising venture or service concept. Map three different customer scenarios for how people would experience your complete value proposition. Focus on one scenario that creates dramatically different value than the others.

You'll likely discover that your strongest positioning comes from complete customer journeys, not individual product features.