The final technique that I'd like to share with you is a really fun one. It's called a *service safari*. Think of it as a kind of first-toe dip in the water for ethnography. And you can use it just to kind of get a quick feel for what a user is experiencing. And this has been very commonly used with, for example, *transportation* – redesigning transportation systems, trying to smooth and streamline them.
So, in a service safari, you go out and walk in the shoes of your customers. You can also interview some customers as well, but it's *not* a replacement for ethnography. *Immersion* is really the key, and then you can also build an experience map, a sensory map with that – you know – see, hear, feel, make sense of. Pay attention, though, to what you hear, see, feel.
So, that experience map is typically known as an empathy map. And you can look that up online, so if you already use it. But it's a good template, and you can customize that as well. You can customize your own. There are many templates online. It's referred to as an *empathy map*. The point of the service safari, though, is to take or scoop everything in – you know – look around, listen, see what you feel,
see what problems people might run into and maybe take some quick notes, like pause and write a few thoughts down. You can use this to start your journey mapping. But – again – don't use it to replace your ethnography or your deep-dive one-on-ones where you're going to spend like an hour or two maybe with one customer and spend a lot more comprehensive time there. How to conduct a service safari?
What I'd like you to do is choose. You can go back to the supermarket, post office or transportation – maybe on your way home. This is really fun because you're doing this all the time, but now I want you to *consciously* do it. So, start looking at the *touch points* and how they all *fit together*. And notice the *environment*, the physical artifacts, the service artifacts, any digital interfaces that are used, any frustrations or confusions, thoughts or feelings. Talk to customers. Get their perspective on the service.
And you can just do that standing, waiting for the train or the bus, and if you're looking at the display or if you're looking at the mobile app and strike up a conversation and kind of verify your perceptions, things that you're seeing, hearing, feeling, making sense of.