Task Flow Navigation

Step by Step/Task Flows

When creating a constrained task flow that guides the user through one or more steps, use a Task Flow navigation pattern.

Following a Task Flow is different from drilling through a hierarchy in that the user is not following a series of content categories, but instead following a set of steps in a task.

In this pattern, there are one or more actions to advance or complete the task flow, and a button to step back through the process or to cancel the process.

An action button may optionally be used to advance the task flow. Alternatively, the user may advance the flow by interacting with the content area.

A "Done" button should be used to complete the flow and save changes.

A "Back" button should be used to back step through the flow.

A "Cancel" button should be used to cancel the flow without saving changes. There should be a "Cancel" button shown at the start of the task flow.

All buttons should all be placed in the footer area of the pane or interactive pop-up. The "Back" or "Cancel" buttons should always be placed on the left side (for side-by-side buttons) or at the bottom (for stacked buttons) of the footer area.

The action buttons and "Done" buttons should be placed on the right or at top of the footer area.