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It feels like I have heard such a term, but I can't put my finger on it.

I don't mean it in the context of requirements elicitation, where we consider different "scenarios" which can include screen successions. I mean it afterwards: a system is completed and delivered to the users, we did a usability test and noted which path the user followed.

Calling it just "path" sounds ambiguous if the context is not known. Calling it "scenario" doesn't fit, I have never heard it used for that case. Calling it "path through the application" is a long, descriptive term and supposes there is an application - but I think there is a more general term which can be applied to any interactive product (e.g. a digital watch).

Is there such a term, or is my "memory" of having heard it only wishful thinking?

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  • I am not sure but is it breadcrumbs?
    – Nash Vail
    Commented Dec 29, 2014 at 11:46
  • Path is fine, I think. Asking "What path did you take to do that?" is perfectly reasonable and I think most people would know what that meant.
    – Steve Jones
    Commented Dec 29, 2014 at 12:21

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It's called "User Journey".

There is also "Conversion Funnel", an overlapping term coined by Marketing, Conversion Funnel tracks User Journey at those elements that are catering for the conversion functionality specifically.

And there is a "Customer Journey", that combines User Journey and an extended Conversion Funnel.

Customer Journey Map:

enter image description here

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  • All the terms used by Zoe are correct in this case. Often different groups will use the words journey and funnel in different ways. it is the getting from point A to B in an application. Conversion funnel is usually tied to a goal such as creating an account or purchasing a product. User journey maps can be split into sub maps to portray the different paths users can take to perform an action within the application.
    – Daniel Zahra
    Commented Dec 29, 2014 at 13:16
  • I agree the proper term to use is user journey. Perhaps worth also to mention that google analytics term these 'flow reports'.
    – Izhaki
    Commented Dec 29, 2014 at 21:34
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"Click path" below is a defintion from wikipedia:

Click path (clickstream) is the sequence of hyperlinks one or more website visitors follows on a given site, presented in the order viewed. A visitor's click path may start within the website or at a separate 3rd party website, often a search engine results page, and it continues as a sequence of successive webpages visited by the user.Click paths take call data and can match it to ad sources, keywords, and/or referring domains, in order to capture data.

Hope this helps

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  • The visitor may not use clicks, so "click path" is sub-optimal, IMHO, YMMV, etc.
    – Steve Jones
    Commented Dec 29, 2014 at 12:22
  • Steve Jones is correct, I have to use it as a description of different cases, not always including clicks. For example, when somebody uses a hidden markov model to describe the way a user interacted with a dialogue system, "clickstream" does not fit well. Nevertheless, my vague memory could have been based on this or a similar term.
    – rumtscho
    Commented Jan 2, 2015 at 10:55
  • I agree, I think it really depends on the context where the term is used. It could be a deliverable with more or less details as in the case of user journeys, A more marketing driven term as in Conversion Funnel. The term used could potentially change with intentions for example if you have backend requirements attached to specific user flows, tasks etc
    – Okavango
    Commented Jan 2, 2015 at 11:24
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One possible term is "Navigation Path".

See this link for an example.

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  • The navigation path is only applicable if navigation is used. You could argue that as far as web apps are concerned, not every click is navigation - many clicks bring on page controls and don't necessarily navigate away from the page.
    – Izhaki
    Commented Dec 29, 2014 at 21:28
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Maybe what you're looking for:

"Happy Path" is the preferred, easiest path a user can take.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_path

"In the context of software or information modeling, a happy path is a default scenario featuring no exceptional or error conditions."

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