A user flow is a diagram of the exact steps a person takes on your website or app to finish one task: where they enter, which screens they see, what choices they make and where they end up. It lets you see the whole path at once and spot steps that are missing, confusing or unnecessary.
How a user flow is drawn
Flows use a few simple shapes. A starting point shows where the visitor arrives (a Google result, an ad, your homepage). Rectangles are screens or pages. Diamonds are decisions, such as "Has an account?" or "Delivery or collection?". Arrows connect them, and the flow ends at the goal, like an order confirmation. Each flow covers one task for one type of user; a site has many flows, not one giant chart.
Tools such as FigJam, Miro or Whimsical are common, but paper works. The value is in walking through every branch, including the unhappy ones: a card is declined, a time slot is taken, a field is filled in wrongly.
User flow versus customer journey and funnel
These terms overlap but zoom to different levels. A customer journey covers the whole relationship, often across days and channels, from first hearing about you to becoming a repeat customer. A user flow zooms in on the clicks inside your site for one task. A conversion funnel measures how many people drop out at each stage of a flow once it is live.
A worked example: a bakery's custom cake order
Mapping the flow for "order a birthday cake" shows: homepage, then cakes page, then a product page that says "Call to order". The flow dead-ends in a phone call during business hours. A redesigned flow goes homepage, cakes page, choose size and flavour, pick a collection date (showing only days with at least 48 hours' notice), add a message, pay a deposit, confirmation. Drawing it also exposes a decision the old site ignored: what happens if the requested date is full? The new flow offers the nearest open dates instead of an error.
When it matters for a small site
Map a flow for each action that brings you money or leads: booking, buying, requesting a quote. If you only have a contact form, the flow is short, but even then check what happens after submission. Flows are also a cheap step before wireframes: fixing a missing step on a diagram costs nothing compared with rebuilding pages.
Mistakes when mapping flows
- Only drawing the happy path. Errors, sold-out items and back buttons are where people get lost.
- Assuming everyone starts at the homepage. Many visitors land straight on a service or product page from search.
- Mixing several tasks into one chart. It becomes unreadable; split it.
- Never checking against reality. Compare the planned flow with analytics or recordings of what people actually do.
Related terms
- Customer journey: the wider path that contains many user flows.
- Conversion funnel: measures drop-off along a live flow.
- Wireframe: the next step, sketching each screen in the flow.
- User persona: who the flow is drawn for.