Editorial: Visualizing user experience and stories: From customer journeys to patient experience mapping

Patient journey mapping represents a visual approach to documenting and analysing the experiences and stories of patients as they move through healthcare systems. Journey maps can also diagrammatically illustrate how patients interact with other stakeholders, systems and organizations throughout their journey. In this special issue a variety of innovative and scientific approaches to mapping the patient journey are described. The methods range from development of journey maps based on observation and interviews, to developing maps based on results of evidence-based literature reviews as well as from case studies. The outputs of the mapping may include an improved understanding of patient experiences, issues and problems encountered as well as the identification of opportunities for improving the healthcare process, patient experience and health outcomes. In this issue a range of health-related applications are described in order to illustrate the potential of the approach for improving complex domains such as healthcare.