How to create a user flow from scratch? (UX Basics)

User flows are fundamental to the UX process and are the barebones of any digital experience.•📗 Grab your e-book copy today: https://www.gleanux.com/learn-ux•Creating a user flow is an essential step in designing intuitive and efficient user experiences. In this video, I’ll guide you through the process of crafting a user flow from scratch, using the example of a checkout process on an e-commerce website. Whether you're a designer, developer, or product manager, understanding user flows will help you identify and resolve friction points in the user journey, ensuring a seamless experience for your audience.Before diving into the design, it’s important to prepare. Start by listing all the solutions and sub-features related to the feature you’re focusing on. For instance, in our example, the checkout flow might include components like payment options and address forms. This helps define the scope and highlights key pain points. Research similar apps for inspiration, analyse their solutions, and identify gaps where your design can excel. Additionally, familiarise yourself with best practices to ensure your flow aligns with user expectations and industry standards.With your groundwork in place, begin by defining the happy flow—the ideal scenario where the user completes the journey without errors. For a checkout process, this might involve steps like reviewing the cart, providing personal details, entering payment information, reviewing checkout details, and confirming the purchase. Outline these steps in a simple bullet list, which will act as the backbone of your flow.Next, expand each step by detailing the sub-steps and accounting for edge cases. For example, the “Enter Payment Information” step could include sub-steps like adding a new credit card or linking an online wallet. Consider scenarios where users encounter errors, such as entering expired card details, and plan solutions for these edge cases. This detailed mapping ensures your flow is robust and accounts for all possible user interactions.Finally, visualise your user flow using universally recognised shapes and diagrams. These conventions help communicate the flow effectively to product and design teams. Starting from the cart page in our example, I’ll demonstrate how to map the journey step by step.By the end of this video, you’ll have a clear understanding of how to create a user flow that offers a high-level view of a feature while addressing its intricate workings. For more insights on integrating user flows with other artefacts like sitemaps and components, check out the e-book linked in the description. Thank you for watching, and I hope this tutorial adds value to your design process!•📖 Chapters:00:19 - Gather pre-requisites00:54 - Look at inspiration01:22 - Determine the final user goal02:05 - Detail out each step03:08 - Map out the final flow•🎧Music track: Sunflower by LukremboSource: https://freetouse.com/musicFree To Use Music for Video•🌐 Stay Connected:Instagram: @glean_uxYouTube: @glean_uxTwitter/X: @glean_uxWebsite: https://www.gleanux.com•🎬 A GleanUX Production•#uxdesign, #uiux, #uxui, #userexperience, #uxdesigner