Digital, AI & Creative Skills
Design A User Flow
This lesson helps students plan the path a user takes through an experience. They map each screen, the actions between them, and the points where users get stuck, then build a User Flow Map.
What you will learn
- Understand that confusing designs are the result of the designer, not the user, and that the fix is to map the user's path and redesign it so the next steps become obvious.
- Learn to draw a simple user flow diagram using boxes for screens and arrows for user actions, to make the path a real user takes through a design visible and testable.
- Learn to identify the specific places in a user flow where users would get stuck, confused, or lost, and describe why each one is a problem using Don Norman's principles.
- Combine the Don Norman mindset, the user flow diagram, and the stuck points analysis into a one page User Flow Map for a real project the student is working on.
What happens in this lesson
Chapter 1: Who Is Confused And Why
Understand that confusing designs are the result of the designer, not the user, and that the fix is to map the user's path and redesign it so the next steps become obvious.
What you make: A saved user frustration note describing one time the student was frustrated by a confusing design and explaining what the designer could have done differently.
Chapter 2: Mapping A User Flow
Learn to draw a simple user flow diagram using boxes for screens and arrows for user actions, to make the path a real user takes through a design visible and testable.
What you make: A saved user flow diagram for one real or imagined interface showing at least five steps with boxes and arrows.
Chapter 3: Spot The Stuck Points
Learn to identify the specific places in a user flow where users would get stuck, confused, or lost, and describe why each one is a problem using Don Norman's principles.
What you make: A saved stuck points note identifying at least three specific places in a user flow where users would get stuck, with a short explanation of each one.
Chapter 4: Your User Flow Map
Combine the Don Norman mindset, the user flow diagram, and the stuck points analysis into a one page User Flow Map for a real project the student is working on.
What you make: A saved User Flow Map covering the user task, the boxes-and-arrows diagram, at least three stuck points with fixes, and one specific next version commitment.
Chapter 5: Design For Real-World Constraints
Evaluate a user flow under real constraints like mistakes, delays, and branching paths, then redesign the flow to stay clear and usable.
What you make: A revised user flow for a more complex project showing at least one branch, one recovery path, and one design change justified by a constraint.
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