User flow diagrams are indispensable in mastering user experience. They allow you to understand how users interact with your app or website, the steps they take to complete a task or achieve a goal on your website.
This will help you create a superior user experience for the user and meet their needs more efficiently.
What is user flow?
User flow is the path taken by a prototypical user on a website or app to complete a task. The user flow takes them from their entry point through a set of steps towards a successful outcome and final action, such as purchasing a product.
Types of user flow charts
Task Flow
Task flow is a User Flow that focuses on a single task performed by the user. It does not show the entire solution flow.
Wireflow
Wireflows are a design-specification format that combines wireframe-style page layout designs with a simplified flowchart-like way of representing interactions.
User Flow
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.
Top 10 User Flow Tools for Designer
1. FlowMapp
FlowMapp is a UX planning tool for creating visual sitemaps and user flow. This tool is very effective for website, mobile, or web development planning and it allows all participants in the process to collaborate, making the workflow easier and more convenient.
Price: Free, $15/month
Review: “I love this tool! It makes the creation of user flows simple, easy to understand for clients, and easy to edit for the creator. One of my most used tools at the preliminary stages of any client project.” – Zach B (Senior User Experience Architect)
Link: FlowMapp
2. WireFlow
Wireflow is a free, online and open-source tool for creating beautiful user flow prototypes. No Photoshop skills required!
Price: Free
Review: “Very helpful and very much something I’m looking for on a regular basis! Maybe add an icon library… or even a similar app for creating icons from simple shapes with a limited color palette and perhaps a few textures, similar to an avatar builder.” – Maria Hoffmeister
Link: WireFlow
3. OverFlow
Overflow is the world’s first user flow diagramming tool tailored for designers. It offers a new, impactful way for designers to effectively communicate their work, while fully engaging their audience with an interactive user flow presentation.
Price: $12/month
Review: “Overflow is great when it comes to generating diagrams illustrating user flows in a software application. The best part is that it’s a seamless workflow from Sketch—I design in Sketch, upload or update screens in Overflow, move screens around, and can save my work for later or export to various formats depending on who needs to review the flows.” – Derrick K
Link: OverFlow
4. MockFlow
MockFlow is an online wireframe software for designers to plan, build and share work. MockFlow provides users with a large library of emulators, icons, stickers and other shapes to quickly and efficiently create models that look clean.
Price: Free, $15/month
Review: “This is one of the best tools I’ve ever tried online for sketching ideas, website wireframes, apps. Very intuitive you can create your first mockup in minutes and share your idea easily with your collaborators” – Emanuele B
Link: MockFlow
5. Timblee
Timblee is a UX planning tool that helps you build better user experiences through beautiful visual sitemaps and soon to be launched user flow diagrams. Try it free for 30 days with no credit card required.
Price: $9/month for Starter, $19/month for Pro
Review: “Simple features, easy to use, though it would be flexible enough to improvise a little. I spent a lot of time on a user map, then all of a sudden it got some kind of bug and wouldn’t let me add or edit anything.” – Carla Riseman
Link: Timblee
6. Lucidchart
Lucidchart is a powerful, data-based diagramming tool used by 99% of the world’s largest Fortune 500 companies. Based on professional flowchart diagrams, it’s a great choice for those looking for actionable information that they can use to improve company workflow processes.
Price: Free
Review: “Lucidchart is web-based, and this makes it the most convenient diagramming tool for me. It boasts of a flexible design, which makes it a good option for quick diagramming. I can collaborate with multiple people at the same time, making it perfect for team styled collaboration.” – Adanne C
Link: Lucidchart
7. Cacoo
Cacoo is a diagram tool for creating wireframes, UI mockups, and more. Our features include real-time collaboration; powerful app integrations including Google Drive, Confluence, Visio, and more; the vast amount of templates & shapes; and easy sharing options including embedding, links, and exports
Price: $5/month
Review: “Easy to learn and use, Cacoo let you make a fast and great diagram for any usage. Nice to make a mockup, especially with linked items that let you have a full interactive mock of your app. ” – Juan David
Link: Cacoo
8. Gliffy
Gliffy is a fine tool when you need to create a diagram quickly and don’t want to install any tools on your computer to do so. Diagrams are as powerful as they are versatile. They get people to see the big picture. They help teams vault over communication hurdles.
They can be equally useful for looking at high-level plans or drilling down to the smallest detail. And, if you think there’s no inner diagramming Jedi waiting to awaken within you, give us a chance to prove you wrong.
Price: $7.99/month
Review: “The best feature is its ease of use. I was able to understand the tool from the first moment I started using it and it helped me to create flowcharts in an easy way that my colleagues can understand. ” – Patricio B
Link: Gliffy
9. SmartDraw
SmartDraw is the best alternative to Microsoft Visio® and organizations looking for an affordable yet powerful Visio replacement. SmartDraw allows you to open Visio files even if you don’t have Visio installed on your system. You can even batch convert entire directories of Visio files at once. It’s best of both worlds. You get the power and ease of SmartDraw and the ability to collaborate with Visio users.
Price: $297/user
Review: “It offers many useful templates among which are flowcharts, bar charts and graphs, website wireframes, and matrix cards. You can even create a custom template to suit your project from a blank sheet of paper.” – Jason S
Link: SmartDraw
10. OmniGraffle
OmniGraffle is for creating precise, beautiful graphics. Like website wireframes, an electrical system design, a family tree, or mapping out software classes. For artists, designers, casual data-mappers, and everyone in-between.
Price: $249.99/Mac, $12.49/month
Review: “I use OmniGraffle to map out ideas and concepts that require a flexible, large format medium for organizing content. It helps me easily link ideas together and create hierarchies, which would be difficult using a presentation tool like PowerPoint or keynote.” – John Rougeux
Link: OmniGraffle
