Building Connected Experiences
Put it all together by creating flows that feel like one seamless experience. Learn how to design responsive journeys with branching logic that adapt to user behavior.
Building Connected Experiences
Let’s talk about turning great messages into powerful, scalable experiences. 🎯
Connected experiences guide users through their journey with well-timed touchpoints that adapt to their behavior. That’s how effective engagement flows should work—especially at scale!
The Flow Factor ✨
Most teams struggle with creating truly connected experiences. They craft beautiful individual messages but miss how these pieces work together.
Instead of:
Sending a sequence of predetermined messages
Try:
Building flows that adapt based on user behavior
Instead of:
Creating separate campaigns for each channel
Try:
Designing integrated journeys that use the right channel at the right time
Most teams have their messages down pat. But stringing them together? That's where things get interesting. Here's what typically happens:
Common Scenario:
- Monday: Welcome email
- Tuesday: Feature announcement
- Wednesday: Tips newsletter
- Thursday: Webinar invite
- Friday: User wondering why you're bombarding them
Sound familiar? Let's fix that.
Anatomy of a Connected Flow 🎯
A well-designed flow transforms individual messages into a cohesive experience. Let's explore each component in detail and see how it builds on your journey map.
Every flow needs a clear, intentional starting point that initiates the user's journey:
Key characteristics:
- Behavior-driven trigger: Activates based on specific user actions or inactions (which you identified in Lesson 2)
- Contextually relevant: Acknowledges what the user was doing and why this flow matters now
- Clear value proposition: Immediately communicates the benefit of engaging
- Perfect channel fit: Uses the appropriate channel for this moment (as defined in Lesson 3)
Example:
When a user creates their first project but hasn't invited team members after 48 hours, a gentle in-app message appears suggesting collaboration benefits.
Once the flow begins, users follow a deliberate path through a sequence of related touchpoints:
Key characteristics:
- Logical progression: Each step builds naturally on the previous interaction
- Cross-channel coordination: Leverages the right channels at the right moments (as mapped in Lesson 3)
- Milestone-based pacing: Celebrates progress and encourages next steps
- Consistent messaging: Maintains coherent terminology and tone across touchpoints
Example:
After clicking through from that first in-app message, the user sees a quick tutorial on inviting team members, receives a follow-up email with collaboration templates, and gets an in-app celebration when teammates join.
Rather than forcing all users through the same linear path, sophisticated flows adapt based on user behavior:
Key characteristics:
- Response-based routing: Different actions trigger different next steps
- Engagement-appropriate follow-ups: More engaged users receive different messaging than less engaged ones
- Timing sensitivity: Adapts based on when and how users engage
- Exit opportunities: Provides graceful ways to conclude the flow
Example:
If the user invites teammates, they receive best practices for collaboration. If they dismiss the invitation message, they receive an email 3 days later highlighting a different value proposition for team collaboration.
Effective flows acknowledge completion and cement the positive experience:
Key characteristics:
- Achievement celebration: Recognizes when users complete important actions
- Value reinforcement: Reminds users of the benefits they've gained
- Next steps guidance: Suggests where to go from here
- Data capture: Records success for measurement (we’ll get to this in Lesson 6)
Example:
When a team reaches five members actively collaborating, an in-app celebration appears with usage statistics and a suggestion to explore advanced collaboration features.
Real-world success: Bynder’s guided trial Flow
Bynder replaced its long sales demos with a self-serve product tour. A personalized welcome, guided in-app walkthroughs, and mid-Flow feedback made the experience feel tailored and intuitive. Read the full story →
The result:
Pro Tips for Flow Building
QUICK EXERCISE
Adding Flow Logic to Your Journey Map
Let's further develop your Journey Map by adding flow connections and logic:
This flow logic layer transforms your map from a collection of individual messages into a dynamic, responsive system. In the next lesson, we'll add measurement strategies to evaluate your flow's effectiveness.
Remember ✨
Great flows feel less like a marketing campaign and more like a helpful friend, guiding users toward success one step at a time. To help you map your own engagement flow, we created a handy Miro template showcasing a Feature Launch Communication. Get the template:
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Key Takeaways
Next up: We'll explore how to measure the success of your engagement strategy. See you in Lesson 6! 🎯
