Structure and Meaning of a Sankey Chart
Source node (source):
This represents the starting point of the data flow.
Examples: Landing page, Product page, Start stage.
In a process, these usually refer to an event or a user state, such as the first step of a user visiting a website.
Target node (target):
This represents the destination of the data flow.
Examples: Checkout page, Payment process, Exit page.
Target nodes help us understand the next step users take in the system, making it easier to analyze user conversion or behavior flow.
Flow value (value):
This shows the amount of data flowing from a source node to a target node.
It helps quantify the flow between steps and reflect traffic or conversion volume at each stage.
Flow Example and Explanation
For example, assume the Sankey chart contains the following data:
-
Landing → Product (1000):
1000 users go from the landing page to the product page — this is the basic traffic flow. -
Product → Checkout (300):
300 users proceed to the checkout page — showing how many continue the process. -
Product → Exit (700):
700 users leave the website from the product page — this may indicate drop-off behavior. -
Checkout → Payment (250):
250 users move from checkout to payment — representing potential conversions. -
Payment → Success (230):
230 users complete payment — reflecting successful transactions. -
Payment → Fail (20):
20 users fail the payment process.
This example uses PostgreSQL as the data source for demonstration purposes.
