Last Updated: 19/07/2026
When you’re building a complex project like an e-commerce website, it’s easy for the moving parts – categories, product listings, checkout, payment, admin notifications – to get tangled up before a single line of code is written.
That’s where a flowchart comes in. In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to use LibreOffice Draw, a free and accessible tool, to map out the entire customer journey for an e-commerce site, from the moment a visitor lands on the homepage to the final order confirmation email.
We’ll use a real example: a custom-built Star Wars-themed e-commerce store called Jedi Robe, a fully functional site with product categories, a shopping basket, user accounts, and a checkout process. By the end of this guide, you’ll have a clear visual workflow you can hand straight to a developer or used to plan any process in your own business.
Why Use a Flowchart for E-Commerce Planning?
Before diving into the software, it’s worth understanding why this step matters. E-commerce sites involve many interconnected steps: browsing, account creation, login, delivery selection, payment processing, and confirmation. Trying to describe all of this in a written brief can get confusing fast.
A flowchart:
- Breaks the entire customer journey into clear, visual steps
- Makes it easy to spot gaps or missing steps before development starts
- Gives developers a simple reference for building the “engine” behind the site
- Works for any business process – not just websites
Getting Started with LibreOffice Draw
- Open LibreOffice Draw and save your document with a new file name right away.
- Set the page orientation to landscape – this gives you more horizontal space to lay out a left-to-right (or top-to-bottom) workflow.
- Familiarise yourself with the toolbar, especially the Rectangle tool (for creating boxes/steps) and the Connector/Join tool (for linking steps together).
Step 1: Create Your First Box - "Customers"
- Use the rectangle tool to draw a box.
- Double-click inside the box to add text – in this case, type “Customers.”
- Select the text and change the font to Arial, adjusting the size down (around size 14) so it fits neatly.
- Resize the box slightly smaller to keep things compact and consistent.
This box represents the customer entering your website – the starting point of the entire journey.
Step 2: Duplicate Boxes for Consistency
Rather than drawing a new box from scratch each time:
- Click the outside edge of a box until you see the selection cursor (a small cross icon).
- Press Ctrl+C to copy and Ctrl+V to paste.
- This keeps every box the same size and style, giving your flowchart a clean, professional look.
Use this copy-paste method to create a box labelled “E-commerce Website” (representing the site itself – make this one slightly more square), and another labelled “Product Categories / Product Listings” (representing how categories organise products that customers can add to their basket).
Step 3: Connect the Boxes to Show the Journey
Using the connector tool, link:
Customers → E-commerce Website → Product Categories → Product Listings → Shopping Basket
This represents the natural early flow: a customer visits the site, browses categories, views specific product listings, and adds items to their basket.
Tip: Colour-code your boxes to visually separate different types of elements. For example, make the “Customers” box green to distinguish people from system/website steps.
Step 4: Map the Checkout Decision Point
Once a customer has added products to their basket, they’ll eventually move to checkout. At this point, the flow splits into a decision:
- Register (new customer) – leads to a form-processing step where the customer enters an email, password, and CAPTCHA to complete registration.
- Login (existing customer) – the customer enters their email and password directly.
Both paths should connect from a single “Checkout” box, branching into these two options.
Step 5: Billing and Delivery Details
After registering or logging in, the customer moves to:
- Billing and Delivery Details – capturing their address and contact information.
- Delivery Options – selecting a shipping method (e.g., First Class, Second Class).
Formatting tip: If your text overflows the box, simply click the box and resize it to fit – this keeps the diagram looking clean and readable.
Step 6: Payment Method and Order Summary
Next in the flow:
- Payment Method – customers typically choose between options like PayPal or credit card.
- Order Summary – a final review screen showing billing details, delivery details, products ordered, total amount, delivery option, and payment method selected.
Connect these boxes in sequence so the logic reads clearly from top to bottom (or left to right).
Step 7: Payment Gateway and Confirmation
After the order summary, the flow continues to:
- Payment Gateway – routing to PayPal or a credit card processing system, depending on the method selected.
- Email Order Confirmation – sent automatically once payment is completed.
Importantly, this confirmation email should connect to two destinations:
- The customer (confirming their order)
- The website admin (so someone is managing and processing new orders)
The Complete E-Commerce Workflow
Customer → E-commerce Website → Product Categories → Product Listings
→ Shopping Basket → Checkout → [Register or Login]
→ Billing & Delivery Details → Delivery Options → Payment Method
→ Order Summary → Payment Gateway → Email Confirmation → [Customer + Admin]
This overview gives developers everything they need to understand the “engine” behind an e-commerce platform before a single feature is built.
Beyond E-Commerce: Applying This Logic Anywhere
The real power of this technique isn’t limited to online stores. You can apply the same flow charting logic to any workflow in your business, including:
- Managing cash flow
- Planning a construction or decorating job
- Organising an event – how attendees arrive, where they’re seated, how presentations flow, and how Q&A is handled
- Any multistep internal business process
You’re also not limited to rectangles – triangles, circles, or any shape can represent different types of elements. The key is consistency: pick a shape and colour system, and stick with it throughout your diagram.
Final Thoughts
LibreOffice is a simple, free tool that makes it easy to turn a complex process – like an entire e-commerce customer journey – into a clear, shareable visual. Whether you’re briefing a development team or just organising your own thinking, flow charting is one of the fastest ways to bring clarity to complicated projects.
Give it a try with your own business process, and see how much easier it becomes to spot gaps, communicate steps, and hand off clear instructions to your team.
