Flowmap
Definition
A flowmap is a diagram or geographic visualization that shows movement, flow, or transfer — of data, people, goods, or information — between origins and destinations, typically using arrows or lines whose width or weight represents volume.
The term 'flowmap' is used in two related but distinct contexts.
In cartography and data visualization, a flowmap is a geographic map with arrows or lines drawn between locations to show movement. Charles Minard's famous 1869 map of Napoleon's Russian campaign is a classic example — it shows troop movement, numbers, direction, and temperature on a single diagram. Modern flowmaps show airline routes, migration patterns, supply chains, and traffic flows.
In software and product contexts, 'flowmap' is sometimes used loosely as a synonym for user flow or process flow — a diagram showing how users or data move through a system. Product teams draw flowmaps to document user journeys, conversion funnels, and feature interaction paths.
On a whiteboard, a flowmap typically appears as a spatial diagram with labeled arrows showing movement between zones, nodes, or steps. The proportional-line version (thicker line = more volume) is less common on whiteboards but appears in data analysis sessions. BoardSnap AI reads the nodes, arrows, and any labels or weights to produce a summary of the flow structure.
Examples
- User acquisition flowmap: Organic search → Landing page → Signup → Onboarding → Activation, with conversion percentages at each arrow
- Supply chain flowmap: Supplier locations → Manufacturing plant → Distribution centers → Retail stores, with volume labels
- Data pipeline flowmap: Raw events → Kafka → Stream processor → Data warehouse → BI tool, with record counts
- Migration flowmap: User cohort movements between plan tiers — Free → Pro conversions and Pro → Churned flows
Related terms
Snap a flowmap. Ship its actions.
BoardSnap turns any whiteboard — including this one — into a summary and action plan.