UX Scorecards vs User Journeys: Decision on method consolidation

Background

We currently maintain two UX evaluation methods that serve overlapping purposes: UX Scorecards focus on identifying and scoring usability issues within specific workflows using heuristic evaluation, while User Journeys provide a strategic framework for understanding complete customer experiences across touchpoints to identify friction points and opportunities.

Key Differences

UX Scorecards:

  • Tactical, workflow-specific usability assessment completed in 1-2 days
  • Uses standardized heuristics and grading rubric for quantitative scoring
  • Intended for regular 6-month cadence on main jobs
  • Primary output: scored usability issues for immediate fixes

User Journeys:

  • Strategic, holistic experience mapping across multiple touchpoints and timeframes
  • Three elevation levels (macro, mid, micro) serving different strategic purposes
  • Focuses on cross-functional alignment and funnel optimization
  • Primary output: strategic insights and business opportunities

Decision Required

Should we consolidate these methods by deprecating UX Scorecards in favor of User Journeys, or maintain both approaches? Consider:

  1. Resource efficiency: Teams currently invest time learning and executing two separate methodologies
  2. Strategic alignment: User Journeys' micro-level elevation covers similar ground to UX Scorecards while connecting to broader business outcomes
  3. Adoption patterns: Which method is seeing higher team adoption and delivering more actionable results?

Recommendation Needed

Product Design Managers to evaluate whether User Journeys' comprehensive approach can effectively replace UX Scorecards' focused usability assessment, potentially streamlining our UX evaluation toolkit while maintaining quality standards.

Due date: Decision by next PDM meeting on October 6th

Solution

User journey maps are the preferred method moving forward. we will keep the UX scorecard as a general template that we can point our PM/ Eng counterparts to in order to drive towards a shared level of quality and have as an option on hand to supplement journey maps as needed.

Edited by Valerie Karnes