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What are User Journey Diagrams?

Mermaid’s User Journey Diagrams are a visual representation of the steps users take to complete a task within a system, application, or website. These diagrams illustrate the current (“as-is”) user workflow, helping identify bottlenecks and areas for improvement in the future (“to-be”) workflow. Mermaid provides the ability to render User Journey Diagrams using simple text-based syntax. These diagrams are useful for analyzing and improving user experience.

Creating Your First User Journey Diagram

  1. Launch DinoAI: From Code IDE, access DinoAI to start creating diagrams.
  2. Use a Simple Prompt: Tell DinoAI what kind of User Journey Diagram you want to create. For example:
  1. Get Your Diagram: DinoAI will generate a complete .mmd file with proper Mermaid syntax.
  2. Preview Your Work: Click the eye icon (👁️) to preview your diagram in real-time as you edit.
  3. Iterate and Refine: Modify the generated .mmd file directly, or ask DinoAI to make specific changes.

Example:

Reusable Sequence Diagram prompts for you and your teamYou can create custom, standardized .dinoprompts for Mermaid’s Sequence Diagram that ensure consistency across your data team. See step-by-step guide.

Diagram Syntax Guide

Basic Structure

A User Journey Diagram consists of the following components:
  • Title: Describes the overall user journey.
  • Sections: Break down the journey into major steps or phases.
  • Tasks: Individual actions within a section.
The basic syntax is as follows:

Defining Tasks

Each task is defined with:
  • Task Name: A descriptive label for the task.
  • Score: A number from 1 (negative experience) to 5 (positive experience).
  • Actors: The individuals or entities involved in the task, separated by commas.
Example:

Defining Sections

Sections group related tasks together and are defined using the section keyword followed by the section title. Example:

Examples

E-Commerce Purchase Journey

Software Installation Journey


Best Practices

  1. Keep it Simple: Use clear task names and group related tasks into sections.
  2. Use Scores Effectively: Assign scores based on user experience (1 = poor, 5 = excellent).
  3. Include Relevant Actors: Specify all participants involved in each task.
  4. Iterate: Refine the diagram as new insights are gained about the user journey.
  5. Focus on the User: Highlight pain points and positive moments in the journey.

Additional ResourcesFor more syntax options and advanced features, visit the official Mermaid documentation.