I think if I were going to reiterate on the concept, I would probably go with getting rid of the "balance the ball" goal and replace it with a "launch the ball as far into space as possible" goal, since, as you say, people seemed to enjoy doing that more than keeping the ball from dropping.
A highscore for height achieved could be added, but players could further challenge themselves by trying to flip the ball up onto further platforms they could control, eventually trying to reach the top of some kind of structure (kinda like Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy). They'd have to start again if the ball dropped.
Thank you for the feedback! Much appreciated :)