The ideas for the following thoughts came out of a search project, not a customer journey mapping effort. But the ‘filter bubble‘ idea came up in conversation and it struck me how we often only find that which we’re capable of seeing based on our perspective. And even a subtle shift can make a difference in helping us reach our goals. So here you go…
In Marketing and Product Management we often refer to the Customer Journey. Maybe we should be thinking about a Customer Quest instead. And treat the process as a search problem.
This may seem to be a subtle difference; somewhat more about attitude than a significant departure of definition. But consider the value in just a small shift. Our outlook can impact how we think about and handle customer touch points. A journey is a trip or process of traveling from one place to another, whereas a quest is a purposeful pursuit. For our purposes, the quest is more about the motivation and goal, whereas the journey is just the path we’re following trying to solve a search problem. But we’re often not just following a path. We might be blazing this new trail. Yes, some enjoy the journey. Shopping is fun for some people, maybe a learning or social activity. More so if the category is fun; new skis, golf clubs, etc. For commercial goods and services, we might enjoy the journey as we learn useful things on our quest. Nevertheless, we didn’t choose a meandering cruise with the all-you-can-eat buffet. We’ve got a goal. The cliche for a variety of things in life may be “it’s not about the destination, it’s the journey.” That’s a nice thought. But not always true. Sometimes we just want to get things done. Just mapping a consumer path and trying to inject a marketing message here or there might not be enough.
If you’re still not sure about buying off on this concept, think about your own behavior over the past year or so. Have you started trying out Generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, etc? Have you used them to solve any challenges you’ve had as a consumer of goods or services? If so, why did you try this new tool? What was traditional search or the company’s customer service not doing for you? If you’ve done this, then you’ve experienced exactly the kind of challenge we’re talking about here. There was a search/discovery need we all had that was not being met. (Or was being poorly handled.) And no one was really helping us adequately. We got lucky and the world gave us yet another tool. The lesson though, is that we had existing unrecognized needs. What else are we missing as product creators and marketers in terms of customer information seeking needs? Maybe… maybe just this subtle shift in thinking about this aspect of customer experience can help find out.
When you have a need, (whether a grocery store trip or a multimillion dollar piece of production equipment for your business), what do you do first? You’ve established the need, so what’s next in the process? You’re in Search mode, whether using business tools, traditional search engines, GenAIs, trade show visits or whatever. As you learn more along the way, you’ll likely adjust your requirements. For customers seeking solutions and basically facing a search challenge, it might be useful to think about it that way. Doing so might help us figure out where to put various types of information, calls to action, nudges, and so on. This could change soon as agentic AI evolves. But maybe even “Agentic AI Optimization” (AAIO anyone?) might benefit from similar treatments. We’ll see.
When we think of Customer Quests, we can think about applying the Jobs to Be Done framework. (See Jobs-to-be-Done: A Framework for Customer Needs and JTBD Framework.) Looking from that perspective might help us infer decision points along a journey. (The so-called Zero Moments of Truth (ZMOT)). One of my favorite parts of the ZMOT idea is, “Be present in the moments that matter” The goal is to seek out and satisfy needs along the path at those Zero Moments of Truth.
How is this different if we think “quest” vs. “journey?” What is the value of this slight re-framing? The value is in how we might offer different options along the journey if we understand the following:
- A quest is more purposeful, and likely has emotional stakes. A journey might not be passive, but a quest is even more aggressive and implies complexity and overcoming obstacles, not just traversal of a path. Building a descriptive journey map is a nice first step. Thinking about the quest as a search challenge is how we can try to prescriptively change behavior on the path.
- More sophisticated journeys recognize the iterative and possibly non-linear nature of paths, but perhaps not as much the unpredictable nature of customer problem-solving. (And perhaps also the emotional state of the seeker.) This mindset can help us consider abandonment points we might otherwise miss.
- A journey suggests movement, but a quest implies personal transformation. Each major decision potentially changes the customer’s capabilities, understanding, or identity. “Journey” sounds passive, like being carried along. “Quest” emphasizes customer agency, strategic thinking, and intentional navigation. Does what you provide evolve with the seeker?
- With this mindset, we shift focus from merely transactional to personal growth and empowerment. We recognize customers as active meaning-makers, not just marketing message recipients.
