> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://helpdesk.smaply.app/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://helpdesk.smaply.app/journey-maps/lanes/how-to-use-emotion-chart-lanes.md). # How to use emotion chart lanes An emotion chart lane plots how sentiment rises and falls across the steps of a journey, as a curve with a data point at each step. Set the points and you have the emotional arc of the experience in one row, alongside the actions and touchpoints that drive it.

A journey map editor with an Emotion chart lane. Inside the lane, a blue Edit chart link and a Current state legend sit above a sentiment curve plotted on a vertical scale marked 2, 1, 0, -1, -2. Round face icons mark the data point at each step: a neutral face near 0, a frowning face at -2, and a smiling face near +1, joined by a continuous line. — The lane plots a sentiment curve across the journey steps

To add one, hover an empty spot below a lane, click **+ Add lane**, and choose **Emotion chart** under **BASIC LANES**. The shared add-and-manage steps are covered in [How to add and manage lanes](/journey-maps/lanes/how-to-add-and-manage-lanes.md); this article covers what's specific to the emotion chart. An emotion chart lane holds the sentiment curve, not cards. Its three-dot menu drops the card and clipboard actions other lanes have, and adds **Edit scale** for the points on the vertical axis. *** #### How the chart reads Each step has a data point, and the points join into a continuous line. Drag a point up or down to change the sentiment at that step. The face icon on the point updates to match the value, so a glance at the curve shows where the experience peaks and where it dips. You don't have to set every step. Leave a point blank and the line interpolates across the gap, drawing straight through to the next point you've set rather than breaking the curve. *** #### How to add and assign emotion lines A line is one sentiment curve. A lane can hold as many lines as you like, so you can compare how several personas experience the same journey, or track sentiment against a custom benchmark. New lanes start with one line. Click **Edit chart** in the lane to open the line list. Each line shows its colour, its name, and controls to rename or delete it. The two buttons at the bottom add a new line.

An Edit Chart panel listing one line, Current state, with a grey colour dot, an edit pencil, and a delete icon. Two buttons sit below: a filled Add persona line button and an outlined Add custom line button. — Edit Chart: the line list, with buttons to add a persona or custom line

* **Add persona line** - Pick a persona from your workspace. The line takes that persona's name and colour, which ties the curve to who it represents. * **Add custom line** - Name and colour the line yourself, for sentiment that isn't tied to a single persona, like a target curve or an aggregate. The two kinds convert into each other from the line's edit controls, so a custom line can become a persona line later, and the reverse. {% hint style="info" icon="user-group" %} A persona line on the chart is independent of the personas you assign to cards. Adding a persona line here doesn't assign that persona to any card, and assigning a persona to a card doesn't add a line. To assign personas to cards, see [How to assign a persona to a card](/personas/how-to-assign-a-persona-to-a-card.md). {% endhint %} For a strategic example, here's using an emotion line to contrast current and future state on one map: {% embed url="" %} *** #### How to set the sentiment scale The vertical scale has five points, set to +2 at the top down to -2 by default, with 0 as the neutral midpoint. You can't add or remove points, but the value shown at each point is customizable: replace the default numbers with your own numbers, or with words, for example **Delighted**, **Satisfied**, **Neutral**, **Frustrated**, and **Angry**. {% stepper %} {% step %} **Open Edit scale** Click the lane's three-dot menu and select **Edit scale**. {% endstep %} {% step %} **Relabel the points** Each of the five points has a text field pre-filled with its number. Edit any of them to a number, word, or phrase that fits your scale, then click **Save**.

An Edit scale modal with five rows. Each row shows a fixed scale point on the left (2, 1, 0, -1, -2) next to an editable text field pre-filled with that number. Cancel and Save buttons sit at the bottom right. — Edit scale: relabel each of the five fixed points

{% endstep %} {% endstepper %} The labels you set apply to every line in the lane. *** #### Related topics

Title	Description	Target
How to add and manage lanes	Add an emotion chart lane, and the shared mechanics for reordering, pinning, and removing lanes.	/pages/cEW7pumNPGKdJ65EEAz7
How to manage personas	Create and edit the personas you plot as lines on the chart.	/pages/oScEAxHrtqqY2twvz5kM
How to assign a persona to a card	Tag cards with a persona, which is separate from charting a persona line here.	/pages/42b6nVolnvr4VE3kfJ6s
How to use grid lanes	Another structured lane type: a grid of named rows that hold cards.	/pages/lZD6w7ZNrPaXH8F0kQNn

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