What can highlight new pain points during the UX design process?

User journey mapping can highlight new pain points during the UX design process by providing a visual representation of the user's experience as they interact with a product or service. This technique outlines each step a user takes, from initial awareness to final interaction, allowing designers to see the complete narrative of user behavior and emotions.

By mapping out the journey, designers can identify moments where users may experience frustration, confusion, or obstacles, which might not have been apparent through direct feedback or testing alone. This holistic view enables designers to pinpoint specific areas that require improvement and to brainstorm targeted solutions, ensuring a more user-centered design approach.

While user testing does provide direct feedback from users and can help uncover pain points, it is often focused on specific interactions rather than the complete journey. Market analysis can offer insights into competitor performance and user expectations, and technical evaluations assess the feasibility of design solutions, but they do not directly capture the user’s experience over time as journey mapping does. This makes user journey mapping a powerful tool for identifying and addressing pain points effectively.