User flow mapping
Turn a live web app into a flow map.
fossil explores your web app and maps the screens, states and connections it captures. Start from a URL, without installing code in the app.
Follow the path through the app.
When you inherit a product, prepare a redesign or study a competitor, the interface is often easier to access than its documentation. fossil starts with the running web app and captures the paths its browser explores.
A user flow map connects the screens and decisions involved in a task. In fossil, each node is a captured UI screen. During a UX review, open it to inspect what was there, then follow its connections to understand the journey.
Useful starting questions
- What sits between the homepage and the first useful action?
- Which choices lead to another screen?
- Where does a menu or dialog change the experience?
The same page can hold another state.
A menu, a dialog or a choice can change what someone sees without taking them to a new URL. Keeping only a list of pages loses that part of the interface.
An open menu is a state worth keeping. So is an expanded panel or a validation message. fossil keeps the states it captures connected to the surrounding journey, so you can review more than the initial page.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to install code in the app?
No. fossil explores an eligible web app through its hosted browser. Access and target eligibility still determine what can be explored.
Does a scan cover every possible path?
No. Coverage depends on your scope, the available access and the paths reached. The map shows what the browser reached; an absent screen may simply be unexplored.
Can I map my own product?
Yes. Use an eligible web app you are authorized to access. Retained scans also give you a visual history of its interface.