Pattern #9: Multiple Steps

Pattern #9  Tested 14 timesFirst tested by Kyle Rush Recently tested by Alexander Krieger on Sep 25, 2023

Based on 14 Tests, Members See How Likely Version B Wins Or Loses And By How Much

LOSSES
-5
-4
-3
-2
-1
FLAT
+1
+2
+3
+4
+5
WINS

Measured by the sum of negative and positive tests.

A B
Multiple Steps (Variant A) Multiple Steps (Variant B)

Expected Median Effects Of B

?

Progression

(5 tests)

?

Leads

(5 tests)

?

Signups

(2 tests)

-

Engagement

?

Sales

(6 tests)

?

Revenue

(1 tests)

-

Retention

-

Referrals

?

ANY PRIMARY

(14 tests)

Tests

Pattern #9: Multiple Steps
Was Tested by Alex James

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Test # 236 by $conducted_test->test->user_->first_name . ' ' . $conducted_test->test->user_->last_name Alex James    Apr 04, 2019 Test link

Find Out How It Did With 282,316 Visitors

  • Measured by successful registrations

In this experiment a single screen signup process was broken into 2 separate steps: account creation & details.

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The Same Pattern Was Also Tested Here

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Test # 495 on Formelskin.de by $conducted_test->test->user_->first_name . ' ' . $conducted_test->test->user_->last_name Alexander Krieger    Sep 25, 2023 Test link

Find Out How It Did With 8,280 Visitors

  • Measured by next step visits (post shipping)

  • Measured by product purchases

In this experiment two sections of a form on a single page (control) were broken out into 2 separate steps (variation). The two sections included personal details and shipping information. This step appeared after having received a product recommendation when filling out a questionnaire for a skin care product. Impact on next step progression and purchases was measured.

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Test # 490 Aug 17, 2023 Test link

Find Out How It Did With 3,955 Visitors

  • Measured by checkout visits

  • Measured by total purchases

In this experiment, a section dedicated to choosing gift messages was taken out and separated into its own individial step. The change happened on the first step of a checkout flow and increased the flow by an additional step. Impact on checkouts and total sales was measured.

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Test # 435 on Volders.de by $conducted_test->test->user_->first_name . ' ' . $conducted_test->test->user_->last_name Daria Kurchinskaia    Oct 17, 2022 Test link

Find Out How It Did With 139,608 Visitors

  • Measured by completed purchases

In this experiment, a question about a customer's reason for purchase was broken out into a separate step and moved earlier in the process. In the control, this question was asked in the final checkout step along with a plan selection (Step 4 of 4). In the variation, this question was shifted as a standalone first step (Step 1 of 5). Impact on completed purchases was measured (for a contract cancellation service in this case).

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Test # 426 on Phorest.com by $conducted_test->test->user_->first_name . ' ' . $conducted_test->test->user_->last_name Sorcha Mullis    Aug 09, 2022 Test link

Find Out How It Did With 88,974 Visitors

  • Measured by completed form

In this experiment, a single step popup modal was tested against a 4 step sign up funnel. Users entered the experiment on the homepage and the behavior of the two buttons, book a demo and get a quote, was adjusted. Impact on leads was measured.

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Test # 374 on Expertinstitute.... by $conducted_test->test->user_->first_name . ' ' . $conducted_test->test->user_->last_name Ardit Veliu    Sep 15, 2021 Test link

Find Out How It Did With 5,628 Visitors

  • Measured by completed form

In this experiment, a lead form with numerous fields shown all at once, was broken down into 3 steps. The first step only asked for a Specialty choice that expanded into a list of options. Impact on full form completions was measured.

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Test # 345 on Getninjas.com.br by $conducted_test->test->user_->first_name . ' ' . $conducted_test->test->user_->last_name Rodolfo Lugli    Mar 29, 2021 Test link

Find Out How It Did With 401,145 Visitors

  • Measured by form interactions

  • Measured by form submissions on last step

In this experiment, a single long form was broken into at least 3 steps. 

