Stop creating pages - start creating UXFlow

It is often easier for a designer to start the website development phase right away than to pay enough attention to the user experience, which, no doubt, deserves this attention. Very often we think, first of all, about page design and structuring of information, while we also need to pay attention to UXFlow (user experience script, from English userexperience - user experience and flow - stream; a script that reflects the expected user behavior in various systems interface), which will be provided by our design. It is time to make these scenarios one of the priorities in our design process.. Designing UXFlow, which has clear objectives, will provide a positive and valuable user experience for the business we are working on. In this article, we will show you that if you spend more time on user experience scenarios, then your business and your customers will get better results. Next, we will take a deeper look at the scenarios for a regular advertising website (and channels for attracting customers), as well as provide tips on optimizing them to get a complete picture of consumer experience.

Think about the user first

Work on a new design project for the site begins with the transfer of the initial task, a description of the brand’s features, setting high-level project goals, as well as a description of the artistic and functional requirements. Unfortunately, all documents usually reflect only the technical characteristics of the project, and not a word is said about exactly how the site will perform numerous user tasks. Although this is precisely what leads to successful interaction.



Two Examples of Common Ecommerce and Subscription Scenarios

If you start by carefully considering the goals of users and business, you can identify several different areas in which you need to work in order to complete the installation on both sides. User intentions can range from finding a fact to exchanging a product, from learning a new skill to buying a gift for someone (knowing the psychology of users will help you figure this out). Business objectives may include obtaining:
first place in the ranking, approval, subscriber, customer, download, or phone call. Defining the goals of the business and each user is the first step towards creating UXFlow “flows” that meet all these requirements.

Display UXFlow in Conversion Channels

Not all site visitors can be considered equivalent. Users learn about you from different sources, they have a different level of knowledge and dedication and different goals. You are a UXFlow designer, and it is you who connect these user experience scenarios with conversion funnels that provide value to both the user and the business.

You should give priority to the scenarios and concentrate your efforts on those that will affect most users and will be most profitable. UXFlow scenarios will allow you to plan the experience depending on the source of traffic or the type of visitors, and by focusing on them, you can set the “tone” of your user experience, strengthen the confidence of visitors and get approval on the way to final sales.

Typical UXFlow Examples

Some typical UXFlow examples:

Paid advertising The
user goes to the site through a banner or ad from GoogleAdWord.
Social Media The
user follows a message from a friend on a social network.
Email The
user goes through the mailing list or by invitation sent to him.
Organic search The
user follows an external link that was obtained as a result of the search.
By clicking on the news, the
user follows the links in the news or in the blog posts.

Each of these visitors has their own needs, expectations and level of knowledge, and they must be handled accordingly.

Exploring funnels: a deeper look at customer acquisition



E-commerce sites typically have many different sales funnels.

Let's evaluate the critical UXFlow scenarios of many websites associated with paid online customer acquisition - and review them in parts. For this example, we will take the scenario of the transition from a new user to a subscriber and, ultimately, to a buyer.
Consider a company that uses advertising to attract new customers.

Advertising

Illustrative advertising begins with a banner. The banner design aims at one important goal: that the right person clicked on it. Here are some key questions to answer when designing ads that reflect what lies on the surface of your UXFlow:

• What type of users am I targeting?
• Are they actively looking for a solution to their problem or are they just browsing the page?
• What problems are they trying to solve?
• How to keep user attention in the best way?
• How am I connected with the user?
• What message will resonate with the user?
• Are there any painful issues that my product or my website can help solve?
• How to formulate this decision clearly and quickly?
• What compelling call-to-action buttons make our potential user click?

Your ad should consider these basic motives and hook users so that they want to click. Preliminary research and testing in practice will help optimize the experience. Using this model, ReTargeter increased the number of visitors clicking on their ad banner by 4 times. On their blog posts are laid out detailing how they achieved such success.

Main page

The moment when a visitor enters the main page can be considered the starting point of UXFlow. Since these users are navigating a resource of little information (such as a banner, as opposed to a detailed blog post), you need to design UXFlow in such a way as to fill in the gaps in the information, providing the user with the data that they need to learn.

In our example, we hope that users will become subscribers; but, depending on the business, this transition may involve creating an account, downloading material, or buying something. Whatever the purpose of the conversion for the business, the main thing is to give the user a reason to continue following the script, to go down the funnel.

Use the following methods to move the user down the funnel:

• Convince the user with clearly articulated key benefits based on easily digestible evidence.
• Simplify content and design to focus on the clear call-to-action buttons (in this example, the call to subscribe to the newsletter).
• Get rid of the contradictions at every stage. Ask for a minimum of information, as well as reduce the number of fields, extra buttons and minimize the time it takes to load the page.
• Come up with attractive "traps" and offers that can only be seen after registration.

The KISSmetrics Anatomy of a Perfect Landing Page article by KISSmetrics details the design, user interface, and text elements that will help you meet your users' needs and increase conversion.

Combining UXFlow to complete the user experience development cycle A

funnel can be thought of as something consisting of the following steps: Click on an advertisement - Go to a web page - Register by Email. But the design and integration of scenarios that work to advance the ultimate goals of the business should be considered more seriously. In our example, we successfully got an email subscriber through the banner of an advertising campaign, but the real business goal is to generate income through new purchases (users).

Considering the email newsletter subscription scenario and the online purchase scenario as two separate conversion funnels is a common mistake. In fact, these experiments are related, and if we consider them as combined flows of UXFlow, we can create a more holistic interaction - that will lead your business to optimal results.

In our example, this series consists of a customer acquisition funnel and user relationship management (CRM) plan.



United funnels create a holistic user experience development cycle

When developing this UXFlow, you should consider which leverage is most effective when converting a subscriber to a buyer. Many of the principles previously described here also apply, but now you have more points of contact with the user that will help to influence him.

In this UXFlow, you must consider all the elements of your CRM strategy and the scenario for acquiring products on your website, including:

• Email Subscriber Feedback.
• Pages to which the subscriber gets when he returns to the site.
• Scenarios for transition from content pages (for example, from blog pages) to checkout.

Here are a few key insights when designing a transition from subscriber to customer:

• Tell a “visual” story with which the subscriber can identify himself and want to become part of it.
• Make sure that your letters reinforce this story and give the user confirmation that he has not signed in vain.
• Use the compelling call-to-action buttons and think of simple, obvious transitions to checkout from internal content pages. They will consolidate for the user his role in the story you created.
• Make the checkout process as simple as possible and build trust throughout its path to help the buyer become part of your project.

By looking at how the two UXFlow scenarios interact, you can create an ongoing experience that inspires confidence and strengthens the user's connection to the website, which will lead to conversion to the final purchase. It is also important that this UXFlow constantly enhances customer satisfaction, because the combined funnels make the user experience more consistent and satisfy the needs of visitors, eliminating additional confusion and ambiguity.

Make UXFlow Scripting Design Work For You

If you plan to create a new site or want to optimize your existing user experience, UXFlow scripting design will warn you against the error of creating separate pages and the links between them, and instead help focus on meeting user needs. Paying maximum attention to UXFlow scripts, and concentrating on those that are of maximum importance for most visitors and for your business, you can have a huge impact on the business in the future.

As for UXFlow, return to the first stage of the conversion, and create a design for the final stage, which may be several steps further. This approach is important for any type of online trading, in which the first conversion is just an introduction to the main event - revenue. By combining these additional funnels, you will create a more holistic user experience that will bring better results for both the user and your business.

So the next time you are asked to develop a new design, go back one step and ask yourself and your team what UXFlow scripts you are trying to create using your website, and let this understanding guide the rest of the design process.