User Journeys vs. User Flows: Why You Need Both for a Great UX

What’s the difference between a user journey and a user flow? This common question perplexes even experienced designers.

At first glance, they seem similar—both visually map a user's actions with a product. But when creating a great UX, understanding the unique purpose of each is key.

In this article, we'll summarize the core differences and similarities between user journeys and flows, when to use each, and why you need both...

Here's a 2 min video if you don't feel like reading :))

The Purpose of User Journeys vs. User Flows

Imagine you're redesigning the signup experience for a new social media app.

Where would you start—mapping user journeys or flows?        

While user flows showcase the step-by-step path a user takes to complete a task, user journeys examine the entire experience across touchpoints.

User flows are more action-focused—they map out granular UI interactions in detail.

User journeys take a broader, experience-focused view of the overall customer journey.

For example, a user flow would map how a user enters their info and verifies their email when signing up. A journey map would capture their entire signup experience, like learning about the app, downloading, onboarding, and more.

Combining Both for Superior UX

But both play a critical role in UX design. User journeys help you understand customer behavior, emotions, pain points, and expectations. User flows allow you to refine journeys and optimize the UI with detailed steps.

By combining user journeys and flows, you can identify friction in the UX and pinpoint areas for improvement. This creates a personalized experience that delights customers.

Let's say your journey map reveals users get frustrated when verifying emails. You could revise the user flow to simplify the verification process.

Here are some other ways to utilize both tools:

• Map main stages of journey, then add granular flows
• Create multiple flows to analyze steps for specific features
• Use journeys to communicate holistic experience to stakeholders
• Flows help developers build seamless technical functionality

Real-World Examples and Tips

Still unsure of how to apply this in practice? Here are some useful examples and tips:

• Analyze journeys first - Start by mapping the end-to-end experience to reveal pain points before diving into flows.
• Detail conditional paths - User flows should cover "happy" and "unhappy" paths to address errors.

• Consider emotions - Journey maps incorporate the emotional state of users at each touchpoint.
• Collaborate across teams - Product, design, engineering should all contribute insights to journeys and flows.
• Test and iterate - Continuously improve journeys and flows by testing them with real users.
• Prioritize insights - Use findings to focus product priorities on enhancing the UX.
• Bridge strategy and design - Journeys provide the big picture, flows enable detailed design.
• Measure impact - Track metrics before and after changes to quantify UX improvements.

Key Takeaways

• User journeys focus on the overall customer experience across touchpoints.
• User flows showcase step-by-step paths to complete tasks.
• Journeys provide strategy, flows enable detailed design.
• Combining both results in superior UX that solves pain points.

To learn more tips and see examples, check out the complete guide on the Userpilot blog.

At Userpilot, we help teams deliver exceptional product experiences. Request a demo to see how we unite journeys and flows.

How do you leverage user journeys versus flows? Share your perspectives below!