UNIT V

RESEARCH, DESIGNING, IDEATING, & INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE

Identifying and Writing Problem Statements - Identifying Appropriate Research Methods -
Creating Personas - Solution Ideation - Creating User Stories - Creating Scenarios - Flow
Diagrams - Flow Mapping - Information Architecture

Identifying and Writing Problem Statements

What’s a Problem Statement?
Definition: A problem statement is a concise description of the problem that needs to be
solved.
A problem statement makes clear what needs to be done in discovery and what’s out of scope.
Problem statements are also great communication tools; well-written ones can be used to gain
buy-in from stakeholders on why it’s important to explore and solve the problem.
Here are some examples of problem statements.
1. Users of our newspaper app often export content from our app, rather than sharing
content through our app. This is a problem because target audiences are less likely to
know that the content came from our app, leading to lower conversion rates. This is also a
problem for app users, as exporting content is time-consuming and could lead to a
decrease in app usage.
2. Each year, many applicants call the contact center seeking an update on their application.
Applicants often spend a long time waiting to speak to an agent. Because contact-center
staff members lack access to case information, they are unable to answer queries from
applicants. This situation causes frustration for both applicants and customer-contact staff
and represents an avoidable cost to the department.
It's a good idea to write a problem statement as early as possible in your discovery, as it can help
set discovery goals and objectives. Many teams will compose their problem statement in
a discovery kick-off workshop.
How to Write a Problem Statement
A problem statement should include:
1. The background of a problem. Which organization or department has the problem and
what is the problem? Why has the problem arisen? Note that in some cases you may not
know the exact causes of the problem. This is what discoveries are for: to uncover root
causes.
2. The people affected by the problem. There could be multiple user groups affected by a
specific problem in different ways. In the problem statement, you should call out how the
problem affects users. In some cases, internal employees (particularly customer-support
staff) can be affected by a problem, as they often bear the brunt of poor user experiences
–- for example, by handling disgruntled customers.
 3. The impact of the problem on the organization. If the problem is not fixed, what will
be the effect on the organization? Reputational damage? Paying unavoidable costs?
Losing out-of-market share? In some cases, you may want to quantify the impact in order
to convince your organization to fix the problem. Your discovery could involve working
out how much this problem costs the organization, and this information could end up in
your problem statement.
To gather the relevant facts for your problem statement, you can use a simple technique called
the 5 Ws, which involves answering the questions below. This activity can be included in a
discovery kick-off workshop with your team and stakeholders.
 Who is affected by the problem?
 What is the problem?
 Where does this problem occur?
 When does the problem occur?
 Why does the problem occur? Why is the problem important?
It’s important that problem statements are written well to serve their purpose. A problem
statement should:
 Not be a laundry list of unrelated problems. A discovery effort should have one
problem statement, and the problem statement should be focused on one problem. Of
course, a single problem could cause further problems, and those related problems can be
added to your problem statement. But listing many unrelated problems is a sign that
you’re tackling too much.
 Not contain a solution. Leave solutions out of your problem statement. At the beginning
of discovery, there are too many unknowns, so the the best solution is not obvious. At the
end of your discovery, you’ll be in a good position to confidently put forward solution
ideas that address the problem and take into account what you’ve learned.
 Be brief. Problem statements are effective when they’re concise. If you can condense
your problem statement down to a few sentences, others will quickly understand what
you focus on and why, and what’s out of scope. Spend some time to draft and redraft the
problem statement with your team.
Problem Statements Don’t Need to Be Negative
Here’s an example of a problem statement that highlights an opportunity, rather than a problem
that needs to be fixed:
The process of purchasing a newly built home can take a long time and requires many
offline activities. This means sales often take a long time to close. There’s an opportunity
to make home buying quicker and easier, and thus improve customer-satisfaction ratings
and sales.
In an opportunity statement, we need to highlight the gap between where we are now (the present
state) and where we want to be in the future (the desired state). A good question to ask to
highlight this gap is: What do we want to achieve?
How to Use Problem Statements
Problem statement can be used as the starting point for structuring your discovery work. For
example, if the problem statement was about improving the home-buying process, the goal for
the discovery should be to learn about opportunities to make home buying quicker and easier.
Once we have a discovery goal, it becomes easier to know what unknowns need research. For
example, in this case, we probably want to know things like:
 Which activities do homebuyers perceive as difficult or time-consuming?
 Which activities or use cases can slow down the home-buying process and why?
 What does the end-to-end journey currently look like?
A problem statement is a clear description of the user's needs to be addressed.
The problem statement tells the team what user problem to focus on and gives everyone a clear
goal. A strong problem statement is focused on people. It should be broad enough to allow
some creative freedom, but narrow enough that it can actually be solved by a design
solution. Problem statements can be formulated with a simple formula.
Start with the name of the user
Include a brief description of the user's characteristics. Clearly describe the user's need and
explain why the user has that need; in other words, provide insight into who the user is.
Problem statements help us set goals. An effective problem statement tells you what the user
really needs. By defining the goal clearly and concisely, it gets all members of the design team
involved and focused on the same thing.
Problem statements help us understand constraints. We want to know what's keeping users
from getting their needs met.
Problem statements help us define what needs to be done. When we finally solve the
problem, what will we have to show for it? It is helpful to know what our solution will produce.
Problem statements help us set benchmarks for success. How will we know that we are
successful?

