Make Your Numbers go Up: How to Optimize for Conversion & Retention on Mobile" - Mariya Yao, Founder & Product Strategist, Xanadu Mobile

1. HELLO. NICE TO MEET YOU.
I’m Mariya. I’m a Product Designer & Strategist
and I specialize in creating simple and lovable
products for web and mobile companies.
Today, I’m going to share some learnings about
optimizing for conversion & retention on mobile
02/2013 MARIYA YAO OPTIMIZATION FOR MOBILE STARTUP PRODUCT SUMMIT

2. 22%
of downloaded apps are
opened just one time
62%
of an app’s users are
lost after one month
Sources: http://www.localytics.com/blog
http://blog.flurry.com/
02/2013 MARIYA YAO OPTIMIZATION FOR MOBILE STARTUP PRODUCT SUMMIT

3. Source: http://www.localytics.com/blog
02/2013 MARIYA YAO OPTIMIZATION FOR MOBILE STARTUP PRODUCT SUMMIT

4. How do you get
over here?
Source: http://www.localytics.com/blog
02/2013 MARIYA YAO OPTIMIZATION FOR MOBILE STARTUP PRODUCT SUMMIT

5. global maximum
local maximum
02/2013 MARIYA YAO OPTIMIZATION FOR MOBILE STARTUP PRODUCT SUMMIT

6. Am I building the
right product?
Am I building the
product right?
02/2013 MARIYA YAO OPTIMIZATION FOR MOBILE STARTUP PRODUCT SUMMIT

7. What should we A/B test? Am I building the
What platform do we build on? right product?
How do we improve retention?
Am I building the
product right?
02/2013 MARIYA YAO OPTIMIZATION FOR MOBILE STARTUP PRODUCT SUMMIT

8. What should we A/B test? Am I building the
What platform do we build on? right product?
How do we improve retention?
Am I building the
product right?
Am I in the right market?
Where are the opportunities?
Do enough people want this?
02/2013 MARIYA YAO OPTIMIZATION FOR MOBILE STARTUP PRODUCT SUMMIT

9. What should we A/B test? Am I building the
What platform do we build on? right product?
How do we improve retention?
10x
Am I building the
product right?
10% Am I in the right market?
Where are the opportunities?
Do enough people want this?
02/2013 MARIYA YAO OPTIMIZATION FOR MOBILE STARTUP PRODUCT SUMMIT

10. BENCHMARKS
What’s the landscape look like?
BEHAVIORS
What are users doing and why?
02/2013 MARIYA YAO OPTIMIZATION FOR MOBILE STARTUP PRODUCT SUMMIT

11. How do mobile users spend their time?
App Usage in November 2012
Source: http://blog.flurry.com
02/2013 MARIYA YAO OPTIMIZATION FOR MOBILE STARTUP PRODUCT SUMMIT

12. What are the fastest growing app categories?
Source: Flurry Analytics Oct 2011 - Mar 2012 http://blog.flurry.com
02/2013 MARIYA YAO OPTIMIZATION FOR MOBILE STARTUP PRODUCT SUMMIT

13. What apps have the most loyal users?
Source: http://blog.flurry.com
02/2013 MARIYA YAO OPTIMIZATION FOR MOBILE STARTUP PRODUCT SUMMIT

14. What kind of apps make the most money?
Average Monthly Revenue
Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License
Source: Developer Economics 2012 http://www.developereconomics.com
02/2013 MARIYA YAO OPTIMIZATION FOR MOBILE STARTUP PRODUCT SUMMIT

15. Where are smartphones being adopted?
Source: http://blog.flurry.com
02/2013 MARIYA YAO OPTIMIZATION FOR MOBILE STARTUP PRODUCT SUMMIT

16. Time Spent Growth Loyalty Revenue Adoption
What are the trends? Where are the opportunities?
Where are the danger zones? Why have companies failed there?
What can people do on mobile they weren’t able to do before?
Why are people loyal to certain apps and not others?
In which markets is smartphone adoption outpacing app development?
02/2013 MARIYA YAO OPTIMIZATION FOR MOBILE STARTUP PRODUCT SUMMIT

