User flows are a way of testing the site structure after the card sorting. While it’s tempting to go directly into wireframing, it’s important to make sure the sitemap is easy to navigate and that nothing is missing. For example, where exactly should the option to “connect account to Facebook” actually appear? On the Sign in/ Sign up page? Or only once the user has begun signing up? Not only does this finalize the structure, it’s important to have these details planned so it’s easier for the developers later.
To make sure the structure of my app is easy to use, I created three user flows:
- User onboarding
- Subscribing to a podcast channel
- Following a friend
I started creating these flows in my sketchbook. This allowed me to get my ideas down quickly, while leaving room to add or remove anything I needed to.
Once these flows were finalized, I digitized them in Illustrator, formalizing the flows.
Conclusion:
Now that I have the user flows finalized, and I am happy with my apps structure, I can begin wireframing.