How to create a journey

Overview

This guide walks you through creating a new journey manually in TheyDo. Use this when you want to build a journey from scratch or start from a template. You can always update the journey details and structure after it's been created.

Note: TheyDo also lets you create journeys using AI. If you want to use AI to generate insights from research sources, see Create a journey with AI.

Before you start

  • You need permission to create journeys in your workspace. If you don't see the + Journey button, check with your workspace admin.

Steps

  1. Go to Journeys in the main navigation.
  2. Click + Journey in the top right corner.
  3. Choose a template or skip to start from scratch.
  4. Click Continue.
  5. Click the title field at the top and name your journey. A customer-focused title works best, ideally in the format "I [customer job]" — for example, "I apply for a mortgage."
  6. Open the info panel (the i icon next to the journey title) to add metadata:
    • Journey description — add context about why the journey was created or how to use it.
    • Journey owner — the person responsible for the journey in your organization.
    • Journey status — for example: unmapped, being researched, live, or prototype.
    • Journey type — macro journey, micro journey, service blueprint, or another type.
    • Journey group — the internal team or department the journey belongs to.
    • Global tags — relevant tags for channels, countries, brands, or scenarios.
    • Personas — link the personas this journey applies to.
  7. Start building the journey canvas:
    • Add phases — hover between columns and click + Add phase.
    • Add steps — hover inside a phase and click + Add step. Click the step title to rename it.
    • Add lanes — add swimlanes for Insights, Opportunities, Solutions, Metrics, or custom lanes.

Tips

  • Templates give you a useful starting structure — it's worth picking one even if you plan to customize it afterward.
  • You don't need to fill in all the metadata right away. You can come back to it at any time via the info panel.
  • If the + buttons for phases and steps aren't showing, it may be a permissions issue. Check with your workspace admin.