Task Analysis and User Flows
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Timeline Context and Origins There is often a lot of confusion about Task Analysis and User Flows, partially because of a lack of knowledge about how things went and partially because there are certain nuances. There is no definitive origin, in the sense that no one woke up one morning, created the "Task Analysis," and then said, "There you go, world! This is the Task Analysis,” while someone else saying, “Oh cool, on my hand instead I’ve just invented the User Flows!” Both “Task Analysis” and “User Flows” go back to the years 1909-1911. Lillian Gilbreth, an industrial engineer with a PhD in applied psychology, and Frederick Winslow Taylor, a mechanical engineer known as the father of Taylorism or “Scientific Management”, were the first ones known to set the root of “Task Analysis”, however with some differences. Both Taylor and Gilbreth (with her husband, too, actually) were proponents of a theory called “Scientific Management” that analyses and synthesizes workflows to improve economic efficiency, particularly labor productivity.
It was one of the earliest attempts to apply science to the engineering of processes and management.
They believed there is one best way to get any job done and that process should be replicated through the manufacturing process, eliminating extraneous steps and producing the most efficient results.
However, Lillian Gilbreth also had a keen mind for psychology and she applied this understanding to the workplace. This made her approach somewhat different from Taylor’s, as she considered the human element in work processes.
She believed fundamentally that happy, healthy workers were vital to an efficient, successful workplace.
For example, Taylor would have observed how the workers at each of the stations of a coal depot worked. He would then have concluded that, for example, the shovels were placed too far apart, causing a greater travel time to pick them up and put them away, and therefore, he would have had them moved.
Gilbreth would have done the same thing, but for example she would have provided the workers with gloves to make the grip more secure, reduce the likelihood of blisters and wood splinters in the skin.
Over time, Lillian Gilbreth and Frank Gilbreth conducted different types of research within the field of human factors and ergonomics, which is why we find “Task Analysis” in our field of work today.
“Task Analysis” was then reworked, modified, and expanded by many other important figures and adopted by a branch of Human Factors & Ergonomics. Do you know which one? Yep, Human-Computer Interaction. In 1921, Frank and Lillian Gilbreth presented the “Flow Process Chart” to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). Here below, part of a “Process Chart for Loading Rifle Grenades”:
Their “Flow Chart” was designed to graphically represent the current conditions of a process in a synthetic and abstract way, a tool for efficiency planning and process optimization, providing a visual representation of the activities performed on the workpiece during the operation in industrial engineering and that well, was also used to map out the “Task Analysis” Since then “Flow charts” have entered different business areas. Between the 80s and the 90s, HCI adapted Flowcharts to better represent the steps users take to accomplish tasks within an interface. With the public introduction of internet, by the late 1990s and early 2000s, the term "user flow" became more common in the UX design community. This term specifically referred to the flowcharts that mapped out the user's journey through an application or website. What is Task Analysis Task Analysis method used to understand how a user successfully completes a task. It involves observing an individual to learn the knowledge, thought processes, and abilities necessary to achieve a set goal.
This process is often used in various industries to improve the efficiency of goal-setting, employee training, and task completion.
The methodology was later adapted for use in human-computer interaction (HCI). In “Task Analysis”, the focus is on one user, their goal, and the tasks they perform to achieve that goal. It often involves the examination of not one, but multiple tasks that contribute to achieving a common goal. This process helps in understanding the user’s behaviour, identifying potential challenges they might face, and finding ways to optimise the process for efficiency and effectiveness. “Task Analysis” is conducted by combining a series of research methodologies, like observing the person on the field and asking questions, conducting interviews, diary studies (participants keep a log of their thoughts, experiences, and activities over a defined period of time), and usability tests.
Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA) Centered on breaking down tasks into a hierarchy of goals, sub-goals, operations, and plans. It provides a structural representation of tasks by decomposing them into smaller, manageable components.
Cognitive Task Analysis (CTA) Emphasizes understanding the mental processes and decision-making involved in task performance. It aims to capture the cognitive demands placed on users and how they solve problems and make decisions.
Here you have two examples of how a “Task Analysis” can be visually represented as table or a flowchart:
Due to the limited duration of this course, during this exercise you will not be asked to conduct a "Task Analysis", however, to help you in the exercise and to help you understand what information is extracted from a "Task Analysis", you will be asked to complete a template with information that you can extract from the dummy interviews and which will then help you design a “User Flow”. What is a User Flow? Let’s quickly go to see how it looks:
The example above is showing different paths, and it is also displaying a rounded rectangle and a diamond shape. The rounded shape is used to indicate a starting or ending point, while the diamond shape is used to indicate a step in which the person can make different decisions.
