Fullscreen-by-default case studies: +280% engagement
Test run byGrowth.DesignResearch publisher
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsGrowth.Design opened its case studies in fullscreen, distraction-free mode by default and reported a 280% increase in engagement.
Growth.Design ran this as a private experiment in 2020 and mentioned it briefly in its TikTok feed case study.
The method, sample and the meaning of engagement were not shared.
- Engagement with case studies: up 280%, per Growth.Design.
- Engagement is not defined, and no test method or sample was given.
- Treat the size of the number with caution given how little detail is available.
The change
The variant hides the site header, nav and footer by default.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
Case studies opened in the normal page view, with the site's usual navigation around them.
Variant
Case studies opened in fullscreen mode by default, hiding other parts of the site.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- Removing navigation and other links leaves fewer reasons to leave the content.
- A fullscreen story format makes each step feel like the whole screen, which may keep people clicking through.
- Growth.Design's slide-based format may suit fullscreen more than a regular article would.
Caveats: Mentioned in passing as a private 2020 experiment; method, sample and engagement definition are not given. Our database treats it as a before-and-after result.
Who ran it
Growth.Design ran this test for a UX case-study publisher and course seller and published the results (Growth.Design case study). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Read the original case study on Growth.Design →
How to run this test on your site
- Hypothesis
- If we open long-form content in a distraction-free fullscreen view by default, then readers will engage more because there are fewer exits and distractions.
- Primary metric
- Content completion rate (share reaching the end)
- Guardrails
- Lead or sign-up conversion from content
- Bounce rate
- Navigation to other pages
- Who should test it
- Lead-gen and SaaS teams using interactive or step-by-step content to build an audience. For content meant to send readers to other pages, hiding navigation may cost you those clicks.
Questions
Does fullscreen mode hurt conversions?
It can if it hides the sign-up or lead form.
Keep a clear call to action inside the fullscreen view and measure leads, not only reading time.
What counts as engagement for content?
Pick something concrete, such as reaching the last slide or time spent.
Growth.Design didn't define its metric, which makes the 280% hard to compare.