What are User Flows, and How to Improve Your UX Design?

March 24, 2023
What are User Flows, and How to Improve Your UX Design?

User experience (UX) design is the process of creating a seamless and enjoyable experience for users of a website, application, or product. One important aspect of UX design is understanding user flows. User flows are the series of steps a user takes to complete a specific task on your website or application. By understanding user flows, you can improve your UX design and provide a better user experience for your users.

Designing Users Flows

UX designers can usually tools like Figma or Adobe XD to firts design user flows. These tools allow designers to create wireframes, prototypes, and mockups of their website or application, which can help them identify and address issues in the user flow.

By creating interactive prototypes, designers can test different user flows and see how users interact with the interface in real-time. This can help designers identify areas where users may get confused or frustrated, and make adjustments to improve the overall user experience. Figma and Adobe XD also have built-in collaboration features, which make it easy for designers to work together and iterate on their designs in real-time.

User flow UX design on figma example

Understanding User Flows

User flows can be visualized using Sankey diagrams, which are a type of flow diagram that display the aggregation of all users paths interacting with a product. In UX design, Sankey diagrams are used to show the flow of user activity through a website or application.

To create a Sankey diagram of user flows, you first need to identify the different paths a user can take on your website or application. For example, if you are designing an e-commerce website, the different paths might include browsing products, adding items to a cart, entering shipping and billing information, and checking out.

You can use a tool like Google Analytics or Sankey Journey to track user activity and create a visualization of the user flows. The Sankey diagram will show you which paths are the most common, where users are dropping off, and which pages are causing friction in the user experience. By using these tools in conjunction with Figma or Adobe XD, designers can create a comprehensive understanding of their user flows and make data-driven decisions to improve the user experience.

User flows visualization using Sankey Diagram on Sankey Journey

Improving User Flows

By analyzing your Sankey diagram, you can identify areas where you can improve the user experience. Here are some tips for improving user flows:

  1. Simplify Navigation: Make it easy for users to find what they are looking for by simplifying navigation and reducing the number of clicks required to complete a task. The golder rule : the shorter, the better. 
  2. Optimize Forms: Reduce the number of form fields and make them easy to fill out. Use inline validation to give users feedback in real-time and reduce errors.
  3. Improve Page Load Times: Users are impatient and will quickly abandon a website or application that takes too long to load. Make sure your website or application loads quickly to reduce friction in the user experience.
  4. A/B Test: Use A/B testing to test different variations of your website or application and see which version performs better in terms of user flows.

Conclusion

User flows are an important aspect of UX design. By visualizing user flows using Sankey diagrams and analyzing them, you can identify areas where you can improve the user experience. Use the tips above to simplify navigation, optimize forms, improve page load times, and A/B test your website or application to create a seamless and enjoyable experience for your users.

If you want to see what an interactive Sankey diagram looks like, try it for free on Sankey Journey !

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