Path Analysis

Path analysis maps the actual journeys users take through your product, showing which pages or screens they visit in sequence and where they go next at each decision point. Unlike funnel analysis that examines a predefined sequence, path analysis is exploratory, revealing the diverse ways users actually navigate rather than how you expect them to navigate.

For growth teams, path analysis uncovers navigation patterns that inform both product design and conversion optimization. AI enhances path analysis by automatically clustering the thousands of unique user paths into meaningful journey archetypes, identifying the paths most associated with positive outcomes, and detecting new navigation patterns that emerge after product changes. Growth engineers should build path analysis capabilities that can process high-volume event streams and visualize complex navigation graphs in an interpretable way. Key applications include identifying the most common paths to conversion for reinforcement, discovering unexpected shortcuts that indicate missing navigation, and finding circular patterns that suggest user confusion. Teams should compare paths across segments to understand how different user types navigate differently and use those insights to create targeted experiences for each navigation archetype.