CRO
Abandonment Analysis
A practical UX and analytics method for identifying where users leave key journeys before completing the intended goal.
How to use abandonment analysis to pinpoint drop-off points, uncover friction, and improve completion rates.
What it is
Abandonment analysis is a UX and analytics method used to identify where users leave a journey before completing a goal.
It focuses on glossaryDrop-offDrop-off refers to users leaving a journey before completing a desired action or reaching the next step.Open glossary term points within flows such as sign-up, checkout, or application glossaryProcessA process is a defined sequence of steps used to achieve a specific outcome.Open glossary term.
By analysing glossaryUser BehaviourUser behaviour refers to how users interact with a product, including actions, patterns, and decision-making processes.Open glossary term, it reveals where users stop, hesitate, or fail to continue.
This can include reviewing glossaryFunnelA funnel represents the stages users go through from initial interaction to completing a goal, showing how many progress or drop off at each step.Open glossary term glossaryDataData is raw, uninterpreted information collected and stored so it can be analysed, processed, or used to inform decisions. On its own it carries no meaning; context and interpretation are what make it useful.Open glossary term, glossarySession RecordingSession recording captures a user's real interactions with a product (clicks, scrolls, hesitations, and navigation) for review afterwards. It shows genuine behaviour in genuine conditions, without any ability to ask why.Open glossary term, and interaction patterns.
The focus is on identifying glossaryFrictionFriction refers to anything that slows users down or makes it harder for them to complete a task. It can be caused by poor design, unnecessary steps, unclear messaging, or technical issues.Open glossary term and understanding why users do not complete key actions.
The goal is to reduce glossaryDrop-offDrop-off refers to users leaving a journey before completing a desired action or reaching the next step.Open glossary term and improve completion rates.
Abandonment analysis is most useful when teams need clear evidence of where journeys are failing before deciding what to fix.
When to use it
Use this method when users are not completing journeys.
It is most useful when:
It is less useful when:
Abandonment analysis is often used in CRO and UX optimisation.
Key takeaway
Use abandonment analysis when you need to prioritise fixes based on where users actually stop, not where teams assume problems are.
How to run it
Set up properly
Be clear on the journey, its steps, and what completion means. Abandonment is only measurable against a defined glossarySearch IntentSearch intent is the underlying goal or purpose behind a user’s query, such as finding information, making a purchase, or navigating to a specific site.Open glossary term, so a browsing glossarySessionA session is a single period of user interaction with a product, from entry to exit within a defined timeframe.Open glossary term is not an abandonment.
Distinguish abandonment from deferral. Somebody returning three days later to complete has not abandoned anything, and single-glossarySessionA session is a single period of user interaction with a product, from entry to exit within a defined timeframe.Open glossary term measurement will record them as lost.
Run the method
Abandonment analysis focuses on leaving rather than progressing. It overlaps with guideFunnel AnalysisTracking how users move through a journey to identify drop-off points and conversion opportunities.Open guide and differs in glossarySearch IntentSearch intent is the underlying goal or purpose behind a user’s query, such as finding information, making a purchase, or navigating to a specific site.Open glossary term: you are investigating a specific loss rather than measuring flow.
- Map the journey or glossaryFunnelA funnel represents the stages users go through from initial interaction to completing a goal, showing how many progress or drop off at each step.Open glossary term as people actually experience it, including the steps you did not design.
- Identify the glossaryDrop-offDrop-off refers to users leaving a journey before completing a desired action or reaching the next step.Open glossary term points between steps, in absolute numbers as well as rates.
- Analyse where people go when they leave: back a step, to help, to a competitor's tab, or away entirely. Each implies a different cause.
- Review supporting glossaryDataData is raw, uninterpreted information collected and stored so it can be analysed, processed, or used to inform decisions. On its own it carries no meaning; context and interpretation are what make it useful.Open glossary term: glossarySession RecordingSession recording captures a user's real interactions with a product (clicks, scrolls, hesitations, and navigation) for review afterwards. It shows genuine behaviour in genuine conditions, without any ability to ask why.Open glossary term, error logs, form analytics and support contacts for the same period.
- Compare segments, since abandonment is frequently concentrated in one device or one glossaryTrafficTraffic refers to the number of users visiting a website, app, or digital product over a given period.Open glossary term source.
Focus on cause rather than rate. The abandonment figure is a symptom, and improving it without understanding it usually means moving the problem earlier.
Capture and make sense of it
The value comes from understanding the loss. After analysis, document:
- The glossaryDrop-offDrop-off refers to users leaving a journey before completing a desired action or reaching the next step.Open glossary term points with the largest absolute impact
- Likely causes, supported by evidence rather than guideInferenceWhat inference is, how it differs from training, and what product and design teams need to understand about its implications for speed, cost, and reliability.Open guide
- Findings validated with a second method before anybody redesigns
- Improvements defined specifically enough to test
Use this to define improvements you can measure. Abandonment work is where quantitative and qualitative methods are most obviously complementary.
What to look for
Focus on:
Where it goes wrong
Most issues come from:
If you don’t understand why, you can’t fix it.
What you get from it
Done properly, this method gives you:
Key takeaway
It helps you fix what’s stopping users.
Get in touch
If this sounds like something you need, we can help you analyse where users are dropping off and fix the issues that are costing you conversions.
No guesswork. No assumptions. Just clear insight into what’s going wrong.
FAQ
Common questions
A few practical answers to the questions that usually come up around this method.
What is abandonment analysis in UX?
It is a method for identifying where users leave a journey before completing it.
When should you use abandonment analysis?
Use it when users are dropping off in key flows.
What can you analyse?
Funnels, forms, checkout flows, and multi-step journeys.
How do you find the cause?
Combine analytics with qualitative methods.
Does abandonment analysis improve UX?
Yes. It helps remove friction and improve completion rates.
Quick take
If users are dropping off, don’t guess why. Analyse where and when they abandon.
Related Services