The 5 Ws and H: who, what, when, where, why, and how

The most commonly used framework for creating problem representations is the 5-Ws-and-Hs
framework. After defining the user's pain points, you can answer the who, what, when, where,
why, and how to solve the user's problem.
Who is affected by the problem? Knowing your users and their background is key to developing
successful solutions for them.
What are the problems you are trying to solve? If you identify a user's pain points early on, you
can answer the rest of the questions and clarify the context of the pain points.
When does the problem occur? Maybe it occurs right after the end of a long and tedious process,
or it's something that happens every day. If you know when the problem occurs, you can better
empathize with the user's feelings.
Where is the user when they use the product? The user's physical context is important to your
design.
Why is the problem important? If you know how the problem affects the user's experience and
life, you can better assess the potential consequences.
How do users achieve their goals by using the product? Understanding how users achieve their
goals will help you map the path they take through your product.
To design a solution that meets your users' needs, you need to understand the problem from
their perspective. Thinking about the 5 Ws and the How forces you to describe the user persona
and map out the entire context of the problem from the user's perspective.
10 Examples of UX Problems
1. Find your way around a new city.
2. Fill small amounts of “bored” time in your day with something interesting.
3. Split a check at a restaurant.
4. Split a check at a restaurant between vegetarians and meat-eaters.
5. Split a check at a restaurant between drinkers and nondrinkers.
6. Organize your wardrobe.
7. Keep track of messages across all platforms (whatsapp, wechat, email etc) that need to be
responded to or viewed later.
8. Know where, what, and how to recycle.
9. Donate/recycle old goods and clothes efficiently.
10. Find other people to enjoy a hobby with.
Identifying Appropriate Research Methods

User needs are the specific requirements and expectations of users that a product or
service should fulfill to provide value and enhance their experience. These needs represent users’
perspectives, goals, motivations, pain points, and other human factors.

By identifying and addressing user needs, UX designers can create relevant, usable, and
possible solutions for the target audience. User needs help define the scope and direction of the
product development process, influencing key decisions such as functionality, features, layout,
and interaction design.
 Understanding user needs also enables designers to prioritize design elements, allocate
resources effectively, and make informed design decisions. Make better design decisions with
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 Desk research
 User interviews
 Surveys and questionnaires
 Observation and field studies
 Focus groups
 Usability testing
 Data Analysis and Synthesis
 Qualitative analysis
 Quantitative analysis
 Combining multiple methods
 Integrating User Needs into Design
 Advanced Prototyping and Testing

 Desk research

It is valuable for gathering information and insights to understand user needs based on
existing data from various internal and external sources. This data can come from published
materials, academic papers, industry reports, social media, online resources, and other third-party
data sources.

 User interviews

Interviews are a widely used user research method that involves direct conversations with end
users to gather insights, understand their perspectives, and uncover their needs.
Researchers ask questions and prompt participants to share their experiences, opinions, and
expectations about a product or service. Interviews provide rich qualitative data and allow
researchers to delve deeper into users’ thoughts and emotions.

 Structured interviews: follow a predetermined set of questions and a fixed order,

allowing for consistency and comparability in data collection. They help gather specific
information from participants systematically.

 Semi-structured interviews: offer more flexibility, combining predefined questions with

the freedom to explore additional topics and follow up on participants’ responses. This
approach encourages participants to express themselves more freely, providing richer
insights.

 User story interviews: focus on understanding users’ goals, motivations, and behaviors
by having them narrate their experiences through storytelling. These interviews capture
the user’s journey and provide valuable context for understanding their needs and
expectations.

 Surveys and questionnaires

Surveys and questionnaires are popular user research methods that systematically collect data
from many participants. Surveys typically consist of questions designed to gather quantitative or
qualitative data about users’ preferences, opinions, behaviors, and demographics.

They provide researchers with a structured approach to gathering insights from a broader
audience, allowing for statistical analysis and identification of trends.
  Surveys: allow researchers to reach a wide audience and collect data efficiently,
providing quantitative insights. Surveys are beneficial for gathering feedback on specific
features, user satisfaction, or demographic information.

