Turn behaviour into metrics

Example: turning a workflow into metrics

This article shows how to turn a mapped workflow into useful metrics.

The example is account registration. The goal is to move from a broad workflow to specific metrics that help the team understand progress, diagnose problems, and decide what to improve.

The sequence is:

Workflow
↓
Steps
↓
Events
↓
Metrics
↓
Decisions

Worked example structure

Use this example as a complete chain:

Workflow
Register for an account

↓

Workflow steps
View form → enter details → submit form → verify email → access product

↓

Events
registration.form_viewed
registration.form_submitted
registration.form_error_shown
registration.email_verified
registration.completed

↓

Metrics
Form submission rate
Form error rate
Email verification rate
Registration completion rate
Time to complete registration

↓

Decisions
Where should we improve the registration experience?

The value is not the individual metric list. The value is traceability from workflow to decision.

Start with the workflow

The workflow is:

Register for an account

The user intent is:

I want to create an account so I can access the product.

That intent gives the measurement a clear subject. The team is not measuring a registration page or account feature in isolation. It is measuring whether users can complete the account creation workflow and reach the product.

Map the steps

A simple registration workflow might include these steps:

View registration form
↓
Enter details
↓
Submit form
↓
Verify email
↓
Access product

These steps describe progress from intent to outcome. They also show where measurement may be needed.

If users fail to complete registration, the team needs to know where the workflow loses momentum: before form submission, during validation, after email verification, or before first product access.

Capture events for each step

Events turn workflow steps into observable evidence.

For example:

Workflow step                     Possible event

View registration form             registration.form_viewed
Submit form                        registration.form_submitted
Validation error shown             registration.form_error_shown
Verification email sent            registration.email_verification_sent
Verify email                       registration.email_verified
Access product                     registration.completed

The workflow step describes the behaviour. The event records that the behaviour happened.

The event list does not need to capture every interaction. It should capture enough evidence to understand meaningful progress through the workflow.

Create metrics from events

Once the events are clear, the team can define metrics.

For registration, useful metrics might include:

registration start count
form submission rate
form error rate
email verification rate
registration completion rate
drop-off between form submission and email verification
time to complete registration

Each metric should answer a question.

For example:

Question:
Are users submitting the registration form successfully?

Metric:
Form submission rate

Possible definition:
Users who submit the registration form
÷
Users who view the registration form

Another metric might answer a different question:

Question:
Are users reaching the product after starting registration?

Metric:
Registration completion rate

Possible definition:
Users who access the product for the first time
÷
Users who start account creation

The same workflow can produce several metrics, but each metric should have a clear job.

Use metrics to diagnose the workflow

A single completion rate may show that registration is underperforming, but it may not show why.

A step-based set of metrics gives the team a clearer view:

if form views are low, the issue may be entry point visibility
if form submission is low, the issue may be the form design or perceived effort
if form errors are high, the issue may be validation or field clarity
if email verification is low, the issue may be email content, deliverability, or expectations
if first product access is low, the issue may be the post-verification handover

The metrics help the team locate the problem before deciding what to change.

Connect metrics to decisions

Metrics are useful when they support decisions.

For registration, the team might need to decide:

should we make the registration entry point clearer?
should we simplify the form?
should we improve validation messages?
should we change the confirmation screen?
should we improve the resend verification flow?
should we investigate email deliverability?
should we compare behaviour by device, channel, or user type?

These decisions shape which metrics matter most. A team investigating email verification needs different evidence from a team improving form completion.

A simple measurement map

A first version of the measurement map might look like this:

Workflow:
Register for an account

Steps:
View form → enter details → submit form → verify email → access product

Events:
registration.form_viewed
registration.form_submitted
registration.form_error_shown
registration.email_verified
registration.completed

Metrics:
Form submission rate
Form error rate
Email verification rate
Registration completion rate
Time to complete registration

Decisions:
Where should we improve the registration experience?

This is enough to align the team before writing detailed instrumentation requirements or building a dashboard.

How to apply this

When turning a workflow into metrics, work in this order:

define the workflow
map the meaningful steps
identify the events that capture progress
define metrics from those events
connect each metric to a product question
check what decision each metric could support

Avoid starting with the dashboard. Start with the behaviour, capture the evidence, then define the metrics.

Designing a measurement framework
Metric catalogue template
Example metric definitions

Key takeaway

Turning a workflow into metrics means moving from user behaviour to evidence, then from evidence to useful measures.

Start with the workflow. Map the steps. Capture the events. Define metrics that help the team understand progress and decide what to improve.