> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://eval.playbook.org.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://eval.playbook.org.ai/product-analytics/running-the-evaluation/why-arent-users-engaging.md). # Why Aren’t Users Engaging? If your funnel metrics reveal low uptake or drop-off, a process evaluation (PE, [see primer here](/level-linkages/linkage-across-levels/process-evaluations.md)) can diagnose the cause and inform product iteration before progressing to Level 3. A process evaluation at this stage interrogates the assumptions in your theory of change about the user: what they know, what they can do, and what conditions need to be in place for them to engage as intended. Level 2 ignores the external, “real world” inputs to a social program or service (like in-person trainings or customer support) that complement a digital product. Metrics to track these in-person events are typically captured in process evaluations, conducted by Monitoring and Evaluation (M\&E) teams. We recommend reviewing process evaluation data alongside Level 2 product analytics, to better understand whether user frictions result from failures in the product, or in the associated offline services.
Funnel stageExample PE questionsMethods
AcquisitionAre the onboarding and recruitment processes delivering users to the product in ways that set up meaningful engagement — or are early frictions in the program's delivery model creating drop-off before users have a fair chance to engage?Key informant interviews; administrative data on recruitment or referral sources
Engagement & RetentionWhat barriers (e.g. literacy demands, connectivity constraints, or social and structural limits on device access) are preventing the hardest-to-reach users from progressing through the funnel?Interviews, focus groups, and/or surveys with non-adopters and early lapsed users from underserved subgroups
Document what product changes are made in response, and re-run the relevant funnel metrics afterward to confirm the bottleneck has been resolved. {% hint style="success" icon="star" %} **Note:** **This playbook can be used directly with AI tools like Claude, ChatGPT, and NotebookLM.** \ [***Explore how***** >**](/additional-resources/using-the-playbook-with-ai-tools.md) {% endhint %} ***
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