 Likert scale questionnaires: use a series of statements or items with response options,
allowing participants to rate their level of agreement or disagreement. This method
provides researchers with quantitative data to statistically analyze user preferences,
perceptions, or attitudes.
Observation and field studies

Observation and field studies are user research methods that directly observe users in
their natural environment to gain insights into their behaviors, needs, and experiences.

Researchers can gather rich qualitative data that helps uncover user needs and understand the
context in which people use products or services.

 Contextual inquiry: combines observation and interviewing techniques to understand

users’ workflows and the context in which they perform tasks. Researchers observe users
in their work or living environment and engage in conversations to gain deeper insights
into their needs, motivations, and challenges.

 Ethnographic research: involves immersing oneself in the users’ cultural or social

context to better understand their behaviors, values, and norms. Researchers spend an
extended period with the users, observing and participating in their daily activities, to
uncover deep insights that influence design decisions.

 Diary studies: involve participants documenting their experiences, behaviors, or

interactions over time. Participants record their thoughts, activities, and emotions in a
diary or journal, providing researchers with detailed and longitudinal data. Diary studies
offer insights into users’ daily lives, habits, and pain points, helping to identify patterns
and uncover unmet needs.
Focus groups

Focus groups are small groups of participants engaging in a guided discussion about a
specific topic or product. This method allows researchers to collect qualitative data by leveraging
group dynamics and participant interactions.

Participants can share their opinions, ideas, and experiences in a focus group, providing valuable
insights into user needs and preferences.

1. Plan and conduct effective focus groups by defining clear objectives, selecting
appropriate participants, creating a discussion guide, and facilitating the session
effectively. Creating a comfortable and inclusive environment encourages participants to
express their thoughts and opinions freely.

2. Analyze and synthesize focus group data to identify patterns, themes, and key insights.
This analysis involves transcribing or reviewing the discussion, extracting meaningful
data points, and organizing them into categories. Researchers can use affinity mapping or
thematic analysis techniques to make sense of the data and draw meaningful conclusions.

Usability testing

Usability testing evaluates a product or interface’s usability and user experience. It involves
observing users performing specific tasks and providing feedback on their interactions. Usability
testing helps identify usability issues, understand user behavior, and gather insights for
improving the design.

 Moderated usability testing: a researcher facilitates the session and guides participants
through predefined tasks while observing their interactions and gathering feedback. The
 researcher can ask follow-up questions, clarify uncertainties, and delve deeper into
participants’ thoughts and experiences.

 Remote usability testing: researchers use video conferencing or screen-sharing tools to

observe their interactions and gather feedback.

 Thinking aloud: participants are encouraged to verbalize their thoughts, feelings, and
decision-making processes as they navigate a digital product. This narration provides
valuable insights into users’ cognitive processes and helps uncover usability issues.
Data Analysis and Synthesis

Data analysis and synthesis is a crucial step in user research that involves organizing, examining,
and interpreting the collected data to derive meaningful insights.

Qualitative analysis

UX researchers use qualitative analysis methods to analyze and make sense of qualitative data,
such as interview transcripts, observation notes, and open-ended survey responses.

 Thematic analysis involves identifying and categorizing recurring themes, patterns, and
concepts within the qualitative data. Researchers review the data, generate codes or labels
to represent key ideas, and then group similar codes into broader themes to identify
meaningful patterns.

 Affinity diagrams organize qualitative data by grouping related ideas or concepts.

Researchers write each finding on sticky notes and then arrange and rearrange them on a
wall or board to discover connections and identify patterns or themes.

 Narrative analysis examines the structure, content, and meaning of individual stories
participants share. Researchers analyze the storytelling elements, underlying themes, and
narrative arcs to gain insights into users’ experiences, perspectives, and motivations.
Quantitative analysis
Quantitative analysis methods analyze numerical data and metrics collected through surveys,
questionnaires, and quantitative research studies.

 Statistical analysis applies various statistical techniques to analyze and interpret

quantitative data. Researchers use measures of central tendency, dispersion, correlation,
and statistical tests to identify data relationships, trends, and patterns.

 Data visualization represents quantitative data using charts, graphs, and other visual
representations. Visualizing data helps researchers and stakeholders easily understand
patterns, trends, and relationships within the data.

 Pattern recognition helps identify recurring patterns, trends, or anomalies within

quantitative data. Researchers look for clusters, outliers, or other patterns that can provide
insights into user behavior, preferences, or trends.
Combining multiple methods

Combining multiple research methods enables researchers to validate ideas and identify user
needs from various sources, providing more accurate and reliable data.

