Customer Psychology and Journey Mapping - Study Notes

Customer Psychology: Overview

• Redefines the customer beyond the simple payer; the customer bubble includes end users, buyers, influencers, recommenders, decision makers, saboteurs, and others who affect purchasing decisions.

• Customer psychology is the study of the processes involved in understanding what customers want or need, the thoughts and emotions driving decisions, the impact of outside influences (friends, family, media) on purchasing decisions, and why people choose one product over another.

• Key statistic: according to Harvard professor Gerald Zaltman, 95\% of purchasing decisions are subconscious.

• Purpose: by gaining insights into customer psychology, entrepreneurs can meet customer needs more effectively and provide better customer service.

Actors in the Buying Process

• The buying process involves multiple actors; entrepreneurs should consider all roles to reach the core customer.

• The Six Actors (as shown in Figure 7.1): End users, Decision makers, Buyers, Saboteurs, Influencers, Recommenders.

• Depending on the business, a single customer may play more than one role.

• Example introduction: a toy company selling toy cars may have children as end users, parents as buyers, and children as influencers (friends, classmates, family).

Table 7.2: Actors in the Buying Bubble (descriptions and examples)

• End users: the customers who will actually use your product; they buy it, touch it, operate it, use it, and tell you whether they love it or hate it. Example: a teen playing a video game.

• Influencer: a person with a large following who can sway purchase decisions. Example: a celebrity endorsing a video game in a commercial.

• Recommender: someone who evaluates your product and tells others about it; examples include bloggers or industry experts; an Instagrammer posting positive reviews.

• Economic buyer: a buyer for a retailer or organization who decides to stock or approve a purchase. Example: a buyer for GameStop who decides to stock a game in stores.

• Decision maker: a person higher in the hierarchy with authority to approve purchases; example: the CEO of the gaming company deciding to buy from the designer.

• Saboteur: a person who vetoes or slows a purchase intentionally; can be top managers, friends, spouses, or even children; can manifest as brand sabotage on social media. Example: a TikTok influencer with many followers posting negative messages about a game or product.

Example context: role diversity in buying decisions

• In many businesses, customers serve multiple roles simultaneously, complicating outreach and messaging.

• Toy car example illustrates how end users, buyers, influencers, and saboteurs can intersect in a single purchase decision.

Building and Using Customer Personas

• What is a persona? A persona is a profile or representation of your ideal customers based on market research; it helps you connect with your target audience and tailor messaging.

• Important caveat: a persona is not a real person; it’s a representative archetype of the most likely buyers and users.

• Why personas matter: they help anticipate buyer behavior and improve targeting and messaging; research shows personas aid empathy and preparedness for different buying situations.

• Typical persona components (six items):

  • Demographics

  • Psychographics

  • Proxy products

  • Day in the life

  • Biggest fears and motivators

  • Challenges and pain points

Demographics versus Psychographics

• Demographics: basic data (age, gender, salary, location, education, family, ethnicity) used to identify target end users but do not fully explain attitudes or buying behavior.

• Psychographics: psychological attributes (attitudes, values, fears) that provide deeper insight into aspirations, admiration targets, beliefs; harder to obtain and analyze accurately.

• The distinction matters: demographics tell you who; psychographics help you understand why and how they behave.

Proxy Products and Day in the Life

• Proxy products: purchases that indicate related interests or values; for example, buyers of high-end fashion may also buy expensive clothing; buyers from farmers markets may care about sustainability and eco-friendly products.

• Day in the life: walk in the end user’s shoes for a day to gain real-world perspective; helps translate data into actionable insights.

• Quote from Les Harper on empathy: If you can get into their shoes and see their needs from their point of view, you can satisfy them better.

Biggest Fears and Motivators

• Identify end users’ top priorities by interviewing a group of customers and scoring their priorities from highest to lowest.

• Result: a top-5 list of priorities that informs product development and messaging.

Additional Ideas for Building a Persona (Table 7.3)

• Challenges and pain points: problems the persona faces that your offering can solve; connect to proxy products to show how you’re uniquely solving the issue.

• Demographics: age, gender, salary, location, education, family, ethnic background.

• Goals and challenges; values and fears; pain points or complaints; hobbies.

• News sources and information channels; shopping preferences (online vs in-person); apps used most frequently.

• General lifestyle description; day in their life; work and/or school activities; relationships with friends; culture.

Customer Personas: Practical Use and Limits

• Simple demographics and psychographics alone are not enough; avoid over-reliance on demographics to prevent an incomplete market picture.

• Personas should help you anticipate buyer behavior and tailor messaging, not just classify people.

Customer Journey Maps: The Big Picture

• A customer journey map is a visual representation of customer experiences across multiple touchpoints; designed to build empathy and improve the overall experience.

• Benefits of journey mapping:

  • Presents a clear picture of how customers experience your product or service.

  • Clarifies what customers think and feel at each stage by identifying positive and negative emotions.

  • Confirms whether the journey proceeds in a logical order.

  • Highlights gaps between desired and actual experiences.

  • Helps connect with customers on an emotional level and address pain points.

