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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.usecustory.com/llms.txt

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Nested journeys let you move from a broad customer flow to a more detailed sub-journey without flattening everything into one giant map. This is the right tool when one step in the macrojourney deserves its own working journey.

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Macrojourney to microjourney

Think of nested journeys like this:
  • The macrojourney shows the broader customer path
  • A microjourney drills into one part of that path in more detail
Example:
  • Macrojourney: Self-serve onboarding
  • Microjourney: Connect Slack
  • Microjourney: Invite teammate
  • Microjourney: First value setup
This structure is especially useful for product-led teams where one activation step has enough complexity to deserve deeper analysis.

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When to create a nested journey

Create a nested journey when a single step needs:
  • More detailed stages and steps
  • Its own evidence and items
  • Its own prioritization work
  • Its own owners or review rhythm
Do not create a nested journey just because a step feels important. Create one when the step has enough internal complexity that keeping it inside the macrojourney would make the main map hard to work with.

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Where nested journeys live

Nested journeys are managed in the Nested journeys lane inside Grid view. If that lane is hidden, add it back from the lane picker. The lane exists so you can keep related journeys connected without mixing all of their detailed items into the parent map.

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Create a nested journey

In Grid view:
  1. Find the step in the macrojourney that should branch into a deeper flow
  2. Open or reveal the Nested journeys lane
  3. Hover the step
  4. Click Add nested journey
Custory creates a linked sub-journey from that step. Once created, the nested journey appears as a card in the step’s nested-journey cell.

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What you can see on a nested journey card

The card gives you a quick summary of the linked journey, including:
  • Journey name
  • Stage count
  • Step count
  • Item count
That lets you understand whether the sub-journey is still lightweight or has become a substantial body of work.

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Open a nested journey

Click the nested journey card to open the linked journey directly. This makes it easy to move from:
  • High-level planning in the macrojourney
  • To detailed work in the microjourney
without losing the relationship between the two.

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Reorder or move nested journeys

Nested journey cards can be repositioned inside the nested-journey lane. That matters when:
  • A step should point to a different sub-journey
  • The sub-journey belongs under a different point in the macro flow
  • You want the sequence of linked sub-journeys to match the real customer motion
This keeps the hierarchy clean as the product evolves.

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Best use cases

Nested journeys work especially well for:
  • Onboarding flows with one complex activation step
  • Checkout or billing experiences with several important sub-flows
  • Support escalation paths with distinct branch journeys
  • Expansion or renewal motions where one phase needs deeper analysis

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Good pattern for startup teams

Start broad, then split only where the work demands it. A good workflow:
  1. Build the macrojourney first
  2. Review where the team repeatedly needs more detail
  3. Create nested journeys only for those steps
  4. Keep the parent map focused on coordination and sequence
  5. Keep the child map focused on detailed diagnosis and action
This prevents the common mistake where one journey becomes too large to maintain.

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When not to use nested journeys

Do not use a nested journey when:
  • A few more items would solve the problem
  • The step is important but not complex
  • The team is not going to maintain the child journey separately
If the sub-journey will not be reviewed on its own, it may be better to keep the work in the macrojourney.

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Common mistakes

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Splitting too early

Map the broad flow first. Then split where detail is actually blocking understanding.

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Creating microjourneys with no clear owner

If nobody will maintain the child journey, it becomes dead weight.

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Using nested journeys as folders

They are not just organizational containers. They are real linked journeys that should earn their place.