Obstacle courses are great…if you intend to play on one. They’re not so great when you’re navigating a website or app. In fact, there’s arguably no quicker way to lose a visitor than having a site that’s set up like an obstacle course. A user flow diagram is the answer.
Key takeaways
- User flow is essential in guiding users through a digital interface smoothly, ultimately enhancing the user experience and fostering goal completion.
- Effective user flow diagrams leverage universally recognized symbols, distinct entry and endpoints, and clear paths to narrate the user’s journey visually.
- Continuous user flow optimization involves analytics and testing to adapt to user feedback, improve intuition in navigation, and ensure the product meets actual user needs.
User flow examples
Let’s dive into some user flow diagram examples that showcase how well-designed user flows can enhance the experience of actual users and streamline processes.
Ecommerce checkout flow
Making checkout painless is huge, this UX flow diagram example shows all the tasks involved in a typical ecommerce purchase from entering the site to order confirmation.
Note how something as seemingly straightforward as an ecommerce checkout process is a journey in itself.
Offering an optimal pathway across every interaction is a byproduct of a well-thought-out diagram.
Take Amazon, for instance. Its purchasing flow is intuitive for all by now, with most pain points being addressed, but their user flow example includes upsells all along the user’s path.
This is just one example, you can build an eCommerce user flow to accommodate and optimize every part of the user journey.
Use this checkout template
Check out the video below for an in-depth case study showcasing how Amazon.com executes its ecommerce checkout process…
Login process flow chart
No matter how mundane a task is or how often we’ve all repeated it — like logging in to a site or app — establishing the flow is still important.
What happens if they forget their password, for example?
How does password reset work?
Each of these requires different paths.
Use this login template
Registration process flow chart example
Just to drive home that there’s more than one way to skin a cat, here’s a variation of the previous login example.
This one shows a different way to register visitors on a website or app, with totally different user actions involved. No matter what the user chooses though, they end up being able to get registered, each path is complete.
With the user flow established, you can work with your development team and UX designers to build a user-centered design. One that might look something like this:
Use this registration template
Activation and login user flows examples
It’s a good idea to ask users to confirm their email address as part of the account activation process.
Why?
Because it ensures your future emails won’t land in the dreaded spam folder.
Here’s how that’d look as a user flow:
Use this user flowchart template
Customer support user flow chart example
Imagine you have a problem with a product you just bought. You reach out to customer support…and nothing…
You wait a few days and again, no response.
Finally, three days later, someone gets back to you.
Frustrating.
And a great way to turn a potential lifelong customer into a one-and-done.
It doesn’t have to be that way though!
Designing a user flow diagram for the entire customer support interaction ensures the request gets to the right place, every time, allowing your team to turn potentially frustrating situations into positive interactions.
Use this customer support template
Lead tracking flow diagram example
UX flows aren’t just for UX design and optimizing a user’s experience on a website, they can be used internally for essentially any process.
Take marketing for example.
You’ve created all your materials and you’re ready to press the launch button but one small detail remains; what happens when the leads start coming in?
Do they go to one person? The sales team?
What happens with qualified leads?
When does someone follow up?
Is enough data collected?
Schedule a meeting?
You get the idea.
To guarantee no leads fall through the cracks, it’s a good idea to diagram out your lead tracking process to see who needs to be involved and when.
Use this lead tracking template
Product testing user flow example
Running product or feature testing to make sure whatever you’re building is ready for prime time is a vital part of development.
It’s better to work out the kinks internally rather than releasing something half-baked to your users.
If you’re working in an Agile framework, you’ll no doubt be working with user stories. After you tackle an individual user story, you’ll want to run tests to ensure the end goal of a user is achieved.
Here’s how a simple product testing flow might look:
Use this product testing template
Sales process diagram
Anyone who’s ever done sales knows it’s a process, one that’s part art and part science.
The art of sales isn’t something we’ll cover here but the science part revolves around having a system and a clear flow.
And your systems don’t end when payment is received! You need account management to nurture and maintain that new user and all of those various layers within your business need to interact.
Here’s a flow from customer to sales to account manager:
Use this sales process template
Sign up and onboarding user flow example
Onboarding is the first date between a user and an app. It’s the process where users set up their profiles and get introduced to the app’s key features.
