# What Desire Paths Can Teach You About Writing Online ## Why atomic essays are the footpaths of your niche discovery. Published [[2025-07-22]] on [Idea Waypoints](https://ideawaypoints.substack.com/p/what-desire-paths-can-teach-you-about) --- As a wayfinding strategist and designer, my best insights come from the field — not from behind a desk, but by watching how people move through space. When there isn't budget for a more formal research process, you look for clues: wear patterns on door handles. DIY signs taped up by staff who've answered the same question a thousand times. But my favourite clue of all? The grass worn thin between two paths. These are *[desire paths](https://notes.leahferguson.com/40+Atomic/Desire+paths)*. They are the informal trails people create when the designed route doesn't work for them. You won't find them in architectural plans (though, as a trained eye, I enjoy trying to guess the shortcuts for a building not yet built). Desire paths reveal what people actually do, not what we *expected*. It turns out that we can apply this same observational and research principle to online writing. And, what's more, it draws from the idea of prototyping — something very important in the design process. You won't find your niche by overplanning what *might* resonate. You experiment. You post small, clear ideas… and then you pay attention to what sticks. Every essay or post is a possible route in a digital landcape. Some vanish without a trace. Others spark marks: Comments, shares, replies… these are your scuffed edges, your worn grass. So this month, instead of trying to find the perfect path, I'm prototyping in public. I'm testing ideas. I'm looking for patterns. Because in both wayfinding and writing, the traces that people leave behind are full of direction… you just have to know where to see them. --- **Today's question:** What's one "desire path" that you've followed in your own creative or professional journey? What felt right, even if it wasn't on the offcial map?