UNM At A Glance

User Needs Mapping (UNM) offers a clear, practical way to align teams around what really matters: the outcomes your users are trying to achieve. If you’re looking for a concise, workshop-friendly overview of the process — something you can print, share, or keep at your desk — this downloadable guide gives you everything you need in one place.

This one-page summary distils the core steps of the UNM approach into a simple, accessible format that teams can reference before, during, and after a mapping session.

What’s inside the PDF

This short guide walks you through the 7 core steps of User Needs Mapping:

  • Define the purpose – anchor your session around a clear, strategic intent.

  • Identify users – understand who you’re mapping for and why.

  • Define user needs – articulate outcome-based needs that drive meaningful progress.

  • Map capabilities – uncover the enabling abilities your organisation must provide.

  • Analyse dependencies – reveal bottlenecks, blockers, and cognitive-load hotspots.

  • Define team boundaries – shape responsibilities that support faster, more focused flow.

  • Iterate & scale – keep your map alive as users, systems, and teams evolve.

Ideal for:

  • Workshop facilitation

    Print and hand it out to participants so they can follow the steps during a session.

  • Team onboarding

    Share it with new joiners or teams who want a quick introduction before diving deeper.

  • Quick reference during delivery

    Keep the steps visible in your workspace to guide discussions and decisions.

  • Leadership briefings

    Use it to explain the technique to sponsors, senior leaders, or stakeholders.

  • Lightweight self-study

    Perfect for people who want to understand UNM without reading the full book (yet).

Want to go Deeper?

If you’re interested in learning how to apply User Needs Mapping inside your organisation — or want help running your first session — explore:

  • Workshops

  • The full UNM book

  • Additional resources and examples

  • Or get in touch if you’d like support running your own mapping sessions.

Talk To Us About UNM
Diagram illustrating connections between symptoms, underlying causes, and real problems in a problem-solving process, with four cartoon characters and speech bubbles.

  • It also includes:

  • A brief explanation of why UNM matters

  • How UNM bridges strategy and execution

  • Who benefits from using the technique

  • A visual overview of the flow from user → need → capability → team boundary

Download The PDF