# Module 06: Trigger Mapping ## Lesson 10: The Visual Trigger Map **Your One-Page Strategic Document** --- ## What Is the Trigger Map? The Trigger Map is a visual diagram that shows the strategic connections between: - **Business Goals** (center) - What you need to achieve - **Target Groups** (radiating out) - Who can help you achieve it - **Usage Goals** (connected to each group) - What drives their behavior **It's a one-page strategy document that everyone can understand.** --- ## Why Visual Matters ### The Problem with Text Documents Traditional strategy documents: - 20+ pages of text - Nobody reads them completely - Hard to see connections - Difficult to reference quickly - Become outdated and ignored ### The Power of Visual A Trigger Map: - ✅ One page, scannable in 30 seconds - ✅ Shows strategic connections visually - ✅ Easy to reference during design - ✅ Stakeholders understand immediately - ✅ Stays relevant as features evolve **Visual = Accessible = Actually Used** --- ## The Structure **The Trigger Map flows horizontally from left to right in four layers:** ### Layer 1: Business Goals (Left) **What it shows:** - Vision statement(s) - inspirational direction - 3-5 strategic objectives - measurable targets - Multiple goals can feed into the product **Visual cues:** - Blue boxes on the left - Clear hierarchy of goals - All connect to the product/solution ### Layer 2: Product/Solution (Center) **What it shows:** - Product name - Brief description of what it does - Central hub of the map **Why it's central:** - Connects business goals to users - Shows what you're building - Everything flows through here ### Layer 3: Target Groups (Middle-Right) **What it shows:** - 3-5 prioritized personas - Priority indicators (👥 primary, 👤 secondary) - Connected from the product **Visual cues:** - Orange boxes - Emoji indicators show priority - Lines connect from product to each group ### Layer 4: Usage Goals (Right) **What it shows:** - **Positive drivers** (✅ green) - What they want to achieve - **Negative drivers** (❌ red) - What they want to avoid - Separated into distinct boxes per target group **Visual organization:** - Green boxes for positive drivers - Red boxes for negative drivers - Each target group has both types - Top drivers emphasized --- ## Generic Example Structure ``` GOALS PRODUCT TARGET GROUPS DRIVERS ───────────────────── ─────────────────── ─────────────────── ──────────────────── [BUSINESS GOAL 1] [PRODUCT/ [👥 PRIMARY [✅ POSITIVE] Vision Statement 1 ──→ SOLUTION ──────→ TARGET GROUP] ───→ • Positive Goal 1 Strategic Obj 1-3 Name & Brief profile • Positive Goal 2 Description │ [BUSINESS GOAL 2] │ [❌ NEGATIVE] Vision Statement 2 ──→ └─────────────→ • Negative Goal 1 Strategic Obj 1-3 • Negative Goal 2 [👤 SECONDARY [✅ POSITIVE] ────→ TARGET GROUP] ─────→ • Positive Goal 1 Brief profile • Positive Goal 2 │ │ [❌ NEGATIVE] └─────────────→ • Negative Goal 1 • Negative Goal 2 ``` --- ## How to Read the Map ### Following the Strategic Chain **Start at center:** "We want to achieve [business goal]" **Move to groups:** "[Target group] can help us achieve this" **Look at drivers:** "They're motivated by [positive drivers] and avoiding [negative drivers]" **Design implication:** "So we should build features that address their top drivers" ### Generic Example Walkthrough **Center:** "Achieve 10,000 active users by Q4" **Group 1:** "Remote team leads" (Priority #1) **Top positive driver:** "Want to demonstrate effective leadership" **Top negative driver:** "Fear team burnout without noticing" **Design insight:** "Build features that help leaders monitor team health and take action - this serves both their drivers AND our user growth goal" --- ## What Makes a Good Trigger Map ### Clarity **Good:** - Clear hierarchy (what's most important) - Specific drivers (not generic wants) - Visual connections obvious - Scannable in under a minute **Bad:** - Everything seems equal priority - Vague statements - Cluttered with too much detail - Requires explanation to understand ### Actionability **Good:** - Designers can reference it for decisions - Clear which drivers to address first - Obvious connections to features - Guides prioritization **Bad:** - Too abstract to guide design - No clear priorities - Doesn't connect to actual features - Purely theoretical ### Longevity **Good:** - Focuses on strategy, not features - Stays relevant as product evolves - Updated only when strategy changes - Long-term reference document **Bad:** - Includes specific features (becomes outdated) - Needs constant updating - Tied to current implementation - Becomes obsolete quickly --- ## How Teams Use the Trigger Map ### Designers **Use it to:** - Guide every design decision - Validate feature ideas - Prioritize design work - Explain design rationale **Example:** "Should we add this feature? Let me check the Trigger Map... Yes, it addresses the top negative driver for