Interpreting Funnel Analysis Results
Funnel analysis is a valuable tool for analyzing user behavior, enabling you to make data-driven decisions about how to improve the user experience and optimize user engagement (see overview).
Loops uses visualizations to present this data in a visually engaging, step-by-step format – so you can easily identify areas where users are dropping off or experiencing difficulties, as well as which users are more likely to do so.
For each visualization, any time numbers are displayed in tabular form, you can alternate between percentages and raw numbers – simply hover over the column name and toggle between “%” and “#”. Meanwhile, any time you see an illustration of a full funnel, you can toggle between the “Previous” and “Initial” view to alternate between the type of conversion data you’re seeing (learn more).
To view a funnel analysis you have created in Loops, go to the "Analyses” page and click to open the relevant one.
“Funnel Overview”
The first visualization in a funnel analysis shows the quantity or percentage of users who completed each step in the funnel and the entire funnel itself. Each conversion rate is based on either the number of users who initiated the funnel by completing the first step (“Initial” view) or the number of users who completed the previous step (“Previous” view).
As you can see above, the shape of the visualization varies in accordance with the completion rate for each step. And at the right-end of the funnel, you can see the full-funnel conversion rate (the percentage of Total Users who completed the funnel within the specified “Time frame”.)
“Conversion by Step”
The “Conversion by Step” visualization shows how the conversion rate of each step in the funnel changes over time. This enables you to identify trends and determine whether conversion rates are increasing or decreasing over time.
Each step is represented by a different-colored line, and conversion is plotted on a weekly basis. You may filter the visualization by segment(s) in order to examine conversion behavior for specific population(s). You may also use the toggle at the top-right corner to alternate between a line graph and grid format.
In this visualization, you can choose whether conversion is based on the number of users who initiated the funnel, or the number of users who completed each step (see “Previous” vs. “Initial” views”).
“Conversion By Segment”
The “Conversion by Segment” visualization shows the conversion rate for each segment of the population, for each step in the funnel or the full funnel itself (“Funnel CVR”). This enables you to identify overperforming or underperforming segments.
Here’s how it looks when you have selected the “CVR by Segment” tab and the “CVR” view.
The colored dot next to each number indicates how far the conversion rate is from the average for that column (a.k.a. the entire population). Green signals overperformance, while red signals underperformance.
If you toggle to the “Change” view, you’ll see how the conversion rate for each segment for a specific step changed from that step's general conversion rate. Again, the color of each dot indicates the significance of the change.
Next, if you click the second tab (“{Funnel Name} Funnel by Segment”, you’ll see all this data in a funnel format, as illustrated below:
This visualization shows the conversion rate for each segment along every step of the funnel. Each segment is color-coded, as per the legend at the bottom of the visualization.
💡How to interpret the above funnel visualization
If you’re looking at this funnel in “Previous” view, as above:
- For the segment “Platform - Adobe XD”, 0.29% of users who completed the step “Signup” went on to complete the step “Create New Project”.
- For the segment “Platform - Adobe XD”, 5.88% of users who completed the Step “Create New Project” went on to complete “Save New Project”.
“Time Between Steps”
The “Time Between Steps'' visualization shows how long it took users to convert from one step to the next in a funnel. You may toggle between “average time” and “median time”. “Converted” refers to users who performed the final step of the funnel, and “Non-converted” refers to users who did not perform the final step of the funnel.
The "Funnel Completion" refers to the time it took users to complete all the steps in the funnel.
In the below example, users who converted (performed the last step of the funnel) took an average of 31 minutes and 45 seconds to move from “Signup” to “Plugin Export”.
The “Change” column indicates the percentage difference between “Converted” and “Non-converted” users. So, for example, a value of -11.59% means that “Converted” users completed a particular step in 11.59% less time than “Non-converted” users.
Note that the time calculation applies to steps in the funnel pre-defined order. That means that out-of-order time between steps won't be calculated.
“Most Common Sequences”
The “Most Common Sequences” visualization shows all steps and sequences of steps that were completed by users, as well as the proportion of users who completed each one. This is expressed as a percentage of all users who initiated the funnel (a.k.a. who completed first step).
Note that this visualization does not factor in the grace period for event timestamps. Therefore, these percentages will reflect some variation in the conversation rate for each sequence of steps (compared to the first three visualizations covered in this article).
“Previous” vs. “Initial” views
The first three visualizations covered in this article show, generally speaking, how many users completed a particular step or series of steps in a funnel. When looking at these visualizations, there are two ways of viewing the data: “Initial” and “Previous”. You can toggle between these views by clicking the buttons at the top-right corner of each visualization.
To illustrate the difference between these views, we’ll use the “Funnel Overview” visualization as an example.
“Initial” view
In the below example, the “Initial” view displays the quantity or percentage of users who completed a particular step (a.k.a. converted) out of the total number of users who initiated the funnel (completed the first step).
It shows how many users performed each step, and what percentage of all users (among those who initiated the funnel) that amounts to.
“Previous” view
This view displays the quantity or percentage of users who completed a particular step (a.k.a. converted) out of the number of users who performed the previous step in the funnel.
It shows how many users performed each step, and what percentage of users who performed the previous step that amounts to.
💡It may seem counterintuitive…
In the above visualizations, you’ll see that the conversion rate for Step C is much higher in the “Initial” view (22.55%) than in the “Previous” view (5.06%). This may make you wonder: how did 22.55% of all users who initiated the funnel perform Step C, when only 5.06% of users who perform Step B went on to perform Step C?
This is because you’re looking at a non-sequential funnel analysis. Although only 173 users performed Step C after Step B, a larger number of users (3,880) performed Step C without necessarily completing Step B. In other words: users who performed Steps A and C (but not Step B) are included for the “Initial” view of Step C – but not for the “Previous” view.
When setting the parameters for a funnel analysis, you’ll indicate whether the funnel’s step ordering should be enforced in order to determine whether a full-funnel conversion occurred. This will impact the conversion rates that appear in the above visualizations and views. To learn more, see how the order of steps affects conversion.