Your brand’s responsibility is to assist users in getting where they need to be on your app or site. This is where the user flow comes in. When you identify your user flow, you can align your navigation and UI design with the user’s goals. Enhancing your user flow and conversion funnel can effectively improve your site’s success rate as it enables users to complete their tasks easily.
WHAT IS USER FLOW?
Before understanding the tools you need to have for an amazing user flow, you need to know what user flow really is!
User flow is the path the user takes to complete a definite task. This task can be sales-oriented, like purchasing an item, or it can be something less like page views on a website. When developers analyze a user flow’s efficiency, they usually track the flow of actions from the end goal’s entry point. The entry point could be your site’s homepage and the final point buying your product in the instance of purchase.
Trident AB offers you the flexibility to A/B testing and determines the kind of elements you want to test, the users to target, and the number of variants to include. On their analytics dashboard, you can see the impact these changes have on your vital business metrics, like engagement and revenue. You can also decide if they are statistically significant or not. Once you discover the best conversion, you can implement them broadly with just one click!
This is what the designers and developers think about when considering user flow diagrams:
- The goals of the user
- Information needed by the user to complete the identified task
- The values of the user
- Potential hesitations or barriers for the user
WHY DO YOU NEED USER FLOW?
You know what is a user flow but why do you need it? Here are the main reasons:
Visualize user needs intuitively
At the initial stage of a website design, the user flow diagrams can assist your team, and you in presenting user needs intuitively for improved testing and communication.
Make the design handoff and development process easier
User flow diagrams are vital during the design handoff stage. Developers can view any user flow to have a better grip on the user’s needs and quickly implement designs with detailed user flow diagrams.
Simplify the design testing process
At the ultimate testing stage, product teams will be able to follow the user easily flows to identify potential problems and test whether these flows meet user needs. To create a good website and UX, user flow design cannot be overlooked.
Here are 10 Must-Haves to Create a Winning User Flow on a Website:
Flowmapp
If you are planning to create a professional and attractive user flow and customer journey diagrams, then FlowMapp is certainly worth a try. FlowMapp allows you to create user flow diagrams that can range from simple representations to hi-fi wireframes.
Initially designed for creating sitemaps, this online user flow tool allows you to utilize shapes, icons, and lines to swiftly design user flows, allowing you to plan your customers’ journeys and enhance their user experience. It also lets you customize elements you had previously added, add images into user flow, and add all the connections you require.
Timber
You can now create interactive, visual sitemaps and workflows with the Timblee mapping tool. Its in-built drag and drop canvas makes it convenient and quick to create flow diagrams. It is excellent for designers who are just getting started with user flow. This tool also allows users to get deep into each page’s communication by creating subpages.
Timber also features a collaborative design with a feedback and comments system and versioning history.
Justinmind
Justinmind is a prototyping tool for mobile and web that can enable users to design their user flow and see their conversion flow in context.
Users have an entire set of features for generating user flow with testing tool integrations, a powerful scenario builder, and necessities definition capabilities. Users can also drag and drop elements in the canvas and view their development in any browser or on the device throughout the design process. It also allows users to make their screen flow interactive with its Events system.
The teamwork, comment, and versioning review features make it easy to work with your team. Justinmind’s app wireframe tool has got you covered as it is a desktop-based user flow tool, saving you from the worry of internet security or connection.
Wireflow
Wireflow is an open-source, free user flow tool that lets you develop user flow prototypes in no time! This tool was designed to simplify user flow planning procedures at the initial stage in the product development life cycle. It aims to cut out dependency on expensive software like Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop.
While it is quite basic, Wireflow does include many of the functions you would need to create user flow diagrams. This includes over 100 flow elements in 10 different categories, live chat, and real-time teamwork with colleagues.
Omnigraffle
Omnigraffle is a long-time Mac users’ favorite. It is a potent tool for creating beautiful and precise graphics. This tool can be used in different ways, like low-to-high-fi wireframes and developing user flow diagrams. Omnigraffle is a complete diagramming solution with its reusable elements, stencils, numerous element libraries, and auto layouts.
One amazing feature is its Stenciltown section, allowing the users to download and share templates, UI kits, and more.
Mockflow
Mockflow is known to be the quickest way to innovate user interface ideas, helping you convert user journey concepts into real user flow prototypes. It lets you envision user flows, share and team up in real-time. You can also use this user flow tool to develop style guides you will want if you want to generate a design system. It comprises integration with few 3rd party tools.
Draw.io
Draw.io is a user flow tool for defining user flow and creating flowcharts. Users can create their own diagrams, charts, and flows or import readymade items with URLs.
The draw.io interface is well-designed, making it easy for users to draft diagrams. It helps real-time collaboration when connected to Google. Diagrams are cloud-stored, allowing users to choose from different cloud computing services, including OneDrive, Google Drive, Trello, GitHub, and Dropbox. Draw.io is also optimized for widescreen monitor use so that working in high-resolution is not a problem.
Lucidchart
Lucidchart is a tool for sharing and sketching user flow diagrams. It’s an excellent tool for various tasks with different templates to choose from, from defining user flow and brainstorming to working with your stakeholders and team and project management.
Lucidchart has comments and a group chat feature, so working and having everyone up to speed is quite simple. The tool is responsive, web standards, built on HTML5, and works with all major devices and browsers.
Cacoo
Cacoo is a user flow and diagram generating tool combined with Google Drive. The tool has different readymade templates and shape libraries for creating flowcharts, charts, mind maps, and user flow.
Cacoo also comes with a built-in chat feature to support Adobe Creative exporting and embedding and Visio. It is perfect for designing flow diagram templates. It is a cloud-based tool, and users have the flexibility to share their work by copying the link provided.
Overflow
For a modern and unique take on how user flows can be fully interactive and visually appealing, check out Overflow. The Mac-only user flow tool allows you to create fun user stories, a real update to the whole user flow concept. The Windows version is coming up too.
An excellent way for a designer to demonstrate user flow is by using playable interactions, showing how the user moves from stage to stage through their journey. Overflow also lets you choose where to improve focus when showing a user flow diagram to clients or colleagues.
FINAL WORDS
User flow is an essential part of a user experience in any mobile UI or web. Neglecting it, will leave you with frustrated users, leaving your site and never return. Select a tool that will help you define your user flow from the initial stage of your design process, and you wouldn’t go wrong.