17. BENCHMARKS
What’s the landscape look like?
BEHAVIORS
What are users doing and why?
02/2013 MARIYA YAO OPTIMIZATION FOR MOBILE STARTUP PRODUCT SUMMIT

18. CREATING vs. REPLACING
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19. 2009 2012
Check In Explore
02/2013 MARIYA YAO OPTIMIZATION FOR MOBILE STARTUP PRODUCT SUMMIT

20. 76%
of people use
their phones to
take photos
May 2010 Pre-Instagram
Source: Mobile Access 2010 http://www.pewinternet.org
02/2013 MARIYA YAO OPTIMIZATION FOR MOBILE STARTUP PRODUCT SUMMIT

21. Here’s what I did
pre-Instagram
02/2013 MARIYA YAO OPTIMIZATION FOR MOBILE STARTUP PRODUCT SUMMIT

22. Here’s what I did Be Inspired
pre-Instagram Notice a “photo-worthy” subject or moment
02/2013 MARIYA YAO OPTIMIZATION FOR MOBILE STARTUP PRODUCT SUMMIT

23. Here’s what I did Be Inspired
pre-Instagram Notice a “photo-worthy” subject or moment
Take the Photo 20 s
Navigate to Camera app, position subjects,
position phone, push “take photo” button
02/2013 MARIYA YAO OPTIMIZATION FOR MOBILE STARTUP PRODUCT SUMMIT

24. Here’s what I did Be Inspired
pre-Instagram Notice a “photo-worthy” subject or moment
Take the Photo 20 s
Navigate to Camera app, position subjects,
position phone, push “take photo” button
...if I wanted an
awesome looking
photo for free { Edit the Photo
Navigate to Photoshop app, adjust size, cropping,
colors, contrast, etc...
5m
02/2013 MARIYA YAO OPTIMIZATION FOR MOBILE STARTUP PRODUCT SUMMIT

25. Here’s what I did Be Inspired
pre-Instagram Notice a “photo-worthy” subject or moment
Take the Photo 20 s
Navigate to Camera app, position subjects,
position phone, push “take photo” button
...if I wanted an
awesome looking
photo for free { Edit the Photo
Navigate to Photoshop app, adjust size, cropping,
colors, contrast, etc...
5m
Post to Facebook 4m
Navigate to app, click on “upload a photo”, select
photo, from gallery, click “post”, wait for upload
02/2013 MARIYA YAO OPTIMIZATION FOR MOBILE STARTUP PRODUCT SUMMIT

26. Here’s what I did Be Inspired
pre-Instagram Notice a “photo-worthy” subject or moment
Take the Photo 20 s
Navigate to Camera app, position subjects,
position phone, push “take photo” button
...if I wanted an
awesome looking
photo for free { Edit the Photo
Navigate to Photoshop app, adjust size, cropping,
colors, contrast, etc...
5m
Post to Facebook 4m
Navigate to app, click on “upload a photo”, select
photo, from gallery, click “post”, wait for upload
Get Feedback 10 m
Get social validation through likes and comments
and be motivated to repeat my action
02/2013 MARIYA YAO OPTIMIZATION FOR MOBILE STARTUP PRODUCT SUMMIT

27. {
Be Inspired
Notice a “photo-worthy” subject or moment
Take the Photo 20 s
Navigate to Camera app, position subjects,
position phone, push “take photo” button
20 Edit the Photo 5m
Navigate to Photoshop app, adjust size, cropping,
m colors, contrast, etc...
Post to Facebook 4m
Navigate to app, click on “upload a photo”, select
photo, from gallery, click “post”, wait for upload
Get Feedback 10 m
Get social validation through likes and comments
and be motivated to repeat my action
02/2013 MARIYA YAO OPTIMIZATION FOR MOBILE STARTUP PRODUCT SUMMIT

