Website design is about more than aesthetics. Some websites are visually beautiful but challenging to use and navigate. The best sites are designed with user flow in mind. This method puts the user at the center of the design process and offers a better overall user experience.
In this article, we’ll review website design best practices and look at some strategies you can use to optimize user flow. Before we get too far into the article, let’s cover some of the basics.
What is User Flow?
A user flow is a visual representation of the user’s journey through a website. If you run an ecommerce website, the user flow traces the user’s path from the moment they arrive on your landing page to the point of checkout. Here’s an example user flow for an eCommerce site:
Most user experience (UX) designers visualize user flows using flowcharts. These are similar to the flowcharts used by programmers. Designers use them to evaluate user decision points and increase the chances of lead conversion. In the remainder of this guide, I’ll discuss strategies you can apply to optimize your user flow.
Map Out The Ideal User Journey
To understand how users interact with your website, and optimize user flow, begin by creating a customer journey map. Create an ideal buyer persona, including their goals and the problems they would like to solve. These goals are the main reason they visit your site.
Once you’ve identified their customer’s goals, create maps that would logically link content on your site together. This often involves internally linking between relevant content, or making sure that appropriate content is accessible through the main menu.