For completeness, let’s repeat the obvious… When we refer to the customer journey, we should consider the entire process from initial awareness of the product or service to the post-purchase experience. It includes all touch points and interactions, whether direct (like visiting a website or speaking with a salesperson) or indirect (like seeing an advertisement or reading reviews). They’re attempting to solve a problem or fulfill a need in the most convenient, satisfying and rewarding way possible. While many consumer purchases may be “low involvement / low think” events, others may be more involved. For complex purchases, customers may be thinking about stages. And this is especially true for large scale corporate evaluations that have governance, risk, legal compliance checks and so on.
What I’m suggesting is: Every aspect of this customer journey is a search problem. From Discovery and Evaluation to Decision Making, even how to disengage or dispose of a product, is an information search problem. And a special kind of search problem because its goal is to have an answer. You might be thinking, “Isn’t that true of every search problem?” Not necessarily. Some searches are part of a discovery process that’s tightly bound with creation. That is, we’re seeking bits and pieces of research to create something new, not just stop once we have a singular answer. Look at how AI GPTs are used; partly for discovery, but also creative and workflow processes.
Is everything a search problem? In “Information Anxiety,” Richard Saul Wurman suggests that the challenge isn’t just finding information but framing the right questions to navigate the overwhelming volume of available data.
We have tools to understand the customer quest. We have user personas, ideal customer profiles, user journeys, and more. I like frameworks and templates. But as I’ve mentioned, I’m a fan of the expression, “All models are wrong, but some are useful.” One framework challenge is when we start, what are we using as considerations to fill in the blanks. A lot of times, a team will just start brainstorming. Which is maybe good. Shotgun approaches can work. But maybe there’s some thought guidelines that might help.
Most consumer decision-making look something like classic models such as AIDA, (Awareness, Information, Decision, Action), or one of various more modern forms that adds some letters and steps to the model. Generally, the process is along these lines:
- Problem recognition: The consumer realizes they have a need or want that is not being met. (This can be low on the priority scale such as “I wonder what to have for lunch today,” vs. highly critical, “I need to choose an oncologist to help with my newly diagnosed lymphoma.” In between we have everything else.)
- Information search: In this stage, consumers actively seek out information about products or services that could potentially meet needs or wants.
- Evaluation of alternatives: After gathering information, the consumer evaluates the options available to them and compares the features, benefits, and drawbacks of each.
- Purchase or Abandon / Satificing decision: Based on their evaluation of alternatives, the consumer makes a decision on which product or service to purchase. (“Purchase” could also end up meaning renting, leasing or borrowing an item. Of course, there’s always the option to do without, or “satisfice” / substitute with a less desirable solution.)
- Post-purchase evaluation: After purchase, consumers evaluate the product or service and the overall experience, which may influence their future decisions. (And maybe others via reviews.)
The decision-making process will clearly vary depending on the type of purchase, the consumer, and the circumstances. For a low-involvement purchase, like buying a candy bar or some paper clips for the office, the buyer might not go through all the steps of the decision-making process and might act impulsively based on emotions or brand habits. On the other hand, a high-involvement purchase, such as buying a car or engaging a vendor in a multi-million dollar long-term engagement, the buyer might spend a bit more time researching, evaluating alternatives and carefully considering the decision.
Conclusion
I’m proposing that viewing the customer journey as a quest reframes how we think about decision-making, shifting our focus to the purposeful pursuit of answers and solutions. By recognizing this, we can design more intentional, empathetic strategies that acknowledge the complex, goal-oriented nature of customer interactions. Whether a customer is seeking a candy bar or navigating a complex enterprise software purchase, they are fundamentally engaged in an information-seeking mission to maximize solutions and minimize risks. As marketers and product professionals, our role is to illuminate these paths, reduce friction, (possibly by reducing cognitive load), and being appropriately present at those pivotal moments. When we align our strategies and tactics with the mindset of a quest, we help customers succeed and can perhaps build deeper trust and value. In a world of overwhelming choices and information, the ability to transform a search problem into a successful resolution might not just be a marketing strategy, but a critical competitive advantage. I haven’t had a chance to try this idea out just yet; it’s just a hypothesis for what might be a more effective way to think about how to help customers in their efforts. Let me know what you think.
In Part 2: Solutions for the Journey, we’ll look at how we can maybe adjust the path.
References:
Cognitive Load and Marketing: Simplifying Messages for Better Engagement
How to Use Cognitive Load Theory in Marketing
The importance of reducing customer cognitive load
Wikipedia: Cognitive load