Abstract
Of the defining characteristics of indeterminate problems, the presence of
overwhelming amounts of data presents one of the largest challenges to the
designer. The complexity presented in understanding, managing and using data as it
is discovered, aggregated, mapped, organized, interpreted, synthesized and
transformed through human-centered design processes, in the context of the
environment of the problem-ecology, requires that the designer has tools that can
assist with designing solutions from these large bodies of data. User journeys have
become a frequently applied tool for research and design in the practical fields of
Design Thinking, Service Design, User Experience Design and Information
Architecture Design. In our paper we reposition User Journey Design as both a tool
and a rigorous self-reflective, data-driven process through information gathering,
synthesis and into design, which assists the designer in navigating the complexities
of indeterminate problems.