Five Stages of Customer Interaction

• The journey typically includes five stages: discovery, research, purchase, delivery, and after the sale.

• Example scenario: Darnell searching for a stylish overnight bag for a business trip; the journey map would chart his steps from need discovery to post-purchase follow-up.

The Darnell Journey: A Worked Example

• Discovery: Darnell identifies the need for a suitable bag for a business trip.

• Research: Darnell researches luggage online, compares brands, reads reviews, asks friends for recommendations.

• Purchase: Darnell makes a purchase decision on a bag.

• Delivery: Online payment is confirmed; product delivered a few days later.

• After sales: A thank-you note and discount coupon for future purchases.

• For each stage, map key touchpoints, tasks, knowledge needs, pain points, happy points, emotions, and a wish list for an improved experience.

Mindshift and Touchpoints

• Mindshift: use journey maps to shift perspective to the customer and consider goals at each touchpoint.

• Key touchpoints: where the user interacts with your company; tasks: what the user aims to achieve; knowledge: what they want to know; pain points: where you disappoint; happy points: where you satisfy; emotions: what the user feels; wish list: what would make the experience awesome.

Why Journey Maps Are Not Static

• Journey maps should be revisited and updated over time; they are living documents that reflect evolving customer needs and business changes.

Confirming Your Findings: Data Sources

• Website analytics: provides location data, site traffic, page-level interactions; helps identify where customers drop off and frustrations.

• Social media tools: e.g., Social Mention tracks brand mentions across blogs, comments, and videos; indicates sentiment and trends.

• Direct customer contact: interviews and conversations provide rich qualitative feedback; surveys can reveal questions, feelings, and thoughts.

• Influencers play a key role in shaping perceptions and decisions.

Real-World Examples and Case Points

• Influencers: social media credibility can drive purchase decisions; examples include Lynja on TikTok who gained millions of followers and secured brand deals (McDonald’s, Amazon, Chobani).

• Lynja case: a 66-year-old former MIT engineer whose cooking technique videos went viral during the COVID-19 pandemic; demonstrates the power of authentic online influence.

• DishDivvy: Los Angeles–based homemade meal delivery platform connecting approved home cooks with customers; ecosystem benefits both cooks (flexible work) and customers (wholesome meals).

  • Scale: >500 cooks and >10,000 users across California; expansion plans to Texas, Illinois, and Washington, D.C.

• Cooper: the stay-at-home dad persona used to illustrate a supplier-side view of platform dynamics; environments and scheduling considerations affect who signs on as cooks and how many are available.

Practical Exercise and Activity

• Video Activity 7.1: Entrepreneurship in Action: The Buying Process Mindshift – Create a Customer Journey Map

• Purpose: practice mapping a real or hypothetical journey from discovery to after-sale and identify opportunities to add value.

Summary: Practical Takeaways

• A robust understanding of customer psychology requires recognizing the diverse roles in the buying bubble and how they interact.

• Personas and journey maps are complementary tools: personas provide a static archetype; journey maps portray dynamic experiences across stages and touchpoints.

• Use multiple data sources to confirm findings: analytics, social listening, and direct customer feedback.

• Real-world examples (Lynja, DishDivvy, Cooper) illustrate how personas and journey mapping inform product design, partnerships, and go-to-market strategies.

• Always keep the customer at the center; journeys should be revisited, refined, and used to generate ongoing value for customers.

Customer Psychology: Overview

• Defines customer: Encompasses end users, buyers, influencers, recommenders, decision makers, and saboteurs

• Studies: What customers want/need, emotions driving decisions, external influences (friends, media), and product preferences.

• Key Statistic: Harvard professor Gerald Zaltman states 95\% of purchasing decisions are subconscious.

• Purpose: Gain insights to meet customer needs and provide better service.

Actors in the Buying Process

• Multiple actors shape buying; consider all roles to reach your core customer.

• The Six Actors (Figure 7.1): End users, Decision makers, Buyers, Saboteurs, Influencers, Recommenders.

• A single customer may fill multiple roles.

• Example: A toy car company sees children as end users and influencers, parents as buyers.

Table 7.2: Actors in the Buying Bubble (descriptions and examples)

• End users: Directly use the product and provide feedback.

  • Example: A teen plays a video game.

• Influencer: A person with significant following who sways purchases.

  • Example: A celebrity endorses a video game.

• Recommender: Evaluates and shares product opinions (e.g., bloggers, experts).

  • Example: An Instagrammer posts positive reviews.

• Economic buyer: Approves or stocks products for a retailer/organization.

  • Example: A buyer for GameStop decides to stock a new game.

• Decision maker: Authority figure approving purchases.

  • Example: A CEO approves buying services from a game designer.

• Saboteur: Intentionally delays or vetoes purchases (managers, friends, children, social media critics).

  • Example: A TikTok influencer posts negative reviews about a game.

Example context: role diversity in buying decisions

• Customers often hold multiple roles, complicating outreach. The toy car example demonstrates intersecting roles (end user, buyer, influencer, saboteur) in one purchase.

