What is a user journey?

A user journey, also known as a customer journey or path to purchase, is the series of steps a user takes to accomplish a goal within an app. It outlines key actions such as signing up, making a purchase, or interacting with features.

Mapping a user journey is essential for both app marketing and user experience (UX) design. It provides insight into user behavior and the factors driving installs, engagement, and conversions. By analyzing each step, businesses can spot pain points—such as complex sign-ups, unclear navigation, or inconsistent messaging—that disrupt the experience and lead to drop-offs.

Here is the breakdown of each stage in a user journey:

• Awareness: At this stage, users discover an app through channels such as paid ads, social media, influencer recommendations, or word-of-mouth. App store optimization (ASO), compelling ad creatives, and targeted campaigns play a crucial role in attracting the right audience.
• Consideration: Before installing, users evaluate the app by browsing its App Store or Google Play listing, reading reviews, comparing features, and checking ratings. A strong store presence, persuasive descriptions, and positive user feedback can influence their decision. Segmenting users based on behavior and preferences allows businesses to deliver more targeted app store experiences, increasing the chances of conversion.
• Acquisition & onboarding: The user downloads and installs the app, marking the first conversion. A frictionless onboarding experience is critical at this stage. Guided walkthroughs, personalized setup options, and clear user interface (UI) help users quickly understand the app’s value and encourage first-time engagement. Tailoring the onboarding process based on user segments can further improve completion rates and early engagement.
• Engagement: Once onboarded, users start interacting with the app’s core features. This stage has a significant impact on how long a user continues to engage, though retention goals may vary across app types. Features like personalized recommendations, push notifications, and rewards can increase engagement and prevent churn.
• Retention & loyalty: Users who continue finding value in the app return regularly, ideally making in-app purchases, subscribing, or referring others. Loyalty programs, exclusive content, and community-building efforts can strengthen retention and encourage advocacy.

Cross-platform consistency is critical at every stage. Users often switch between devices, so a cohesive experience across platforms ensures smooth transitions and reduces drop-offs.

Though user journey and user flow are often used interchangeably, they serve different purposes in app design and marketing.

A user journey provides a high-level view of the entire experience, covering multiple touchpoints—from discovery to retention. It focuses on why users take certain actions and the emotions behind their decisions. For example, a user journey map may outline how a user discovers an app, installs it, engages with key features, and eventually makes a purchase​.

A user flow, on the other hand, is more granular and maps the specific steps a user takes to complete a task within the app. It is typically created by UX designers that analyze navigation and optimize usability. For instance, a checkout user flow would track each action required to complete a purchase—from selecting an item to entering payment details and finalizing the transaction​.

Together, user journeys and user flows provide a comprehensive understanding of user behavior and help businesses identify areas for improvement.

Tracking and refining the user journey is essential for improving engagement, retention, and conversions. By analyzing key metrics and continuously optimizing strategy based on data, businesses can create seamless experiences that drive long-term success.

Key user journey metrics to track

• Active users: Measures the number of daily (DAU), weekly (WAU), and monthly active users (MAU) to assess user engagement over time.
• Click-through rate (CTR): Tracks the percentage of users who click on ads, indicating the effectiveness of ad campaigns.
• Conversion rate: The percentage of users who complete a desired action, such as signing up or making a purchase, showing how well the app’s funnel is performing.
• Retention rate: Measures how many users continue using the app after a certain period, providing insight into long-term engagement.
• Churn rate: Tracks the rate at which users stop using the app, helping identify points of friction.
• Uninstalls: Monitors how often and when users uninstall the app, revealing dissatisfaction and potential experience gaps.
• Lifetime value (LTV): Estimates the total revenue a user is expected to generate throughout their time using the app.
• Average revenue per user (ARPU): Calculates the revenue generated per active user, helping evaluate monetization performance.

Best practices for user journey optimization

• Personalization: Use behavioral data to deliver tailored recommendations, notifications, and content to individual user preferences.
• Seamless onboarding: Simplify the signup process with intuitive design, clear instructions, and progressive guidance.
• Behavior-based notifications: Send targeted push notifications and in-app messages to re-engage users at key moments, such as after cart abandonment.
• A/B testing: Continuously experiment with different onboarding flows, UI layouts, and CTAs to identify what drives the best results.
• Feedback loops: Collect user feedback and behavioral data to identify pain points and continuously improve the user experience.

Adjust’s suite of attribution and next-gen measurement solutions enable  optimization of the user journey at every stage, from acquisition to long-term engagement. With Measure, marketers can track acquisition sources and post-install events, including insights into which channels provide the highest quality users and long-term engagement. This allows businesses to refine their acquisition strategies and improve app performance.

TrueLink, our solution for seamless deep linking, powers customers' journeys and drives up conversion rates by funneling users directly to the right content—from any external environment. 

Request a demo today to discover how Adjust can provide you the data you need to optimize your user journey, drive higher engagement, and increase conversions.