Task Analysis &
User Journey Mapping
Break a real task into steps, make pain points visible, and turn observation into specific redesign opportunities.
By the end of class, you should be able to…
Apply task analysis
Break a goal into a clear sequence of user actions.
Identify critical points
Recognize pauses, errors, workarounds and difficulties.
Build a journey/storyboard
Represent the user’s experience across steps.
Generate opportunities
Connect observed pain points to focused redesign directions.
A task is a sequence, not a single action.
Task analysis develops empathy by showing what a user actually has to do to achieve a goal.
What is the user trying to achieve?
Define the intended outcome before analysing the steps.
What actions happen?
Record the sequence with enough detail to expose interaction points.
Where does friction occur?
Look for delay, confusion, force, errors, repeated attempts or assistance.
Refilling a reusable soap dispenser
Move dispenser to sink
User grips wet container.
Remove pump
Several rotations; slippery hands.
Pour refill
Narrow opening causes spills.
Reassemble
User must align threads while the bottle is wet.
Pain points are specific moments of friction.
Pause
User stops to figure out what to do next.
Error
Wrong action, wrong orientation or accidental activation.
Workaround
User invents an unofficial method to make the product usable.
Strain
Excess force, awkward reach or repeated action.
What counts as a pain point?
A student opens a folding laptop stand. On step 3, the hinge snaps past the desired angle, so the student holds the stand with one hand while adjusting with the other.
Which observation is most useful?
A journey map links steps to user experience.
| Step | User action | Evidence / reaction | Opportunity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Find the control | Looks around for 4–6 s | Improve visibility / mapping |
| 2 | Activate | Presses twice | Improve feedback |
| 3 | Confirm result | Asks another user | Clarify status / output |
The storyboard should come from observed use.
IB expects a storyboard based on observations of the primary persona using an existing product for a specific task.
Show the step
What is the intended user doing?
Show the evidence
Pain point, difficulty, behaviour or context.
Show what could improve
Do not design the final solution yet; identify the problem area.
Turn a pain point into a redesign direction.
Observed step
User repositions both hands to twist a tight cap.
Pain point
High grip effort and two-hand requirement.
Opportunity
Explore ways to reduce opening effort and hand repositioning.
Later
Research and testing will determine the actual design solution.
Map a real micro-task.
Choose one: open a classroom door, adjust a chair, refill a bottle, connect a charger, use a stapler.
A strong problem statement grows out of task evidence.
Later, Criterion B asks students to connect the problem statement to opportunities identified through task analysis.
What is happening now?
Set the context and intended user.
What goes wrong?
Describe the specific pain point or unmet need.
Why is it worth solving?
Use evidence from task analysis and other research to justify the direction.
Task-analysis vocabulary
Retrieve first. Then check.
Can you retrieve it without looking back?
Before you leave…
IA Day 1 — Choosing a Redesign Opportunity
Keep the evidence chain moving: user → research → decision → test.
B1.1.5 task analysis · B2.1.6 user journey/storyboard · IA Criterion A storyboard · link from task analysis to Criterion B problem statement.