Here are the real-world UX user flow examples for Whimsical’s sign up and onboarding, from diagram to real world:
The goal is to make this introduction as smooth as possible, you can see that Whimsical segments their sign-ups into user persona categories too.
How do you figure out what the best option is for your audience?
Do your user research and create a customer journey map to understand the underlying motivation a user has for each action they take.
A well-designed onboarding user flow should not only easily communicate how to use the app but also help them see the value it provides.
Ultimately, this leads to higher user engagement and retention.
The perfect cup of coffee user flow diagram 😉
Who doesn’t love a good cup of joe in the morning (or afternoon or evening…)?
We sure do, so we put together a little tongue-in-cheek user flow diagram example of how a coffee shop would make your java.
Is it overkill?
Probably.
But we’re ok with that.
You can use our coffee flow chart and find more useful examples on our diagram template page.
🎬 Learn what Slickplan can do!
We filmed a short video to show you exactly how to use Slickplan
Understanding user flow in UX design
Let’s jump back to the basics, what is a flow diagram?
In the digital design world, a user flow diagram — aka a UX process diagram or UX flow chart — is a simple, clean visual representation of a user’s steps to complete a task within your app or website—a way to chart a clear path through your information architecture.
However, creating a user flow isn’t solely about drawing a straight line from point A to point B. It requires a deep understanding of your user’s typical journey with the product, from the entry points, decision points and general flow of users through to the final interaction.
User flows are strategic tools that help plan digital assets, identify potential obstacles and enhance the user experience.
By designing your own user flows, you can create clarity of purpose for each step, establishing a clear path from start to end for a visitor.
You’ll want to use purpose-built and collaborative user flow tools for this as diagramming on paper can get messy (plus sharing and collaboration are much harder with paper?). If you’re unsure of where to start, a user flow template is your best bet.
The anatomy of an effective user flow diagram
Just like every map has its unique set of symbols and legends, a user flow diagram uses universally recognized shapes and symbols to represent different elements.
Rectangles depict steps or screens; diamonds represent decisions and parallelograms symbolize user interactions and so on. It’s like a visual language making the user’s journey comprehensible at a glance.
Distinct entry and endpoints, usually represented by ovals, signify where the user starts and completes their interaction.
Arrows tie everything together, illustrating the user’s pathway from one element to the next. When combined, these components form a comprehensive user flow diagram, narrating a user’s story from start to finish.
If you want an offline cheat sheet of all these elements with explanations of each symbol, you can download our free flowchart symbols guide.
Crafting intuitive user flows for your own projects
Whether you’re building a website or developing an app, user flows are indispensable. It involves defining user objectives, understanding user needs and then refining the path with feedback.
Let’s break the process down further.
Identifying entry points and user objectives
Creating an effective user flow diagram begins with understanding the user’s specific goals and their journey’s context within the product.
Identifying entry points in user flow design is like finding the starting point of a maze. To pinpoint and optimize each one, you’ll want to create a customer journey map.
To do that, you’ll need to first do your research and create a user persona around which you’ll map the journey. From there you’ll spell out and identify all the points of interaction a customer will have with your company; the motivations that bring them to you, their needs and how they feel before, during and after those interactions.
Then an individual user flow diagram can be built, establishing the entry point and detailing the necessary steps to reach the final goal. Analyzing user behavior data is foundational to this process, informing future feature creation and how users interact with your product.
Mapping out the task flow
After identifying the entry points and user objectives, the next step is to map out specific task flows, which involves breaking down global goals into specific subtasks, ensuring that each action within the user flow is logical and contributes positively to the overall experience.
Keep in mind that a user flow diagram isn’t the same as a task flow diagram; a taskflow is the linear steps required to complete a task that all users will do in the same way and via the same entry point. So you won’t have multiple branches or paths with these.
Once tasks are clearly defined, you can start visualizing an optimal path for users that’s straightforward and aligns with their objectives.
Refining the user path with feedback
The user’s journey is the backbone of the user flow, connecting all the dots. Refining the user’s path is an iterative process that involves continually gathering and incorporating feedback from both users and stakeholders to improve the accuracy and usability of the design.
By analyzing user logs, designers can gain valuable insights into the behavior of your users and make necessary adjustments to the user flow, always working from the user’s perspective.
User flow diagrams play a crucial role in this process, allowing designers to visualize possible user paths and set clear goals and success metrics.
