User journey optimization

Introduction

Many product managers and product designers believe that shorter user journeys are always better.

At first glance, this idea seems simple and logical, but when we look at the steps and screens users encounter, we find a more complicated equation.

In this article, user flow optimization will be explored, breaking down what happens when an extra step is added at the beginning, middle or end of a user’s journey to complete a desired action.

We’ll explain what makes an additional step a good or bad choice in simpler terms, uncovering the math that helps improve user experiences.

Come along with us on this journey to discover how to create user flows that are both easy to use and effective.

1. Adding a step at the beginning

Let’s imagine a simple scenario:

We have a sequence of 2 screens (let’s call it “version A”), and we want to enhance it by adding an extra step at the very beginning (which we’ll call “version B”). Now, let’s say 100 users start their journey on the initial step:

● In Version A: All 100 users will reach the first step (S1).

● In Version B: In this case, we anticipate that a maximum of 100 users will reach the first step (S1), regardless of how user-friendly or motivating this new step may be. So, if we stop our analysis here, we might conclude that adding a new initial step isn’t a great idea. However, we need to dig deeper into the analysis: Things might change when users jump from S1 to S2. The extra step we added at the beginning might encourage users to complete the process and move on to the final step.

So, in the end, we need to examine whether the decrease from the NEW step we added to S1 is offset by an increase in the transition from S1 to S2.

Let’s illustrate with as step-by-step breakdown:

In this case, adding the new step at the beginning has a negative impact on the conversion rate. The additional drop (10 users) is not compensated by the gain in the next transition, which results in a net decrease of 10 users in the overall conversion rate.

Let’s break down this comparison into parts:

● The old Drop from S1 to S2 (oldDrop S1→S2): The number of users who abandon the process between the original first step S1 and the second step S2 before adding the new step.

● The additional Drop (newDrop NEW→S1) represents the negative impact caused by adding the extra step.

● New Drop from S1 to S2 (newDrop S1→S2): The number of users who abandon the process between S1 and S2 after adding the extra NEW step.

So we have 2 cases:

● Case1: additionalDrop + newDropS1→S2 > oldDropS1→S2: then we can conclude that the drop from the NEW step to the step S1 was not compensated by a gain in the transition from the step S1 to the step S2.

● Case 2: additionalDrop + newDropS1→S2 < oldDropS1→S2: then we can conclude that the NEW step improves the conversion rate as it reduces the subsequent drop in the flow.

We can now draw a conclusion from this analysis. Adding a step at the beginning of a sequence of steps will likely reduce the overall conversion rate unless the first added step motivates users significantly enough to continue their journey. Only then will the gains in subsequent steps outweigh the loss in the initial transition.

Now let’s take a generic case to handle adding an extra step at the beginning of your flow whatever the number of steps.

The conclusion we drew is still valid, however, the new equation will be:

Where:

● Step 1 is the new step added to the flow.

● Steps 2 to n: represent the old flow.

2. Adding a step in the middle

Firstly, let’s illustrate with a step-by-step breakdown:

In this scenario, the addition of the new step in the middle has a neutral impact on the conversion rate. The additional drop is balanced by a reduction in the drop on the next transitions, resulting in no significant change in the overall conversion rate.

And now, let’s consider a generic scenario where we add a step right in the middle of the user journey.

There are two situations where the conversion rate won’t necessarily decrease:

1. The sequence allows skipping steps: If the flow or the process permits users to skip one or more steps, the conversion rate may not take a hit.

2. The New step motivates users significantly enough to continue their journey: If the newly inserted step is so engaging and motivating that it encourages users to continue, then the gains in the subsequent stages could outweigh any losses in the new transition.

To make the equation clear, we need to look at this illustration:

Let’s break down the different drops:

● The New Drop from Step k to k’ (newDrop k→k’): This is the percentage of users who abandon the journey between Step k and new Step k’.

● The New Drop from Step k’ to k+1 (newDrop k’→k+1): This is the percentage of users who abandon the journey between the new Step k’ and Step k+1.

● The new total of the drops from Step k+1 to n (newDrops k+1→n): This is the percentage of users who abandon the journey between Step k+1 and Step n.

● The Old Drop from Step k to k+1 (oldDrop k→k+1): This represents the percentage of users who are used to abandoning the journey between the original Steps k and k+1 (before we add the extra step k’). It should be equal to newDrop k→k’ as users at step k are not yet aware of the newly added step k’.

● The old total of the drops from Step k+1 to n (oldDrops k+1→n): This is the percentage of users who are used to abandoning the journey between Step k+1 and Step n.

So we have 2 cases:

● Case1: newDrop k→k’ + newDrop k’→k+1 + newDrops k+1→n < oldDrop k→k+1 + oldDrops k+1→n

● Case2: newDrop k→k’ + newDrop k’→k+1 + newDrops k+1→n > oldDrop k→k+1 + oldDrops k+1→n

In simple terms, we need to see whether the new step reduces or doesn’t reduce the drop-off rate from the step before it (Step k) to the last step. Otherwise, adding that step in the middle will negatively impact the conversion rate.

3. Adding a step at the end

The final piece of the puzzle – when you add a step at the very end of a user journey –  typically lowers the conversion rate.

In simpler terms, if you tack on an unnecessary final step, it’s likely to make things more complicated for users and reduce the conversion rate.

Conclusion

In our journey through user flow optimization, we’ve looked at adding steps at the start, middle, and end of a user’s path. Here’s what we’ve found:

● Adding a step at the beginning or in the middle can work if it motivates users to continue their journey.

● But in the end, adding an extra step usually hurts.

Simplicity is key in user experience. People want things to be straightforward when they use websites or apps.

So, when you think about adding a step, make sure it makes things better, not worse. That way, you can create user-friendly experiences that get the results you want while making your users happy.