Building and Using Customer Personas

• Persona: A profile representing ideal customers, built from market research.

• Caveat: Personas are archetypes, not real individuals.

• Why Personas Matter: Predict buyer behavior, improve targeting, and foster empathy.

• Typical Persona Components (6 items):

  • Demographics

  • Psychographics

  • Proxy products

  • Day in the life

  • Biggest fears and motivators

  • Challenges and pain points

Demographics versus Psychographics

• Demographics: Basic data (age, gender, salary, location) identifies who but not why they buy.

• Psychographics: Psychological attributes (attitudes, values, fears) reveal why and how they behave.

• Distinction: Demographics tell you who; psychographics uncover why and how.

Proxy Products and Day in the Life

• Proxy products: Purchases indicating related interests or values.

  • Example: High-end fashion buyers may also buy expensive accessories; farmers' market shoppers value sustainability.

• Day in the life: Simulate an end user's day for real-world insights, transforming data into action.

• Les Harper Quote: "If you can get into their shoes and see their needs from their point of view, you can satisfy them better."

Biggest Fears and Motivators

• Identify top-5 priorities by interviewing customers and scoring their needs.

• These insights inform product development and messaging.

Additional Ideas for Building a Persona (Table 7.3)

• Challenges/Pain Points: Problems your product solves.

• Demographics: Age, gender, salary, location, education, family, background.

• Goals & Challenges; Values & Fears; Pain Points & Complaints; Hobbies.

• Information Sources: News, channels, shopping preferences, frequently used apps.

• Lifestyle: General description, daily routine, work/school, relationships, culture.

Customer Personas: Practical Use and Limits

• Avoid over-relying on basic demographics; they give an incomplete market picture.

• Personas help anticipate buyer behavior and tailor messaging, not just classify customers.

Customer Journey Maps: The Big Picture

• Definition: A visual representation of customer experiences across all touchpoints.

• Purpose: Build empathy and improve overall experience.

• Benefits:

  • Visualize customer experience.

  • Clarify thoughts and feelings (positive/negative).

  • Confirm logical journey flow.

  • Highlight gaps between desired and actual experiences.

  • Connect emotionally and address pain points.

Five Stages of Customer Interaction

• Typical Journey Stages: Discovery, Research, Purchase, Delivery, After the Sale.

• Example: Darnell needs a stylish overnight bag. His journey maps steps from identifying need to post-purchase follow-up.

The Darnell Journey: A Worked Example

• Discovery: Darnell realizes he needs a new bag.

• Research: He searches online, compares brands, reads reviews, asks friends.

• Purchase: He decides on and buys a bag.

• Delivery: Payment confirmed; product arrives.

• After Sales: He receives a thank-you note and a discount coupon.

• Mapping: Chart key touchpoints, tasks, knowledge needs, pain/happy points, emotions, and wish list for each stage.

Mindshift and Touchpoints

• Mindshift: Shift focus to the customer's goals at each interaction point.

• Key Elements:

  • Touchpoints: Where users interact with your company.

  • Tasks: What users aim to achieve.

  • Knowledge: What users want to know.

  • Pain points: Where the experience disappoints.

  • Happy points: Where the experience satisfies.

  • Emotions: What users feel.

  • Wish list: Desired improvements for an awesome experience.

Why Journey Maps Are Not Static

• Journey maps are living documents; revisit and update them to reflect evolving customer needs and business changes.

Confirming Your Findings: Data Sources

• Website Analytics: Provides location, traffic, page interactions; reveals drop-off points and frustrations.

• Social Media Tools: Track brand mentions (e.g., Social Mention) to gauge sentiment and trends.

• Direct Customer Contact: Interviews and surveys offer rich qualitative feedback on questions, feelings, and thoughts.

• Influencers significantly shape perceptions and decisions.

Real-World Examples and Case Points

• Influencers: Social media credibility drives purchases.

  • Lynja Case: A 66-year-old former MIT engineer, Lynja gained millions of TikTok followers with cooking videos during COVID-19, securing brand deals (McDonald's, Amazon). This shows authentic online influence.

• DishDivvy: A Los Angeles-based platform connecting home cooks with customers for meal delivery.

  • Benefits: Flexible work for cooks, wholesome meals for customers.

  • Scale: Over 500 cooks and >10,000 users in California, with expansion plans.

• Cooper Persona: Illustrated supplier-side platform dynamics, considering environments and scheduling for cook availability.

Practical Exercise and Activity

• Video Activity 7.1: Entrepreneurship in Action: The Buying Process Mindshift – Create a Customer Journey Map.

• Purpose: Practice mapping a journey from discovery to after-sale, identifying value-add opportunities.

Summary: Practical Takeaways

• Understand diverse buying roles and their interactions for robust customer psychology insights.

• Use personas (static archetypes) and journey maps (dynamic experiences) together.

• Confirm findings with multiple data sources: analytics, social listening, direct feedback.

• Real-world examples (Lynja, DishDivvy, Cooper) show how personas and journey maps guide product design and strategy.

• Always prioritize the customer; continuously refine journeys to create ongoing value.