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Test # 61 by $conducted_test->test->user_->first_name . ' ' . $conducted_test->test->user_->last_name Someone    Jun 26, 2020 Test link

Find Out How It Did With 8,886 Visitors

  • Measured by successful transactions

In this experiment, a single screen checkout was turned into a series of smaller steps in variation B. This was achieved by showing fewer fields on the first step, and shifting the remaining ones into a 3 step modal popup. The experiment measured successful transactions (sales).

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Test # 286 on Volders.de by $conducted_test->test->user_->first_name . ' ' . $conducted_test->test->user_->last_name Alexander Krieger    Feb 28, 2020 Test link

Find Out How It Did With 67,999 Visitors

  • Measured by final payment button clicks

  • Measured by successful cancellations

In this experiment, a long contract cancellation landing page (control) was broken down into 4 steps with 1 final summary step (variation).

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Test # 273 Elevate App by $conducted_test->test->user_->first_name . ' ' . $conducted_test->test->user_->last_name Jesse Germinario    Dec 19, 2019 Test link

Find Out How It Did With 152,381 Visitors

  • Measured by 14 day trial starts (delayed payment)

This experiment tests the impact of a different paywall screen on iOS. The current control paywall screen for 100% of iOS users was the animated pro screen. In this screen, users see an animation that gives shows glimpses of several Elevate games in action, as well as a bulleted list of key selling points for Pro. The proposed change (variant B) features a swipeable carousel of pages where each page has an image and some accompanying text explaining a different benefit of subscribing to Pro. The hypothesis is that we can lift conversion by showing users the alternate swiping paywall screen.

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Test # 91 on 3dhubs.com by $conducted_test->test->user_->first_name . ' ' . $conducted_test->test->user_->last_name Rob Draaijer    Jan 01, 2017 Test link

Find Out How It Did With 54,916 Visitors

  • Measured by quote process starts

  • Measured by successful quote orders placed

In this experiment, a long form with multiple steps was broken down into a progressive interaction form. In the B variant, as users would complete particular steps, new ones would be communicated subtly and finally come into full view.

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Test # 66 on Telestream.net by $conducted_test->test->user_->first_name . ' ' . $conducted_test->test->user_->last_name Chris Goward    Nov 01, 2016 Test link

Find Out How It Did With 7,610 Visitors

  • Measured by visits to post-payment

Telestream specializes in software that make it possible to get video content to any audience regardless of how it is created, distributed, or viewed. Telestream’s customer acquisition strategy is centered around driving traffic to their website to trial, or to purchase from their online store. Shoppers can buy software online, download it right away, and immediately start using it. The variation was designed with the same information as the control except spread across 4 steps (instead of 3). The rationale was that each step would be shorter and less overwhelming for the user.

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Test # 1 by $conducted_test->test->user_->first_name . ' ' . $conducted_test->test->user_->last_name Oskar Zabik    May 01, 2015 Test link

Find Out How It Did With 18,081 Visitors

  • Measured by visits to final thank you page

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Test # 129 on Barackobama.com by $conducted_test->test->user_->first_name . ' ' . $conducted_test->test->user_->last_name Kyle Rush    Jun 01, 2012 Test link

Variation B Was Better

Source: kylerush.net/blog/optimization-at-the-obama-campaign-ab-testing/

Kyle's team changed a donation form for the Barack Obama 2012 campaign from a single step to a 4 step one. The 4 steps were: amount, personal information, billing information and occupation/employer.

"Our plan was to separate the field groups into four smaller steps so that users did not feel overwhelmed by the length of the form." - Kyle Rush

For each pattern, we measure three key data points derived from related tests:

REPEATABILITY - this is a measure of how often a given pattern has generated a positive or negative effect. The higher this number, the more likely the pattern will continue to repeat.

SHALLOW MEDIAN - this is a median effect measured with low intent actions such as initiating the first step of a lengthier process

DEEP MEDIAN - this is derived from the highest intent metrics that we have for a given test such as fully completed signups or sales.