Entry point: The starting point where users begin their journey, such as a homepage, landing page, or login screen.
Steps/Actions: The individual actions or steps users take, such as clicking a button, filling out a form, or navigating through pages.
Decision points: Points where users make choices that affect their path, such as selecting a product category or deciding to continue shopping or proceed to checkout.
End goal: The final objective users aim to achieve, such as completing a purchase, submitting a form, or reaching a confirmation page.
Now if you remember, “User Flows” basically grew out of “Flowcharts” with the internet, when the interactions were not anymore just between humans and softwares, but between web apps first and later on mobile apps. In fact the diamond shape is indeed borrowed from “Flowcharts”. There other ways to design a “User Flow” for example the so called “Happy Path”:
It’s called “Happy Path” because it depicts the precise steps a person takes without deviating from the path that leads this person to achieve their goal. For example, on the landing page, there may also be the buttons “contact”, “read more,” etc, or the person may click on “Sign up” but fail to type the password then what happens? Nothing because it’s a happy path, and we are depicting the goal achieved without problems. When you build a service or a product, you do not map out the entirety of the flow because it would probably be a mess and hard to understand for you and anyone else. So typically, you break it down into little chunks and work on it following a bottom-up process, kinda like building a house where components and structures are assembled. This way of depicting a flow it’s also used to have a visual view of what happens for each step, so typically in the Figma file of the business, you have the polished screens instead of the diagrams, like this:
In the last 10 years, more or less, a new way of displaying “User Flows” was introduced by designers, which is called “Wireflows”, here is an example:
As you can see, each step does not use shapes but directly uses a screen, which is otherwise called a “Wireframe.”
One of the reasons “User Flows” and “Task Analysis” are confused is due to the fact that, as seen above, a “Task Analysis” can be depicted through a tab or a “Flowchart,” which is very similar to a “User Flow”. Let’s see the differences:
The other two reasons for which there’s this confusion, it’s because the “Task Analysis” was an inherent process within HCI and not within Web Design and Graphic Design, the two fields that flooded into web app and mobile interface interactions.
The last reason that generates confusion is that “User Flows” are put on the same level as “Task Analysis”, but a “User Flow” is just a way to display information that comes from user research, while “Task Analysis” not a way to display information, but it’s the scope of research with the objective to analyze the tasks a person take to accomplish a goal and how their tasks also influence systems outside the core screens they see, and decisions they need to make.
Important to note:
Both user flows and task analysis can be done using flow charts, but user flows are generally visually represented using screens for clarity.
The focus on user flows is the core experience aspects: what part of the journey would a user need to see based on the action they take, whereas the focus of task analysis could include process stages outside the digital realm a user might be involved in, e.g. how the system interacts with an external service provider for authentication, or saving user preferences from a screen that would later be fetched to display tailored information at a later part in the journey.
Task flows are useful to understand process inefficiencies, e.g., waiting time for information to be fetched from an external source, whereas user flows are useful to plan what users observe during this wait time and how to engage the user or move them forward in the journey without having to keep them waiting.
They offer a holistic view of the user experience, emphasizing the journey rather than individual screens or interactions.
Help to ensure that the design addresses users' needs and pain points throughout their interaction with the product.
Serve as a foundation for designing a product's information architecture.
Determine the structure of the interface, including the organization of content and navigation elements.
User flows are typically created during the early stages of the design process, but their relevance extends throughout the project lifecycle:
Initial conceptualization User flows help conceptualize the user experience and inform early design decisions.
Design development They serve as a blueprint for designing the interface and guiding the development process.
Testing and iteration User flows provide a basis for usability testing, allowing designers to assess the effectiveness of the design and make iterative improvements.
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Flowchart
They focus on system processes, technical workflows, or business processes, and they are used to document the logical sequence of actions in a process.
The flowcharts used in Task Analysis map out the sequence of actions and decisions a user takes to complete a task, including all possible paths and branches.
There’s a broader focus on all the steps required to complete a task, including non-digital steps and cognitive processes.
User Flow
User Flows are specifically focused on how a user navigates through a digital product (such as a website or mobile app) to accomplish a goal. They map out the steps and interactions a user takes within the interface.
User Flow diagrams typically show diagrams, screens or pages, user actions (clicks, taps), decision points, and the sequence of interactions. They are more concerned with the interface elements and how users move from one screen to another
Narrower focus on the steps a user takes within the interface of a digital product.
