SUMMARY
Purpose: Funnel & Conversion Metrics help UX teams quantify user behaviours and identify points of friction in digital journeys
Design Thinking Phase: Test
Time: Continuous tracking (set-up in 1–2 hours, then monitored weekly/monthly)
Difficulty: ⭐⭐
When to use:After launching a key user flow or featureWhen users drop off unexpectedly in an e-commerce or SaaS journeyBefore or after A/B or multivariate testing to validate assumptions
What it is
Funnel & Conversion Metrics are quantitative UX research methods that track user progression through key flows such as sign-up, onboarding, checkout, or task completion. By measuring how many users proceed from step to step—and where they drop—you gain clear behavioural indicators of friction points. This method transforms usability questions into measurable performance signals.
📺 Video by NNgroup. Embedded for educational reference.
Why it matters
Quantifying behaviour shifts the conversation from “I think users are confused here” to “70% of users abandon the flow at Step 3”. Funnel metrics equip teams with hard data, aligning PMs, engineers, and executives around what’s working—and what’s blocking adoption. They’re especially powerful when combined with qualitative research to reveal the ‘what’ and the ‘why’ behind behaviours.
When to use
- To evaluate real-world usability of flows after launch
- When seeking data to support A/B test outcomes or redesign proposals
- To prioritise roadmap efforts within the conversion pipeline
Benefits
- Rich Insights: Provides clear behavioural patterns, supporting hypothesis validation
- Flexibility: Can be applied to high-traffic or low-volume journeys, at any stage
- User Empathy: Helps identify frustration bottlenecks you may not see in prototypes
How to use it
- Define a key user journey such as onboarding, booking, checkout, etc.
- Break it into clear, trackable funnel steps (e.g. “Land on page → Click CTA → Fill form → Submit”)
- Instrument the steps using your analytics tool (e.g. Amplitude, GA4, Mixpanel)
- Monitor conversion rates across steps weekly or after relevant changes
- Layer in filters such as device type, user segment, traffic source, or A/B variant
- Investigate steep drop-offs by reviewing session replays or conducting qualitative interviews
Example Output
Example: A fictional funnel for a redesigned sign-up flow on a fintech app.
- Page Visit: 100% (25,000 users)
- CTA Clicked (Start Free Trial): 72%
- Form Started: 59%
- Form Submitted: 38%
- Email Verified: 14%
This indicates critical drop-offs between submission and verification, suggesting UX or technical barriers post-form. Further investigation prompted a redesign of the email confirmation and real-time feedback during verification.
Common Pitfalls
- Tracking too broadly: Without clear micro-conversions, insights become vague
- Misinterpreting the data: Funnels show what users did, not why—combine with qualitative
- Infrequent review: Funnel metrics work best when monitored frequently during experiments
10 Design-Ready AI Prompts for Funnel & Conversion Metrics – UX/UI Edition
How These Prompts Work (C.S.I.R. Framework)
Each of the templates below follows the C.S.I.R. method — a proven structure for writing clear, effective prompts that get better results from ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, or any other LLM.
C.S.I.R. stands for:
- Context: Who you are and the UX situation you're working in
- Specific Info: Key design inputs, tasks, or constraints the AI should consider
- Intent: What you want the AI to help you achieve
- Response Format: The structure or format you want the AI to return (e.g. checklist, table, journey map)
Level up your career with smarter AI prompts.Get templates used by UX leaders — no guesswork, just results.Design faster, research smarter, and ship with confidence.First one’s free. Unlock all 10 by becoming a member.
Prompt Template 1: “Audit a Conversion Funnel Step-by-Step”
Audit a Conversion Funnel Step-by-Step
Context: You are a UX Lead analysing a product's key conversion funnel across mobile and desktop.
Specific Info: The journey spans 5 steps from “Landing Page” to “Confirmation”, with 40% drop-off between Step 2 and 3.
Intent: Identify contributing UX and cognitive barriers causing friction between steps.
Response Format: Deliver insights in a table with columns: Funnel Step, Observed Drop-off %, Friction Hypothesis, Suggested Fix.
If segment data or platform issues may vary, ask for clarification.
Then, suggest one qualitative method to validate your assumptions.
Prompt Template 2: “Map User Emotions Across Conversion Steps”
Map User Emotions Across Conversion Steps
Context: You are a UX Researcher supporting a redesign of a 4-step sign-up flow.
Specific Info: Users frequently abandon the process after being asked for payment info.
Intent: Generate an emotional journey map to reveal potential triggers for abandonment.
Response Format: A table of steps with corresponding predicted user emotions, friction points, and UX copy tone suggestions.
Ask for access to survey or behavioural data if needed.
