note 18
User flows
A user flow is the path a real person takes to get something done. Not a page. Not a feature list. The steps, in order.
01
What it is
Someone wants a result. A flow is how they get there: open this, tap that, finish. If you cannot say the steps out loud, you do not have a flow yet.
02
Why write them down
You stop arguing about pages and start arguing about jobs. You can score a path: is it easy, is it good. You can fix the path without rebuilding the whole site.
If the important paths are mushy in your head, the site will feel mushy too.
03
Good ones
Short. Ordered. A real person. A clear finish.
Title
Join a game
Instructions
- Open the site
- Tap Games
- Pick a game
- Join
- See you are in
Why it's good
- One clear job
- Steps in order
- You know when it is done
Title
Post a score
Instructions
- Finish playing
- Tap Save score
- Type your name
- Hit Send
- See it on the board
Why it's good
- Starts after a real moment
- Each step is something you do
- Ends with a clear result on screen
Title
Find a friend
Instructions
- Land on home
- Open Friends
- Search a name
- Open their page
Why it's good
- A real person could walk it with a finger
- No mushy words
- One finish: their page is open
04
Bad ones
A page name, a vibe, or the whole product. None of those are a path.
Title
A page name
Instructions
- The homepage
Why it's bad
- Names a place, not a path
- No steps
- No finish — what does someone do there?
Title
A vibe
Instructions
- Users engage
Why it's bad
- Sounds fancy, means nothing
- No real actions
- No way to tell when it worked
Title
The whole app
Instructions
- Use the app
Why it's bad
- Every path at once
- Too big to score or fix
- Pick one job and write its steps
If you cannot walk the steps with your finger on the screen, rewrite the flow until you can.