Gaming App Funnel Experiment – Understanding Drop-Off After Ad Click

I decided to click a gaming ad from my Instagram feed as part of my growth marketing practice so I could study what exactly happens after a user shows intent by clicking.

The page loaded and something felt immediately off about the transition from the ad to the app page.

I stayed on the first screen longer than I normally would and simply looked at everything without scrolling right away.

There was a game logo, a star rating, several screenshots, some text, and an install button placed in front of me.

Everything that is usually present on a game page was there.

Still, I did not feel any closer to actually playing a game.

It felt like I had arrived inside a product catalogue rather than at the entrance to a playable experience.

So the first note I wrote down was very clear.

The ad delivers a sense of motion and energy, but the page delivers a structured product listing.

Then I asked myself directly, without overthinking it:

“If this finished installing right now, would I actually open it?”

The answer came instantly.

No.

Then I tried to understand the game at a very basic level without getting lost in details.

What do I actually do in this game when I open it for the first time?

I looked at the screenshots again, more carefully this time.

They were visually polished, professionally framed, and well-lit, but they did not resemble the way real gameplay usually looks on a phone.

They looked like selected promotional moments rather than normal gameplay.

So I wrote that the screenshots felt more designed than lived.

Then I moved to the description and started reading properly.

There were many lines talking about rewards, characters, updates, and special features.

But there was no single sentence that told me clearly what action I would be performing as a player.

“the page spoke endlessly about features while staying vague about the actual experience.”

Then I looked at the install button again.

It did not create curiosity.

It did not create urgency.

It simply existed as part of the layout with no emotional weight attached to it.

“ the button had presence but no influence.”

Then I paid attention to what was happening inside my head.

I had stopped reading fully.

I had stopped focusing altogether.

I moved from reading into scanning without realizing it.

That was the exact point where most users are already mentally gone.

Then I went back and watched the ad one more time.

The ad showed movement and intensity.

The page responded with order and structure.

The ad felt alive.

The page felt arranged.

So I wrote that the page neutralises the energy created by the ad.

At this point I started changing things, one layer at a time.

The first thing I changed was the top section.

It was crowded.

So I wiped everything from it in and kept only one element.

Gameplay.

Only one real gameplay clip running the moment the page loaded.

No scrolling needed.

No choices yet.

Just the game in action.

That single change already made a noticeable difference in my attention.

Then I moved to the text and removed all the feature-based explanations.

In place of all those words - one short, clear line explaining what the player does.

Something simple that describes actual gameplay instead of promise.

This made the game understandable within seconds instead of minutes.

Then I changed the action button.

I replaced “Install” with:

“Play your first round.”

That small change altered how I felt about clicking.

Installing feels official.

Playing feels immediate.

Then I turned my attention toward the screenshots.

I removed the perfect ones.

I replaced with screenshots taken from real moments.

Mid-battle frames.

Low health screens.

Real interface clutter.

Normal player situations.

The page started feeling more believable the moment the images stopped looking staged.

Then I rearranged the information layout.

Instead of showing everything together, I kept it in a flow.

Gameplay first.

Explanation of controls next.

Characters and rewards after that.

Reviews further down.

Technical details at the very bottom.

The page finally felt readable.

Then I asked the same question again.

“If this finished installing right now, would I open it?”

This time the answer changed.

Yes.

It was not because the page looked prettier, but because the game finally made sense.

I did not adjust the ad.

I did not modify the product.

I only changed the way the experience was introduced.

Observation:

People don’t install games they don’t understand.

Clarity creates confidence faster than features ever will.

A polished experience attracts attention, but an understandable one earns action.

Expected outcomes from these changes:

More installs.

Logic? - The game becomes understandable within seconds. People no longer need to imagine what they will be doing; they can see it immediately. When gameplay is clear and visible, hesitation reduces and action feels safer.

Lower abandonment rates.

Logic?- Confusion is removed from the first screen. When users understand what they are looking at, they stop panic-scrolling and stay longer instead of leaving silently.

Higher trust.

Logic? - The page starts showing real gameplay instead of polished marketing visuals. Honest screens and clear explanations reduce doubt and make the experience feel more real, predictable, and reliable.

This entire experiment had nothing to do with traffic.

It had everything to do with how the first impression was constructed.

Note: This is a direct raw extract from my personal Notion notes. Only conclusions are documented on a separate page. This experiment is practice-based, all scenarios are assumed, and AI was used wherever required during learning.