28. Be Inspired
Notice a “photo-worthy” subject or moment
{
Take the Photo 20 s
Navigate to Camera app, position subjects,
position phone, push “take photo” button
1m Edit the Photo
Navigate to Photoshop app, adjust size, cropping,
colors, contrast, etc...
5m
Post to Facebook 4m
Navigate to app, click on “upload a photo”, select
photo, from gallery, click “post”, wait for upload
Get Feedback 10 m
Get social validation through likes and comments
and be motivated to repeat my action
02/2013 MARIYA YAO OPTIMIZATION FOR MOBILE STARTUP PRODUCT SUMMIT

29. More subjects are
now “photo-worthy” { Be Inspired
Notice a “photo-worthy” subject or moment
{
Take the Photo 20 s
Navigate to Camera app, position subjects,
position phone, push “take photo” button
1m Edit the Photo
Navigate to Photoshop app, adjust size, cropping,
colors, contrast, etc...
5m
Post to Facebook 4m
Navigate to app, click on “upload a photo”, select
photo, from gallery, click “post”, wait for upload
Cooler pictures get
more feedback faster { Get Feedback
Get social validation through likes and comments
and be motivated to repeat my action
10 m
02/2013 MARIYA YAO OPTIMIZATION FOR MOBILE STARTUP PRODUCT SUMMIT

30. 10x BETTER
vs
Awesome Photos Instant Sharing Love and Adoration
02/2013 MARIYA YAO OPTIMIZATION FOR MOBILE STARTUP PRODUCT SUMMIT

31. Are you solving a
PROBLEM or NUISANCE?
02/2013 MARIYA YAO OPTIMIZATION FOR MOBILE STARTUP PRODUCT SUMMIT

32. Will enough people
be interested?
02/2013 MARIYA YAO OPTIMIZATION FOR MOBILE STARTUP PRODUCT SUMMIT

33. Say you want to create a
“Facebook Events for Mobile”
Sources: http://techcrunch.com/2013/01/04/how-many-mobile-users-does-facebook-have/
02/2013 MARIYA YAO OPTIMIZATION FOR MOBILE STARTUP PRODUCT SUMMIT

34. Say you want to create a
“Facebook Events for Mobile”
~600 million MAU on mobile
Sources: http://techcrunch.com/2013/01/04/how-many-mobile-users-does-facebook-have/
02/2013 MARIYA YAO OPTIMIZATION FOR MOBILE STARTUP PRODUCT SUMMIT

35. Say you want to create a
“Facebook Events for Mobile”
~600 million MAU on mobile
~147 million MAU on iOS
Sources: http://techcrunch.com/2013/01/04/how-many-mobile-users-does-facebook-have/
02/2013 MARIYA YAO OPTIMIZATION FOR MOBILE STARTUP PRODUCT SUMMIT

36. ~600 million MAU on mobile
~147 million MAU on iOS
In a survey of 300+ random Facebook users:
71% had never RSVPed for an event
96% had never created an event
Most of the 4% who created events
created <5 events per year
Sources: http://techcrunch.com/2013/01/04/how-many-mobile-users-does-facebook-have/
02/2013 MARIYA YAO OPTIMIZATION FOR MOBILE STARTUP PRODUCT SUMMIT

37. ~600 million MAU on mobile
~147 million MAU on iOS
In a survey of 300 random Facebook users:
71% had never RSVPed for an event
96% had never created an event
Most of the 4% who created events
created <5 events per year
~5.88 million event creators
who might use your iOS app
Sources: http://techcrunch.com/2013/01/04/how-many-mobile-users-does-facebook-have/
02/2013 MARIYA YAO OPTIMIZATION FOR MOBILE STARTUP PRODUCT SUMMIT

38. Understand behaviors Am I building the
& benchmarks right product?
Am I building the
product right?
02/2013 MARIYA YAO OPTIMIZATION FOR MOBILE STARTUP PRODUCT SUMMIT

39. THANKS FOR LISTENING
Say hi or send questions to:
mariya@xanadumobile.com
And you can find the slides at:
xanadumobile.com/startupproduct
02/2013 MARIYA YAO OPTIMIZATION FOR MOBILE STARTUP PRODUCT SUMMIT