Easy to use · Basket and checkout
People can't tell how many steps are left
People are more likely to finish when they know how much is left. Not knowing makes some give up.
- Applies to
- checkouts, sign-up pages
- Typical severity
- medium
- Effect on conversions
- medium
- Effort to fix
- Quick to fix
What to look for
A checkout, quote or sign-up flow with several steps and no step indicator or progress bar.
What good looks like
Steps are shown ("Step 2 of 3" or a progress bar).
How to fix it
Add a simple step counter at the top, like 'Step 2 of 3'.
Based on
- Checkout usability research
- Established usability heuristics #1 (visibility of system status)
Related checks
Easy to useYour basket hides the total or the next stepThe basket is where people check the total. If the cost or next step is unclear, they leave without buying.Easy to useShoppers have to create an account to buyBeing forced to sign up is one of the most common reasons people give up on a purchase.Easy to usePeople can't see what to do nextPeople ready to get in touch shouldn't have to hunt for how. If they can't see a next step, many will leave.
Does your site pass this check?
AgoraScan checks this and the rest of the checklist on your pages, with screenshots of anything it finds. The first scan is free.