A user flow is a simple diagram showing which screens a user sees to complete a task and what choices they have at each step. It is usually drawn with boxes and arrows and runs from the entry point to the final goal.
An example#
Goal: buying from an online store. The path might be: product page, add to cart, log in or sign up, choose address, pay, confirmation page. Wherever the user could go another way, for example "I don't have an account", a new branch is drawn.
What it reveals#
- Extra steps that can be removed
- Places where the user hits a dead end
- Special cases such as a payment error or a forgotten password
How it differs from a wireframe#
A wireframe shows one screen, while a user flow shows the connections between screens. Teams usually draw the user flow first to learn which screens are needed, then make a wireframe for each.
Tools#
Paper, a whiteboard, or tools such as FigJam and Miro are enough. What matters is accuracy of the path, not how pretty the diagram is.
Why it is worth it#
If your sign-up has five steps and three are unnecessary, removing them often improves sign-up numbers more than any visual change.