Siham El Mabruok

October 16th, 2022

2AB3
Christopher Longtin
Reflection 1
What parts of the above student journey map mirror your experience with McMaster?
The parts of the student map that mirror my time here at McMaster have been all the stages
except for the final one, loyalty. I was aware of McMaster as my two older siblings went there and shared
with me their experiences and told me about the programs (key messages). When it came down to
choosing which university I wanted to go to under the consideration stage, what drew me to Mac the most
were the key messages, after speaking with many graduates and seeing how much they enjoyed their
experience (loyalty). I wanted to be a part of a community like that and get involved as much as I can.
Currently, my experience at McMaster through participating in clubs (activities), getting involved (key
messages), and going to classes in person (channels & touchpoints) I am definitely grateful for my
decision stage and glad I chose Mac to be the place I study.

What parts of the above student journey map differ from your experience with McMaster?
Due to the fact that the first two years were online due to the pandemic. Stage 1 (awareness) and
stage 4 (experience) were definitely hindered. Since everything was online, I definitely missed a lot of
events that I would have enjoyed attending. Due to being unaware of the events existing. In my third year,
I continue to learn about new clubs and activities that I did not have a clue were a thing at McMaster in
my first two years. Interacting with people and participating in school activities was definitely harder
online, leading me to often times opt out of going. My journey map compared to a student who had their
first two years fully in person would be quite different as there were special challenges that came with
attending an online university. Being fully in person now has allowed me to experience a lot more than I
did before, allowing me to feel more of the final stage (loyalty) towards McMaster.

Where in the journey did you experience your highest highs and lowest lows?
I think in stage 4 (experience) I felt both my highest and lowest lows. In the first two years, I
definitely felt my lowest lows as all the things listed in the journey map I did not get to experience
firsthand. It was definitely an adjustment, and just overall had a lot of challenges staying home during
such a critical time in a person's life. But flash forward to now as a result of being stuck at home for two
years, I have made a lot more of an effort this year to get involved in the community. I am a Social
Science Representative and am a part of a few clubs at the school and have been able to properly use the
resources available to me. And just overall feel more like a student, and not just someone behind a screen.

What recommendations might you make for changes in the journey? What impact would these
changes have?
One change that I would have especially for incoming first-year students, would be to improve
stage 1 (awareness). There are a lot of things at McMaster that I wish I knew earlier in my academic
career and wished that some things were easier to find/ more accessible. So many students I speak to are
unaware of certificates one can get/ certain programs or minors one can take etc. If McMaster would
improve their awareness stage for future students I think it would better improve their admissions and
overall just help with students' well-being. So many students I have spoken with have no clue that
McMaster offers free counselling, which can help and impact so many students if it were promoted better
through key messages.

How impactful is journey mapping in understanding a customer and/or a business?

Journey mapping is a crucial part of optimizing the customer experience as it provides a strategic
approach to better understanding customer expectations. It is important not only for the customer but also
for the company/business as it allows companies to see where they can improve and better appeal to the
consumer. It also allows companies to see ways they can innovate their product to better suit customer
needs and gain better profits. A journey allows businesses to see why their product is potentially not
doing as well as it hoped/ see why their product is doing increasingly well. If we take Peloton as an
example and consider their journey map during the pandemic compared to now. The company would be
able to see the reason why their product was doing increasingly well during the pandemic, which had a lot
to do with the fact that gyms were closed and people were looking for new ways to stay active. During the
pandemic, Peloton was not competing as much as a lot of its competitors were closed. Now Peloton's
journey map may look a lot different as there are a lot more retailers they need to compete with, given
everything is back up and running again. Peloton can use a journey map to “map out” the reasonings as to
why customers may be swaying towards gyms again rather than their fitness products. Journey mapping
allows businesses to create personalized experiences across all checkpoints, for every individual across all
channels. To better help understand their clientele. Your ability to tailor the customer experience to their
needs increases as you better understand their expectations through journey mapping.