4B1. Seeing the Whole Journey: Journey Mapping as an Innovative Tool for Understanding Participant Experience

Journey mapping is an emerging and innovative data collection method that offers evaluators a powerful way to understand participants’ lived experiences over time. This approach helps uncover challenges, needs, thoughts, and opportunities for improvement at key transition points, making it especially valuable in evaluations that aim to centre human experience and equity. By visually mapping these journeys, evaluators can identify systemic barriers and service gaps and generate insights that inform more responsive and inclusive program design.

This workshop invites participants to engage in a hands-on journey mapping exercise, designed to illustrate how this method can be applied in evaluation contexts. Drawing from two recent projects—one exploring international students’ pathways to permanent residency, and another examining newcomer mothers’ access to mental health supports—we will demonstrate how journey maps were used to capture complex, culturally nuanced experiences. These examples will highlight how journey mapping can inform service delivery and policy development.

Julie Rodier, Principal Research Associate, Social Research and Demonstration Corporation
Julie Rodier is a Principal Research Associate at the Social Research and Demonstration Corporation (SRDC) where she has worked for nearly 15 years. She leads research and evaluation projects in the areas of immigration, employment, and the development of Francophone minority communities. She has notably led innovative initiatives aimed at improving integration services for newly arrived women and strengthening the capacity of Francophone organizations. Holding a graduate degree in public policy and program evaluation, she is also an accredited evaluator.

Sol Park, Research Associate, Social Research and Demonstration Corporation
Sol Park is a Research Associate at the Social Research and Demonstration Corporation. Her research interests include newcomer and refugee mental health, newcomer integration, and child and youth wellbeing. She specializes in qualitative research and seeks to include innovative ways of gathering experiences. Sol has contributed to research and evaluation projects in areas of immigration, employment, workplace diversity and inclusion, and racism and discrimination. She holds a Master of Science in Transcultural Psychiatry from McGill University.