This, coupled with qualitative user research methods like focus group surveys, helps in understanding the tasks and goals of users, crucial for fine-tuning user flows.
The ultimate aim is to optimize each step users take. An online diagram tool like Slickplan can help you with each phase, from building the customer and user journey to centralizing feedback collecting.
Optimizing user flow with analytics and testing
As with any design process, user flow design isn’t a one-and-done deal. Continuous optimization is key, which is where analytics and testing come in.
Tools like Adobe’s Customer Journey Analytics can help you collect key data to guide you in improving user flows within your website or app.
In addition to analytics, A/B testing your designs, i.e., your product’s screens and other visual elements, is a crucial way of comparing different interfaces to identify the most effective design for increasing engagement. This generally involves putting together a wireflow.
Aside from design, analyzing data from Google Analytics can help identify points of hesitation or friction, enabling proactive refinement of the flow for a smoother experience.
Ultimately, by combining analytics insights with iterative testing, digital assets can be continually evolved to meet actual user needs better, thereby optimizing the user flow.
The impact of user flow on mobile UX design
Website user flow matters but because over 60% of website traffic comes from mobile devices nowadays, a hugely important consideration for the product teams and developers is how users navigate through your mobile screens.
Whether they enter from the home screen, a product page or anywhere else, the mobile experience and design flows will differ from the website flow charts. User goals may be the same but how an app user reaches that goal on a smaller screen will likely be different.
The Figma user flow designer is a great option for creating flows for various devices.
An intuitive design that simplifies the user journey is critical for ensuring a positive mobile app experience. When the user flow is optimized, apps become easier to navigate, resulting in more enjoyable interactions.
A well-designed simple user flow can make the difference between an app that’s a pleasure to use and one that’s deleted after the first use.
Collaborating with development teams using user flows
The user flow charts you put together serve as a direct bridge to help designers and developers work together more effectively. They help communicate design decisions to the development team to ensure they don’t lose sight of what the intended experience is supposed to be for users.
In other words, the user flow diagram acts as a guide for decision-making for developers, providing clear direction on how to build efficiently. Additionally, user flows minimize misunderstandings and decrease the number of revisions made by the product owner.
They not only align the entire team but also make the development process more cost-effective.
What do exceptional user flow designs require?
As we’ve journeyed through user flow examples UX and tips on making your own, some key elements stand out.
Exceptional user flow stems from a comprehensive understanding of the users’ objectives, needs and motivations. Maintaining clarity across different screens and functions, ensuring that each action is predictable and natural for the visitor.
In a nutshell, great user flow is:
- Adaptable, capable of evolving based on user feedback and changing requirements
- Crafted with an awareness of the user’s needs and goals to create tailored and engaging experiences throughout your information architecture
- More than just a design process; it’s a testament to a deep understanding of users and a commitment to their satisfaction
Summary
User flows are the compass that guides users towards their goals, the backbone that shapes the user experience, from entry point to endpoint. Whether it’s an ecommerce site, a social media app or a customer support chat, user flow diagrams play a pivotal role in ensuring a smooth and intuitive user experience.
It’s about understanding users, their goals and the context within the customer journey. By crafting user flows that are clear, consistent and adaptable, we can create digital experiences that not only meet users’ needs but also engage and delight them.
Think visually. Improve UX with Slickplan
Build intuitive user flows, stronger customer journeys and improve information architecture.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a user flow?
A user flow is a visual representation of the steps a user takes to complete a task within a website or app, helping designers understand and guide users through interactions.
How are user flow diagrams utilized?
User flow diagrams are used to visualize the user journey, identify obstacles and improve the overall user experience by serving as a strategic tool for planning apps, websites and more.
What is the significance of user flow in mobile UX design?
User flow diagramming is crucial in mobile UX design as it helps reduce the number of steps required for tasks, ultimately making apps easier to navigate and creating a more positive user experience.
How can user flows be optimized?
User flow optimization can be done with analytics and testing to gain insights into user behavior and interaction patterns, ultimately leading to a more intuitive user experience.
Is there a difference between a user flow and a sitemap?
User flow vs sitemap: A user flow outlines the step-by-step journey a user takes to complete a task on a website, focusing on user experience. A sitemap, on the other hand, is a hierarchical structure showing the organization and navigation of all pages within the website.
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