our #1 target group." ### Developers **Use it to:** - Understand the "why" behind features - Make implementation trade-offs - Suggest technical alternatives - Stay aligned with strategy **Example:** "This technical approach would be faster but wouldn't address the key driver. Let's find a solution that serves the strategy." ### Product Managers **Use it to:** - Prioritize roadmap - Evaluate feature requests - Communicate strategy - Make scope decisions **Example:** "This stakeholder request doesn't connect to any of our top drivers. Let's deprioritize it." ### Stakeholders **Use it to:** - Understand strategic direction - See how decisions connect to goals - Provide informed feedback - Trust the process **Example:** "I can see how this feature addresses the fear of [negative driver] for our top group. That makes sense." --- ## Creating Your Map ### Tools **Simple options:** - Pen and paper (sketch it first) - Whiteboard (team workshops) - Miro or FigJam (digital collaboration) - Markdown with indentation (text-based) **What matters:** - Visual hierarchy is clear - Connections are obvious - Easy to reference - Team can access it ### Process **During Workshop 2-4:** - Saga helps you build it iteratively - Start with goals - Add groups - Add drivers - Refine and prioritize **After workshops:** - Create clean visual version - Share with team - Post where everyone can see - Reference in all design discussions --- ## Keeping It Current ### When to Update **Update when:** - ✅ Business goals change significantly - ✅ New user research reveals different drivers - ✅ Strategic priorities shift - ✅ New target group becomes important **Don't update when:** - ❌ Features change (map is strategy, not features) - ❌ Minor tweaks to objectives - ❌ Tactical decisions - ❌ Short-term experiments ### Living Document Approach **The map should:** - Be referenced weekly in design discussions - Be updated quarterly (or when strategy shifts) - Be visible to entire team - Be the source of truth for strategic decisions **It should NOT:** - Be created once and forgotten - Be updated constantly - Include implementation details - Replace other documentation --- ## The Power of One Page ### Why One Page Matters **Cognitive load:** - Humans can't hold complex strategy in working memory - One page = graspable at a glance - Visual connections = easier to remember **Accessibility:** - Everyone can understand it - No special training needed - Quick reference during meetings - Easy to share **Alignment:** - Entire team sees same picture - Reduces misunderstandings - Creates shared language - Builds strategic consensus --- ## Common Mistakes ### Mistake 1: Too Much Detail **Problem:** Map becomes cluttered and unusable **Solution:** Keep it strategic - details go in supporting docs ### Mistake 2: Including Features **Problem:** Map becomes outdated as features change **Solution:** Features are scored separately (Workshop 5) ### Mistake 3: No Visual Hierarchy **Problem:** Everything seems equally important **Solution:** Use size, color, position to show priority ### Mistake 4: Creating It Once and Forgetting **Problem:** Map doesn't guide actual decisions **Solution:** Reference it constantly, update when strategy shifts ### Mistake 5: Making It Too Pretty **Problem:** Spending hours on design instead of strategy **Solution:** Clarity > beauty. Sketch is fine. --- ## The Strategic Conversation The real value isn't the map itself - it's the strategic conversation that creates it. **The map is:** - A record of strategic thinking - A tool for alignment - A guide for decisions - A living reference **The conversation is:** - Where insights emerge - Where assumptions are challenged - Where priorities become clear - Where strategy is forged **Both matter. The map captures the conversation so you don't lose it.** --- ## What You'll Learn Next The final lesson covers Feature Impact Scoring - how to systematically evaluate and rank features based on your Trigger Map. This is where strategy becomes actionable roadmap. --- ## Key Takeaways ✅ **One-page visual document** - Scannable, accessible, actually used ✅ **Shows strategic connections** - Goals → Groups → Drivers ✅ **Guides all design decisions** - Reference it constantly ✅ **Stays relevant** - Focuses on strategy, not features ✅ **Creates team alignment** - Everyone sees same strategic picture ✅ **Living document** - Update when strategy shifts, not when features change --- ## Reflection Questions 1. How would having a one-page strategy map change your design process? 2. What strategic decisions could you make faster with this reference? 3. How would this help align your team around priorities? --- [← Back to Module Overview](module-06-overview.md) | [← Back to Lesson 9](lesson-09-positive-negative-drivers.md) | [Next: Lesson 11 - Feature Impact Scoring →](lesson-11-feature-impact-scoring.md) *Part of Module 06: Trigger Mapping*