User Workflows in UX Design

As you know, the main goal of any digital product development is delivering outstanding results.

But how can teams ease users’ processes within each solution? 

There are different ways to interact with products, and knowing User Workflow is key to achieve their goals.   

In this article, we'll explain User Workflow, Workflow Diagrams, and their influence on UX Design. Are you ready?

What is a Flow in UX Design?

In UX Design, a flow defines users’ paths when interacting with a product.

I’s the process of mapping the routes a user can choose to take from the first input to the last interaction. 

The concept arose when psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi established a flow as a mental focus on specific tasks.

Through these flows, design and development teams can get a better understanding of products.

This includes, for instance, how many screens need to be to achieve a specific task in a digital product. 

Flows are key to know which components must be on each screen and in which order they would be more helpful. 

Empathy mapping and affinity diagrams can be improve experiences with useful flow patterns. 

While detailed user flows help with decision-making, visual design is always subject to tests and changes.

There are always chances to improve UX Workflows, even after launching!

What is a User Workflow in UX Design?

A User Workflow encloses the path a user takes in a digital product.

When users aim to complete a task, workflows are in charge of guiding them through each intermediate step. 

Since the goal is for users to achieve their desired outcome, understanding user needs and pain points is fundamental. 

That’s why there are some key questions to consider:

What are the users' goals?

Which are the most important features for them?

Is there any extra info needed to perform a task? 

Answers will define the final Design and Development while also influencing the product's content.

For instance, an informative blog will not have the same flow as a sales website. 

User Flow vs User Journey

The user flow focuses on the user’s interactions with the digital product.

Meanwhile the user journey includes all touch points with the solution.

User journeys include, for instance, online advertising, delivery, and customer support.

Contrariwise, user flows concentrate on specific tasks and the steps to achieve them.

Main Types of User Workflow in UX Design

As with everything, User Workflow Design includes particular steps to consider.

Among workflow UI and UX, we can see:

1. Sequential Workflows. Each step depends on the completion of a previous action. Only after successfully completing all steps is the sequence complete.  ‍
2. State Machine Workflow. Flows work in an event-driven manner rather than step-completiom, considering all transitions of the logic. ‍
3. Rule-Driven Workflows. While Rule-Driven workflows follow the principles of Sequential ones, they also contemplate specific contexts that may arise.

What is a User Workflow Diagram?

A User Workflow Diagram (UX Diagram) is a visual representation of how each step of the user flow works.

Based on data, teams can link user actions with product functionalities. 

A Diagram UX helps designers improve how users, understanding the product’s information architecture. 

By harnessing iterative approaches, teams can leverage feedback to optimize the process. 

How to Design a User Workflow Diagram?

1. Users. Before anything, be sure you understand your users! With an idea of who will interact with your product, you’re one step closer to guaranteeing seamless user flows. Not sure where to start? Ask your users! Harness User Personas and User Research Methodologies to guarantee compliant solutions with their pain points.
   
2. Goals. After defining your users, set up your business goals and the specific ones users should achieve with your solution. Here is the step to define which type of product adapts the best to your users and start brainstorming flows for them.
   
3. Entry. Where are your users? Where are the people who search for similar products? How much time do they spend interacting with different solutions? Pay attention to user behavior and make sure your product considers the particularities of each environment.
   
4. Visualization. With knowledge of your userss, it’s time to think about how your product will ease their task accomplishment. Here’s when data-driven analysis and qualitative User Research blend marvelously! Once you blend all gathered data, translating it into a visual model can ease thinking processes.‍
5. Prototyping. With a solid, visual-focused structure, you can move on to low-fi prototypes to test specific workflows. Likewise, you can also make sure your idea and structure suit the processes your users are accustomed to making.  ‍
6. Testing: Of course, rather than ending with high fidelity prototyping, it’s key to test with users! With Usability Testing, design teams can learn about potential improvements in structure and  design.

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How to Improve User Workflows in UX Design

There are several aspects to notice when improving user workflows-

Let’s check some edges to consider to guarantee smooth user journeys and experiences.

1. User Workflow Process

Creating user workflow examples can be seen as straightforward.

Yet, the outcomes of a User Experience Workflow can be different for each case. 

To place an easy-to-understand example, we'll use an eCommerce website.

The typical flow would be:

Accessing the site > Choosing a specific product > Adding it to the shopping cart > Filling the required fields > Completing the purchase.

This example can be easy to understand, yet users make different stops before completing the purchase process. 

An user could return to previous pages to look for different products.

Due to SEO efforts, another user’s landing page could be a product one rather than the homepage. 

Since users take many routes, the processes may have several not-thought-of variables.

That’s why creating User Workflows is key!

2. User Workflow Hypotheses

Gathering data for each user workflow is key to evaluating which processes users go through in any conversion funnel. 

A data-driven development can also let teams know what reasons are leading to, for instance, cart abandonment. 

Let's go back to the eCommerce site.

If the main goal is completing a sale, why aren't users achieving this?

Are these users still on the site, or did they abandon it altogether?

This stage is where Workflow Hypotheses start taking shape.

Are users leaving the site due to a lack of navigation clarity or unintuitive forms? 

In all cases, it's crucial to have contingency plans, such as A/B and Usability Testing.

3. User Workflow Wireframing

In this process, designing wireframes is key to defining how different screens or pages interact with each other. 

Improving flows requires a deep understanding of who the users are, what are their goals, and how they interact with products. 

Teams can also grasp data on when users may need more design-based guidance and where users tend to stay longer.

What is a User Workflow Engine

A workflow engine is an application that runs digital workflow UX software,.

This enables businesses to design and develop workflows, even with low-code visual builders.

These applications translate manual workflows to software-managed processes.

The goal is to redirect information paths and channels for more efficient resource use. 

While workflow software is used for everyday tasks, workflow engines are also connected to database servers. 

What is User Workflow Automation?

According to Zapier, 94% of SMBs run repetitive, time-consuming tasks.

However, over 90% of workers said that automation improved their operations.

The concept of Workflow Automation applies to a wide range of business edges.

Sales, Marketing, and Operations are alongside the most commonly used. 

Companies automate processes to increase productivity while ensuring low error margins.

When discussing Workflow Automation in a UX Design Workflow, specifically on User Workflow, there are some edges to consider. 

The first edge design teams must consider is consistency, both with UX best practices and with business and product goals. 

There's little to no use in a digital product that forces users to learn new ways to complete everyday tasks.

Keep consistency in buttons, labels, and menus to guide users to every possible interaction route!

Along with consistency, you’ll also need to highlight clarity at all stages.

Take care of help texts and tooltips to guarantee users can complete all tasks they want to. 

Lastly, and unsurprisingly, smart devices are taking the lead in digital products.

Pay attention to responsiveness and mobile-friendliness in your automated workflows! 

Conclusion

UX Workflows are a must-have in the UX UI and Product Designers' kit box.

They allow you to guarantee efficiency across all instances of your product. 

Workflow details depend on each product's purpose.

Nonetheless, it’s always key to pay attention to what real users who will use the product have to say.  

In the end, users are the most valuable asset for all team members, so pay attention to their insights!