Reflection point: Patterns and Flows

YouTube User Flow

James Goins
Sep 8, 2018 · 2 min read

I think it’s safe to say that we all enjoy YouTube in some form or fashion. YouTube is a convenient way to quickly gather information. Whether it’s watching a new movie trailer, catching up on your favorite podcast or watching highlights of your favorite sports team YouTube has become an essential part of most of our lives.

There are several types of users that visit YouTube & YouTube has created patterns to suit different types of user:

  1. Users that know exactly what they are looking for: For those users the search bar is typically used and makes for a quick way for users to get to the results page.
  2. Users that know what they are looking only have partial information: YouTube has an auto-fill feature built into the search bar that really comes in handy. If you have only partial information to go on then YouTube can help you fill in those knowledge gaps.
  3. Users that want to re-watch or watch on demand: YouTube has built in a watch later feature into the side navigation panel that makes for a quick add & allows users to watch later.

This what my typical user flow looks like when visiting YouTube.

When I visit YouTube I usually know exactly what I am looking for so I typically enter the site, key in my search criteria, browse the search results & then watch the video I was looking for.

Conclusion

YouTube has a very simple user flow and from a design standpoint that is a huge compliment. The point of UX design is to make the overall experience a user has with a product as enjoyable as possible and YouTube hits the mark when it comes to that.

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