 Triangulation: Combining multiple user research methods, such as interviews,

observations, and surveys, to cross-validate findings and increase the reliability and
validity of the data.

 Mixed-methods approach: Integrating qualitative and quantitative research methods,

such as combining interviews with surveys or usability testing with analytics, to
comprehensively understand user needs and obtain richer insights.
Integrating User Needs into Design

Designers analyze and interpret user research findings to identify specific design
requirements that address user needs. These requirements serve as guidelines for the design
process, ensuring that the resulting solutions align with user expectations and user-centered
design principles.
Designers create several documents and visualizations to guide the design process,
including user need statements, personas, case studies, and other UX artifacts.

Design teams also meet with stakeholders to integrate business goals and user needs. They must
consider user feedback, conduct usability testing, and incorporate iterative feedback loops to
achieve the right balance. This iterative approach allows designers to continuously refine their
solutions based on user needs, preferences, and feedback.

Personas
Persona is a simple tool to create your product with a specific target user in mind rather than a
generic one. It’s a representation of the real target audience data, gathered in previous research
such as user interview.

A persona is a fictional character which represents certain traits and qualities of real users. In
UX, personas are an important tool for understanding and empathizing with your target audience.

Personas are usually captured in a document or presentation deck, providing an easily digestible
visualization of your target user(s). Personas comprise a mixture of text and icons/graphics and
you can also give them a face. For example, you might get a custom-drawn illustration or use a
stock image.

Typically, a UX persona includes:

 The persona’s name

 An image (e.g. an illustration, avatar, photo or stock image)
 Demographic information such as your persona’s age, gender, family/living situation,
employment status and anything else that’s relevant to your product or problem space
 Their needs and goals in relation to your product
 A summary of their challenges, frustrations and pain points in relation to your product or
problem space
 Quotes from real users whom the persona should represent
The type of UX persona(s) you create will depend on the resources you have available, as well as
the specific purpose you want your persona(s) to serve.

There are generally 3 different approaches you can take to creating a UX persona:

 The quick, lean “proto” method

 The qualitative method
 The statistical or mixed-method

Different Approaches:

Proto personas

Proto personas are created rapidly, based on existing knowledge about the target audience. When
creating proto personas, you don’t conduct any new user research. You use any research/data
you’ve already got or rely on your own (and your team’s) guesses and assumptions.

Proto personas tend to be created within the context of a workshop. They’re a good way to
externalize and capture people’s implicit assumptions about the target audience — but, of course,
the fact that they’re not informed by real data or research is a big drawback.

Still, proto personas are a good option if you’re short on time and resources — and they’re a
better alternative to having no personas at all.

Qualitative personas

Qualitative personas are based on qualitative research (such as interviews), usually involving a
small-medium sample of users. These are a step up from proto personas as they’re informed by
real data. And, because they’re based on small-scale user research, you don’t need endless time
and resources to create qualitative personas.

Statistical or mixed-method personas

Statistical personas are the most comprehensive and thorough UX persona type. They rely on
both quantitative and qualitative research. Typically, they involve a much larger sample of
users.
To create statistical or mixed-method personas, you’ll first conduct qualitative research (much
the same as with qualitative personas) to identify commonalities and themes that repeatedly
come up. From there, you’ll create a survey to collect quantitative data from a much wider user
sample in order to validate (or invalidate) your initial findings.

Statistical personas are comprehensive but time-consuming, so they may not be an option for
every team.

How to create a persona?

Step 1. Take a closer look at your data.

The first step is to take a closer look at your data gathered in Discovery Phase, mainly User
Interview. Tag your most essential insights, primarily problems. If you work with a client, you
should also account your stakeholder point of view. A persona should reflect business goals, as
well. Both the needs of users and business are crucial to creating a balanced and successful
Persona.

Step 2. Identify patterns

Once you gather some data to analyze, it’s time to identify trends. It’s time to take a closer look
at tagged data to see if overlap emerge naturally. In this point, you should understand that
different groups of people have a novel approach to the subject.

For example, in Talebook, after the discovery phase, we identified that most of UI Designer with
minimal research experience are looking for step by step guide. On the other hand, experienced
UX Designers struggle with reporting results to the stakeholders.

Step 3. Create a Persona

Talebook’s Persona consists of five main elements:

 Photo

 Name

 Description

 Users

 Problems
Photo

Don’t forget to name your personas and upload an image which represents them. It’ll help you to
build their virtual identity, and will be easily recognizable by your team. For example, in
Talebook photo attached to UX Designer is an older man in turtleneck and glasses. We wanted to
emphasize the age and experience attached to this Persona.