Then, suggest a follow-up test or message experiment to reduce user resistance.
Prompt Template 3: “Compare Funnel Completion by Segment”
Compare Funnel Completion by Segment
Context: You’re a Product Designer improving sign-up for a SaaS tool with users across personas: Solo, Team, and Org.
Specific Info: The funnel is underperforming for “Org” personas despite high ad conversion.
Intent: Identify segment-specific blockers and design tweaks to increase onboarding success.
Response Format: Use a table showing persona, funnel drop-off reason, and suggested onboarding improvement.
If user personas are unclear, list assumptions and ask clarifying questions.
Then, suggest one metric for validation after changes.
Prompt Template 4: “Get Copy Suggestions for Funnel Drop-offs”
Get Copy Suggestions for Funnel Drop-offs
Context: You are a UX Writer optimising a subscription checkout flow with high hesitance at the price disclosure step.
Specific Info: Current language is transactional and lacks benefit framing.
Intent: Reframe the messaging to reduce friction and improve perceived value.
Response Format: Provide 3 UX copy variations, each with rationale and optimal use case.
Ask what pricing model or plan context should be considered.
Then, offer a follow-up test idea (e.g. copy vs layout) to validate.
Prompt Template 5: “Design a Funnel Tracking Plan”
Design a Funnel Tracking Plan
Context: You're a UX designer collaborating with data analysts to track onboarding behaviour.
Specific Info: The product is mobile-first with 3 SKUs, and recent flows aren’t tagged properly.
Intent: Recommend funnel event tracking setup for clean, actionable funnel data.
Response Format: A table with Funnel Step, Suggested Event Name, and Parameter Notes.
Ask whether the company is using GA4, Mixpanel, or Amplitude.
Then, propose one dashboard view to monitor trends post-setup.
Prompt Template 6: “Write a Nudge Strategy for Funnel Retention”
Write a Nudge Strategy for Funnel Retention
Context: You are a Product Designer aiming to re-engage users abandoning midway through a 5-step insurance quote tool.
Specific Info: Abandonments spike at Step 3 where personal details are required.
Intent: Propose micro-interaction nudges to reduce exits and restore flow confidence.
Response Format: A list of 5 nudges with goal, trigger, and success metric.
Ask if notifications or live support are in scope.
Then, suggest a follow-up idea using progressive disclosure.
Prompt Template 7: “Summarise Funnel Testing Insights”
Summarise Funnel Testing Insights
Context: You're presenting to senior leadership after running 3 A/B tests across the purchase funnel.
Specific Info: Each test affected different steps, with varying uplift results.
Intent: Compile an executive-ready summary of the key quantitative findings.
Response Format: A bulleted briefing with funnel step, test variant, result %, and design takeaway.
Ask for access to the full test logs if needed.
Then, provide one recommendation to scale a high-performing variant.
Prompt Template 8: “Generate Hypotheses for Funnel Drop-offs”
Generate Hypotheses for Funnel Drop-offs
Context: You’re a Senior UX Designer reviewing conversion analytics post-feature launch.
Specific Info: Signup completions declined 15% after UI update, despite improved performance.
Intent: List plausible UX hypotheses explaining the sudden decline in conversion rate.
Response Format: A numbered list with hypothesis, supporting rationale, and test idea.
Ask what changed in the layout, messaging, or timing.
Then, recommend one low-cost test before rollback.
Prompt Template 9: “Draft a UI Experiment Plan”
Draft a UI Experiment Plan
Context: You work at a DTC brand and want to A/B test call-to-action designs on the mobile checkout page.
Specific Info: Proposed variants involve changing button copy, colour, and label hierarchy.
Intent: Design a sound experiment plan with valid metrics and minimal bias.
Response Format: A table or checklist covering hypothesis, variants, primary metric, and guardrails.
Request baseline performance benchmarks if not provided.
Then, suggest test duration and confidence target.
Prompt Template 10: “Benchmark Funnel Metrics by Industry”
Benchmark Funnel Metrics by Industry
Context: You’re auditing the onboarding flow of a legaltech platform and need a benchmark for sign-up conversion.
Specific Info: The legal sector has longer setup flows due to compliance.
Intent: Get estimated funnel benchmarks for regulated vs consumer apps.
Response Format: A comparative table with step examples, avg conversion %, and UX notes.
Ask for clarification on target market (B2B or B2C).
Then, suggest one UX pattern that aligns to high-converting flows.
Recommended Tools
- Mixpanel – Event-based funnel analytics tool
- Amplitude – Product analytics with user journey segmentation
- Smartlook or Hotjar – Session recordings and heatmaps for qualitative follow-up
- Google Analytics 4 (GA4) – Free and widely integrated funnel builder for web and apps
