Path Analysis

Path analysis, also called clickstream analysis, looks at the specific sequences of pages users move through, rather than evaluating individual pages in isolation. For multi-step processes, you can configure a goal funnel to see exactly what percentage, and what raw number, of users drop off at each step. This reveals not just that people are leaving, but precisely where in a journey they're leaving.

Not all drop-off points are equally significant. A high drop-out rate early in a funnel, before a user has invested much effort or commitment, is less concerning than a high drop-out rate later, after they've already invested time completing several earlier steps. Recovering users who abandon late in a process, closer to their goal, typically delivers more value than fixing an early step, because those users have already demonstrated real intent.

Losing someone on step one of five might just mean they weren't that interested to begin with. Losing them on step four means something in your design actively pushed away someone who was already most of the way to finishing.

Exercise

The scenario: An insurance company's online quote process has five steps: Basic Information, Vehicle Details, Coverage Options, Payment Details, and Confirmation. The funnel data shows the following drop-off rates: Basic Information to Vehicle Details, 15 percent drop-off; Vehicle Details to Coverage Options, 12 percent drop-off; Coverage Options to Payment Details, 58 percent drop-off; Payment Details to Confirmation, 8 percent drop-off.

Based on the principle that late-funnel drop-off is more concerning than early drop-off, which step should the team prioritize investigating first?