Name

Each Persona should have a unique name. It gives it a rational fraction and will help to bring
Persona to discussion or any other research material.

Description

A place to summarize your personas. It should include the background of your fictional
character, as well as their current desires. What is their primary motivation for using your service
or tool? It should consist of several goals and the desired outcome of the user actions.

Problems

Every Persona represents different problems. Add all of them to this section to have a summary
of the personal struggle. Try to fill user’s column first. Talebook will automatically show all
problems related to added users.

Step 4. Share it!

Persona has no value if it’s not distributed well within your organization. All your team member
should be familiar with your primary Personas. It will help you be up to date with the main
problems for your target users and how they differ within disparate groups. Try to share
Talebook link with personas to all your team members and try to bring it while talking about the
app.

Solution Ideation:

Ideation is a creative process that involves generating, developing, and communicating

ideas. Ideation is a critical step in the creative process and is often used to solve problems,
stimulate innovation, and drive progress. Ideation gives UX designers the license to let their

minds run wild in search of the most creative solutions to existing problems.

This is also not usually a one-time session. Ideation involves a wide range of activities, including

brainstorming, problem-solving, and concept development. During the ideation process, the UX

designer or team generates several design ideas which are then filtered down to the best, most

practical, or most innovative solutions.

As a core aspect of the creative process, ideation should be present in the everyday work of a UX

designer. The process begins with idea generation, followed by the evaluation and selection of

ideas, and is concluded with the refinement and development of the selected idea.

UX Design Ideation Process

There are many different approaches to ideation, and the methods and techniques adopted by a

UX designer will often depend on the goals and needs of the individual or group involved.

Some of the most popular ideation processes in UX design are:

Brainstorming

This technique is one of the oldest methods used by teams to generate as many ideas as possible,

without evaluating or criticizing them. It is a combination of informal problem-solving and

lateral thinking. Ideas are thrown about by team members with the hopes of identifying the most

creative solution. It is also a common part of efficient UI design practices.

Brainwriting

This process is similar to brainstorming. Rather than have participants throw ideas at each other

during a meeting, they are written down. The ideas are then passed to other members of the team
(often randomly) to read out loud as a way to reduce the anxiety of talking about unconventional

ideas.

Problem-solving

This technique involves identifying a specific problem or challenge and then generating ideas for

potential solutions.

Provocation

This process is a lateral thinking technique or an indirect approach to problem-solving where

designers are encouraged to consider new realities regardless of how extreme they may appear.

Most unconventional designs are a product of the provocation process.

User interviews and user research

Sometimes, the best way to come up with ideas is to talk with the users of the product. Talking to

users and understanding their needs, goals, and behaviors can often provide valuable insights and

ideas for UX design.

Sketching and prototyping

By sketching and building prototypes before production, designers are given a visual

representation of the product which allows them to make creative adjustments. These prototypes

are best kept simple and can help designers quickly explore and test different ideas and concepts.

Storyboarding

This is another great technique used to bring the challenges of a UX design to life. The

challenges are visually put on boards giving designers the room to explore the problem in-depth

and come up with potential solutions. This is a great technique that can be adopted by a number

of UX design specialties.
Creating User Stories:

User stories are a vital, humanizing part of the design process. They are told from the
perspective of the user and are used to inspire and direct design decisions. No matter what your

role is within the company, everyone can understand the viability of a solution when framed
from the perspective of the user.

 Business oriented stakeholders will understand in plain language the value and the
benefit of a feature

 Developers will have a clear idea of what they’re creating

 Product Managers will have a concise way of describing features to a client

 Last but certainly not least, the user is put at the forefront of all design decisions

Typically, user stories are written in the following format:

As a <user/role/who>
I want to <task/action/what>
So that <objective/purpose/why>
User stories are structured like this to keep things user focused, clear and actionable.

Steps to write them.

Step1:
This is easily the most important step. You need to have a solid understanding of your user persona in
order to craft meaningful stories that actually speak to their needs, goals and frustrations. Your user
persona is the foundation for the rest of the steps in this process, so make sure its compelling
and accurate.

Step2: Take your persona goals and convert them into epics

What goals does your user want to accomplish? Assess these goals and convert them into broad epics. If

your users drivers licence has expired, and they’re looking to renew it in a timely manner, an appropriate

epic may be minimize wait times at the DMV. Epics are broad, and define context. The goals of your

persona will help determine the what functionality your product should include, and epics will give you a

big picture idea of what your features will look like.

Step 3a: Distill your persona into roles

Your persona is dynamic! They may be a mother, a busy young adult, a new driver. Based on who your

user is and what’s they’re trying to accomplish, what different roles do they assume?

