Paths created by erosion caused by human or animal traffic, representing the most intuitive route. In UX, the navigation patterns users create when the designed path doesn't match their mental model.
Explained
- Desire lines are the routes users actually take, as opposed to the ones designers intended.
- They appear wherever the built path fails to match how people really think.
- Each worn shortcut is evidence of a mismatch between the model and the behaviour.
- Watching where users deviate reveals what the navigation should have been.
