# Journey Hierarchies

### What is a Journey Hierarchy?

A journey hierarchy is a set of journey maps that are linked together in different zoom levels:

* High-level journeys (e.g., customer lifecycle)
* Mid-level journeys focusing on specific phases
* Detailed journeys illustrating micro-interactions 

This multi-level structure is a foundational practice in service design and a key element of Journey Management: it creates a shared, structured repository of experiences that teams can maintain over time.

### Why create a journey hierarchy?

A single map can’t show everything. Just as you use multiple maps (country → region → city) to navigate a road trip, you use multiple zoom levels to navigate experiences:

This allows organizations to switch between strategic overviews and operational detail, while keeping all related maps connected and up to date.

### Before you start: build your repository

Every hierarchy begins with a collection of maps.

If you haven’t yet, gather all existing journeys - no need to connect them yet.

\[Link to "how to create a map repository"]

Once you have your repository, you’re ready to structure it.

 

###  Create a Journey Hierarchy in Smaply

#### Step 1: Create your high-level journey map (Level 0)

Start with the big picture: usually the customer or employee lifecycle.

1. Create a new journey map.
2. Add the main steps or stages of the lifecycle.
3. Identify which steps are most important, risky, or opportunity-rich.
4. Add basic context (description, tags, teams involved).

 

\[Insert screenshot: high-level journey]

This map becomes your anchor, the “north star” of your hierarchy.

#### Step 2: Add mid-level and detailed journey maps (Level 1–3)

 Next, zoom in.

 

1. Pick one step of the high-level map (e.g., Get to store, Onboarding, Using the app).
2. Create a new journey map that details the experience at this level.
3. Break the experience into smaller steps.
4. Add relevant data, teams, pain points, opportunities, KPIs, etc.
5. Repeat this process until you have the needed depth (often 2–4 levels).

Example:

Level 0 step: Get to store

Level 1 steps: leave the office → walk to bus → ride → walk to store → enter store

 

\[Insert screenshot: detailed journey]

{% hint style="info" %}
Tip: Link recurring micro-interactions

Some micro-journeys (e.g., login, checkout) appear across many journeys.

You can link the same map into multiple parent maps.
{% endhint %}

#### Step 3: Link the maps into a hierarchy (zoom levels)

Now it’s time to connect the dots.

In Smaply:

1.  Open your high-level map.
2. Select the step you want to zoom into.
3. Add the link to the detailed journey map.
4. Repeat for all steps you want to expand.

Your journey hierarchy now allows smooth navigation between zoom levels.

 

\[Insert screenshot: map linking]

 

#### Step 4: Define your taxonomy and structure

A hierarchy only works if everyone uses it consistently. We recommend standardizing:

**Naming conventions**

Use a clear system, for example: 

*

 

Choose descriptive titles (e.g., Boarding the plane vs. Air travel experience).

 

Map structure

 

For management maps, we recommend including:

 

Steps, stages, storyboard

 

What if? (alternative scenarios & failure points)

 

Channels

 

Teams involved

 

Pain points, opportunities & solutions

 

Projects (linked to Jira, Linear, Asana…)

 

KPIs & metrics

 

Research data

 

Journey Performance Indicator

 

Emotional journey

 

 

This ensures every map can be used as a decision-making tool, not only as documentation.

 

 

\---

 

Step 5: Use the journey info section

 

Add essential context to each map:

 

Title & description

 

Tags (e.g., B2B, new customers, support)

 

Notes for internal use

 

Emojis or formatting to highlight key information

 

 

\[Insert screenshot: journey info section]

 

This helps colleagues quickly understand the purpose of each map.

 

 

\---

 

Best practices

 

Start simple and add detail over time.

 

Keep your management maps alive—update them as you learn more.

 

Use consistent taxonomy to make maps findable and comparable.

 

Connect research data so maps become evidence-based.

 

Use linking deliberately—not every map needs a sub-map.

 

 

 

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More resources

 

For a deeper dive into Journey Management, check out our blog article:

Journey Management with Smaply — How to get started

 

 

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