Step 3b: Distill your epics into stories

And now you get to put your creativity to the test. Select an epic and break it down into a more granular

form. For example, based on the epic of minimizing wait times at the DMV, a relevant story may be:

As a busy young adult I want to be able to access up to date wait times at the DMV in my area so that I

can plan my time accordingly.

Step 4: Refine

Review your user stories and refine them. Are they relevant? Are they feasible? Can the what be

translated into a feature?

 Creating User Scenarios

User scenarios are detailed descriptions of a user – typically a persona – that describe realistic

situations relevant to the design of a solution. By painting a “rich picture” of a set of events, teams can

appreciate user interactions in context, helping them to understand the practical needs and behaviors of

users.
 What are User Scenarios?
 Scenarios, Personas and Roles
 Creating User Scenarios
 Learn More About User Scenarios
 Questions related to User Scenarios

User scenarios have a number of benefits and applications in user-centered and user experience
design. They allow us to…
 Explore and explain motivations for certain user needs and behaviors.
 Explicitly describe how our persona expects interactions to proceed, with expectations about the
sequence of events, the formats of input and output and details of the information required to
realize this scenario effectively.
 Draw attention to “pain points” in an existing process or anticipated complexity in new
processes.
For each scenario we need to describe not only the persona’s goal, but also the context in terms
of the…
 Persona involved and their role (if relevant).
 Events leading up to the scenario, particularly those that created the need for this scenario to be
realized.
 Environment in which the scenario is performed. Note that this is not only the physical
environment, but also the social, legal and organizational environments.

Creating User Scenarios

 User scenarios have a number of benefits and applications in user-centered and user experience
design. They allow us to…
 Explore and explain motivations for certain user needs and behaviors.
 Explicitly describe how our persona expects interactions to proceed, with expectations about the
sequence of events, the formats of input and output and details of the information required to
realize this scenario effectively.
 Draw attention to “pain points” in an existing process or anticipated complexity in new
processes.
 For each scenario we need to describe not only the persona’s goal, but also the context in terms
of the…
 Persona involved and their role (if relevant).
 Events leading up to the scenario, particularly those that created the need for this scenario to be
realized.
 Environment in which the scenario is performed. Note that this is not only the physical
environment, but also the social, legal and organizational environments.
 User scenarios are written as stories that are rich in detail. But be careful not to include too much
in the way of extraneous information. For example, what the persona is wearing would only be
relevant if there was an important issue with the physical environment that needed to be
explained.

User Flows and Flow mapping

There are many different pathways a user can take when interacting with a product. A
user flow is a visual representation, either written out or made digitally, of the many avenues that
can be taken when using an app or website.

The flowchart begins with the consumer’s entry point on the product, like an onboarding
screen or homepage, and ends with the final action or outcome, like purchasing a product or
signing up for an account. Depicting this process allows designers to evaluate and optimize the
user experience and therefore increase client conversion rates.
1. Each touchpoint on the user’s journey is represented by a node in the flow chart. These nodes
are characterized by shape, and each shape indicates a particular process.

For instance, a diamond means a decision is being made and is therefore followed by “Yes” and
“No” arrows. A rectangle indicates a task or action that needs to be taken, like “Log in” or
“Purchase”.
2. Why do we use user flows in UX design?

Now that we’ve established what UX flows are, we can look into why they are so beneficial to
the design process. Studying the user flow of a website or app can prove useful whether you are
designing a brand new product or revamping an old one.

Advantages of User flows

1. Create an intuitive interface

The main benefit of designing a product where users can get “in the zone” quickly is the
ability to increase the probability of a user purchasing or signing up for the client’s product.

2. Enhancing the ease of movement through your platform, making sure the user’s time
isn’t being wasted looking for what to do next. Of course, there is often more than one
route a user could follow to complete the task. User flows portray these possible patterns
in a way that makes it easy for designers to assess the efficiency of the interface they are
creating.
3. Evaluate existing interfaces

For products that are already in use, user flow charts help determine what’s working,
what’s not, and what areas need improvement. It helps to identify why users might be stalling at
a certain point and what you can do to fix it.
Present your product to clients or colleagues

4. User flows also easily communicate the flow of the product to your stakeholders and
provide a general view of how the interface you’ve created is intended to work in its
most efficient form.
They provide a step-by-step breakdown of what the customer will see and do in order to
purchase, log in, sign up, etc. Helping your design team visualize how users will move through
the product ensures everyone is on the same page—which allows for a more productive and
rewarding work environment.
Types of user flow charts

UX flows can be used for all kinds of interface and web design, but certain types of
flowcharts are more valuable than others depending on what you are creating. Here we describe a
few of the user flow variations and when to use them.
Task flows

Task flows focus on how users travel through the platform while performing a specific
task. They generally show only one path and don’t include multiple branches or pathways like a
traditional user flow might. These are best used when the task being analyzed is accomplished
similarly by all users. When using task flows, it is assumed that all users will share a common
starting point and have no variability in the way the task is carried out.
Wire flows

Wireflows are a combination of wireframes and flowcharts. They utilize the layout of individual
screens as elements within the diagram.
Wireframes on their own help convey the layout and design on each individual page, but lack the
ability to communicate the page-to-page flow of heavily dynamic interfaces. Wireflows add page
context to UX flows, since what users see on each screen greatly impacts their experience
through the app or website.

