Customer journeys, or user journeys, are in principle the steps taken by a human user to achieve a goal. This implies that the user goes through a process, and that the user has an experience. The fundamental goal of CJML is to enable a detailed and precise specification of a service delivery process from the perspective of the end-user. CJML has been developed over many years, but the guiding principles has been the same throughout.

The main principles are:

• CJML distinguishes planned journeys (hypothetical state of a service process) from actual journeys (when an individual user is using or executing the service).
• CJML is based on the objective, observable properties of a service process to enhance its reliability.
• CJML conceptualize human experiences in the executional state as an individual and time-varying attribute based on self-reported data.

CJML distinguishes explicitly between the planned (or assumed) journey and the actual (real) journey that unfolds when a human users interacts with a service, or “embarks on a journey” if you want. Previous research says “mind the gap” – the discrepancy between theory and reality can be large. This is also the reason we introduced the CJML deviation diagram.

The steps in the journey are called touchpoints. There are two types: communication points (circles) and actions (squares). Communication points are instances of communication or interaction between two actors. Actions are non-communicative events or activities conducted by an actor as part of a customer journey. Touchpoints in CJML are atomic. Abstraction is only possible through journey phases.

CJML makes a clear distinction between objective and subjective elements in a journey. In other words, it distinguishes what can be observed or extracted from event logs, and what the user’s individual experience. Note that CJML only allows experience in actual journeys, reflecting an individual and time-varying attribute based on self-reported data.