The Anatomy of a Good Funnel

"at use-glue.com we've helped 32 startups wrestle with conversion and onboarding. I've seen the data, stared at the drop-offs, run the experiments. Funnels look different on the surface, but under the hood, they almost always resolve into the same anatomy. Here's our take: Every funnel breaks down into The Bounce, The Slide, and The Catch. Once you understand this shape, you can spot where things are normal, where they're broken, and where you should (and shouldn't) spend your time trying to optimise."

"That's usually not a UX problem - it's a lead quality problem. But here's the nuance: intent. A good example is these two message positions for GetThursday.com dating app's website: Message A: Message B: A brand promise like Message A pulls in lots of traffic but little intent. A sharper call like Message B drives users into a specific action. That's why bounce is often more about your marketing than your UX. Brand sets expectations, performance marketing sets intent."

Most funnels resolve into three stages: The Bounce, The Slide, and The Catch. The Bounce is the top where visitors land and often leave immediately, usually reflecting lead quality and intent rather than UX. Messaging that emphasizes brand draws traffic but not intent; sharper calls drive specific actions. The Slide is the middle where users should glide between steps; any drop greater than about 5% per step indicates UX problems and debt. The Catch is the final decision moment where conversion happens. Understanding these stages helps prioritize fixes: marketing for bounce, UX for slide, and targeted tactics for the catch.

Read at Medium