Wireflows are especially great when creating mobile screens. The relatively small size of the
mobile screens are easily used to replace the more abstract shapes of flow charts.
User flows

User flows focus on the way your target audience will interact with the product. They emphasize
that all users might not perform tasks the same and may travel in different paths.

They are typically attached to a specific persona and entry point. Therefore, when using this type
of flowchart, you may have many different scenarios that start at different places. However, the
main task or accomplishment is usually always the same.
Where do user flows fit into the UX design process?

UX flows are synthesized early, during the planning stages of your design—after user
research has been conducted. They form an important part of the foundation on which your
product is built, and can serve as a reference for other designers.

Once you have gathered your data from user testing, user flows help determine how many
screens are needed, what order they should appear in, and what components need to be present.
By the time you get to creating a user flow, your affinity diagrams and empathy mapping as well
as persona development have all been completed. Flowcharts can also be made for existing
interfaces to enhance the user’s experience or clear up any trouble users are having with the
interface.

User flows are considered part of your deliverables, the elements you provide to the client and
design team when your product is finished. Presenting a detailed flowchart can help validate
your design decisions to your colleagues. However, designs are constantly being revised and user
flows may be revisited and edited if further research deems it necessary.
How to create a user flow
The process of creating a successful user flow in UX can be broken down into 5 main steps:
1. Define the user
2. Map out the user’s tasks and goals
3. Choose the right type of user flow
4. Create user flow
5. Test and improve

1. Define the user

In this step, make use of user behavior data obtained from UX research and use it to
inform your decisions about how users interact with your products. When it comes to designing
processes, it’s important to focus on who the user is and their needs. By taking the time to
understand their needs, you can create user flows that are more efficient and easier to use.

2. Map out the user’s tasks and goals

The purpose of creating a UX design user flow should be clear as it can determine what
the users’ tasks and goals are. Spend time to identify the problem. Understand who your users
are, where they are from, their goals and needs, and finally their tasks and objectives. Imagine
the final user goal and walk back from there highlighting the steps.

3. Choose the right type of user flow

There are three types of user flows, which are suitable for different needs and scenarios.
For example, a wire flow is an ideal choice of user flow once the number of pages or screens and
how to design these screens are known. A user flow type should be selected based on the product
requirements and the goals of your project.
We recommend choosing one of the types described above: task flow, wireflow or user
flowchart.
4. Create user flow
Create your desired user flow after you have done the preparatory work. You want to
define what each path or step represents in the user journey. This helps to make it easier to spot
inconsistencies and improve on what may not work for the user in the interface. Eg. Define what
each node in a UX design user flow shapes represents if you are creating a user flow chart.

5. Test and improve

After creating a user flow, present the final result to stakeholders and colleagues to get
their input and see if it really works. Test your product or its prototype with users to observe how
they navigate it and see if your user flow is accurate enough. Look out for difficulties in the form
of edge cases and also spot happy paths.
Case study:
 JazzBurger is a classic burger house with live jazz music and an American aesthetic that
serves ready-to-eat burgers for people who are on the go and need to refresh themselves
physically or online. Their user flow enables users to order food (burgers) directly on
their website.
 The user flow consists of a simple step-by-step task flow that leads to the desired goal of
successfully ordering food online. The user is presented with a decision to make after
browsing through the food category. This user flow also allows for user
personalization by giving users control to customize their order to suit their taste. This is
very helpful for keeping users on a happy path as they move closer to their goal while
navigating through the interface (website).
 The user is also able to make an order quickly as the decision points are clear and straight
to the point. The flow focuses on just one task at a time until the user’s goal is
accomplished.
 Once you are able to identify the user goals for your product, break down and streamline
tasks into smaller bits as you embed them into your user flow. This will help you spot and
eliminate “dead ends” which may ultimately leave users stranded or distract them from
their actual goal.
 Keep user flow consistent with your users’ mental models, ensure that users are able to
make a choice or decision where needed and finally make information on the interface as
clear as possible in order to simplify navigation.
 JazzBurger User flow

Information Architecture

Information Architecture, [IA] is the process of organizing information in a way that

makes it easy to find and understand. The goal of IA is to help users find information on your
site so that they can complete tasks. When your site doesn’t have good IA, users might find it
confusing and hard to use.

In order to organize the information on your site effectively, you have to understand how
the different pieces of information work together and how they fit into the big picture of your
website
 .

The main strategies for organizing information include creating systems for:

 Classification: Categorizing and structuring information

 Labeling: Representing information

 Navigation: Moving through information

 Search: Looking for information

For you to create the required IA systems, you have to understand that information architecture is
affected by three factors: content, context, and users.

 Content: This is the amount of content that you have to organize, its type, how it is
structured, and who owns it.

 Context: These are the business goals, culture, technology, and resources within which
your site exists.
  Users: This is who the website is made for, the tasks that they need to accomplish, their
information-seeking behaviors, and their level of experience.

Types of Information Architecture Design Structures

There are different ways that you can organize the information on your website. The IA
design pattern that you choose will depend on the three factors that we have discussed before:
content, context, and users. Here are five common web structures.
Single Page Structure

In this IA structure, all the information is presented on one page. The single-page
structure is suitable for sites with a small amount of information and a single goal. These can be
personal contact sites or a site that promotes one product.
Flat structure

All the pages have the same level of importance in this structure. Users can access every
other page from one page. Typically, this structure is used for simple sites that have few pages
such as ‘Home’, ‘About’, and ‘Contact us.’
Strict Hierarchy Structure

This structure is made up of a home page, category/ subcategory pages, and then
individual pages. The categories can be accessed from the homepage. Each category or
subcategory has its own individual pages that are linked from it. A good example is an e-
commerce site where the ‘men’ category has individual pages such as ‘clothes’ and ‘shoes.’
Multi-dimensional hierarchy structure

This structure is similar to the strict hierarchy structure with the only difference being
that individual pages can be accessed from different category pages. This structure is suitable for
sites that have a lot of similar information.
Example Information Architecture for BookBank Website

Best Practices for IA design

Once, you’ve chosen a suitable IA structure there are several best practices that you need
to follow as you organize the information on your site.
Keep the needs of the users first

One of the major pillars of IA is putting the needs of the users first. Consider the
information-seeking behaviors of your users, their level of experience, and their cultural context.
You should also map out the user journey of how your users might interact with your site.

Additionally, your site might have more than one type of user so its important to create
different personas for each user type. This will help you keep the needs of all the different types
of users front and center as you structure your site.

You can find out the needs of your users through user researching methods like
interviews and usability testing. You can also use beta testers to find out if the intended users are
able to navigate your site easily.
 Don’t make the mistake of assuming that users will have the same needs or preferences
as you. It is only after truly understanding the needs of your users that you can figure out how to
organize the information on your site to meet their needs.
Understand the purpose of your site

The purpose of your site is the main goal that it seeks to achieve. This goal might be
educating users, informing them, or selling a product.

The information on your site should be organized in a way that moves users towards
achieving the goal of the site. If the goal of your site is to sell a product, the IA should move
readers towards making a purchase. Similarly, if the goal is to inform users, your site should
direct users towards the next most useful piece of information.

Often, your site can have more than one goal or sub-goals, which is okay. The key to
good IA is to ensure that all content that leads to a similar goal is grouped together.
Be consistent

Use a consistent IA structure by grouping similar content together. If you have 5 category
pages, put them together and don’t leave one out. A consistent IA will make it easy for users to
understand your site, find the information that they are looking for, and complete their tasks.

Methods of organizing information to improve IA design

there are several methods that you can use.

Card Sorting

Card sorting is a simple and inexpensive method of getting the input of users on how you
should organize the information on your site. First, you write the content type or page name on
an index card, and then the users’ sort and group the index cards.

You can use the basic card sorting method where you place the cards at random and the users
sort and group them or you can use the reverse card sorting method where you sort the cards into
groups and then have the users rearrange them. Moreover, you can let the users name the groups
or you can have them use pre-named groups.
Wireframing and Prototyping

Wireframes are useful for outlining how the design layout of your site will look. More
than that, they also give a basic view of how the information will be organized once the site is
complete.

The same is true for prototypes which are an early model of how your site will look and function.
You can use UXPin to create wireframes and prototypes that look like the real thing which will
help you test the IA of your site.
Mindmapping

This is a low-fi way of web organizing and illustrating the relationships and connections
between the different types of content on your site. You can ask users who participated in the
card sorting exercise to create mind maps of how they think the content should be grouped using
pen and paper. You can also create mind maps yourself using software tools such as Lucid Chart
or Miro.