Top App Performance Metrics To Monitor

7 months ago
Top App Performance Metrics To Monitor Image

Even the most thoughtfully developed apps will need to evolve over time, and one effective way to spot opportunities for improvement is through use of app performance metrics.

App performance metrics fall into a number of different categories, and each one provides a unique look at app performance and areas for improvement. Broadly speaking, we believe it’s important to be keeping an eye on user acquisition, user engagement, and customer satisfaction.

User acquisition metrics reveal the success of your marketing efforts, monitoring things like the number of downloads and users. Engagement looks at how users interact with the app, from how long the average person spends in the app to user turnover rates. Customer satisfaction measures how successfully an app meets user expectations and the likelihood of a user recommending the app. We’ll look at each of these app performance categories and talk about some specific metrics to gauge how your app is doing in each of them.

App Performance Metrics for User Acquisition

App performance metrics related to user acquisition help you to know where to focus your marketing efforts and how to tap into new customer bases. Acquisition metrics range from app store rankings to insights on how users became aware of your app. Services like App AnnieAPPLyzer, and Adjust can help you monitor app acquisition metrics.

A primary acquisition metric is app store ranking. Ranking refers to the visibility of an app when a user searches for it in the app store. A high ranking means that an app shows up within the top search results. App ranking is increased through optimized keywords, positive user reviews, and regular updates. Ranking matters most for iOS apps because Apple uses a search algorithm that places higher ranked apps first.

Number of downloads represents another critical acquisition metric. This measurement links directly with the extent of app reach. Just like it sounds, number of downloads tracks how many users install an app onto their device. Low numbers of installations could mean that marketing campaigns need to be further tailored or that the app could use an upgrade.

It’s also useful to track the sources that lead users to discover your app, which is a metric called app attribution. Attribution provides a glimpse at the success of marketing efforts by enabling you to know what sites or promotions generated higher click-through rates and downloads.

One additional metric we like, called viralness, reveals the number of new users brought in by a typical current user. This is an especially useful metric for many social consumer apps. If you gather new users from viral sharing, rather than through direct marketing, you have a lower cost per acquisition. Viral acquisitions also tend to engage more because they interact with friends and family already vested in the app. In-app promotions that reward current users for referrals can help increase viral reach.

App Performance Metrics for User Engagement

User engagement metrics measure the value customers get when using an app. These performance metrics are worth tracking for most types of app. The data provides information about the activity level of consumers and flags potential pain points. Tracking user engagement metrics can help developers view patterns in user behavior and improve the usability of an app. Tools to track user engagement metrics include Google AnalyticsMixpanel, and Fabric.

Time factors heavily into user engagement and helps to measure the activity level of customers. Metrics for user engagement include daily, weekly, and monthly active users (DAU, WAU, MAU), which gauge the number of users within a time period. “Active” can mean anything from opening the app to posting and engaging with content. However, app experts tend to look at the ratio of DAU to MAU (known as “stickiness”) rather than the individual metrics. This ratio shows the number of days in a month that users return to the app and provides a more accurate look at active users.

Retention, one of the most important app performance metrics, shows how many users return to the app at least one time. The metic is often evaluated at 30, 60, and 90 days. While good retention rates vary by industry, it’s obvious that the higher the number, the better. It’s a strong indicator that users value the app. We talk in another post about how to keep users engaged with your app.

App churn offers the opposite performance metric to retention: percentage of discontinued users. Understanding when in the life cycle that users churn is critical to addressing potential engagement problems. If users churn soon after install, the app might have technical problems like frequent crashes or an unfixed bug. Losing long-term users can indicate that the app provides only short-term value or isn’t delivering on expectations.

Both average visit time and screen views per visit are also useful metrics in this category. Average visit time shows how long users engage with the app in one visit, while screen views per visit records the number of screens clicked in a session. Longer user sessions and more screen clicks show a high level of user engagement. Likewise, app session interval, which measures the time between two consecutive sessions, offers an additional way to measure how attached users are to your app.

App Performance Metrics for Customer Satisfaction

The final category of app performance metrics deals with customer satisfaction, which shows consumer preferences and expectations. User satisfaction metrics include user ratings and reviews, as well as in-app feedback and satisfaction surveys. Examining these metrics can show what customers want from your app and allow developers to hone features and in-app support to better meet user needs. AppbotappFigures, and Lookback all provide app metrics on customer satisfaction.

Reviews and ratings can provide incredible insights to your business about what additional features and improvements would be valuable. They also have significant power to influence acquisition. App store reviews affect app store ranking, so maintaining a positive score improves the visibility of an app. According to Apptentive’s 2016 guide on customer reviews, an app that bumps up from three stars to four experiences a 92% increase in app store conversion.

Collecting in-app feedback about bugs and usability problems can often help avert negative public posts by allowing you to quickly fix any issues. Feedback can be gathered via chat systems, email contact forms, and surveys. In-app feedback reaches customers actively using the app and requires no outside windows or web browsers, which streamlines the process for users. A particular type of in-app feedback, rating metrics, can complement customer reviews. If a user provides a positive rating, you can prompt them to leave an app store review, thereby helping your ranking.

Final Thoughts

These highlighted app performance metrics only scratch the surface of the quantitative and qualitative data you can gather about an app. With the overwhelming number of app metrics that you can track, picking and choosing what measurements are right for your app can prove difficult. Reach out to us today if you want to learn more about what metrics will deliver the most relevant information about your app.

Let’s build something together

Have an idea? We help clients bring ideas to life through custom apps for phones, tablets, wearables, and other smart devices.
Recent Posts

Business & Strategy

Learn How To Turn the Corner on Turnover in Tech

Many founders and entrepreneurs start their business because they have an itch to solve a problem, but they reach a point along the way where they’re at a turning point. This is where most businesses fail unless they turn the corner. Every leader goes through humbling moments. These are the learnings that host Kendra Prospero unearths by interviewing seasoned leaders on the How I Turned the Corner Podcast. Brad Weber, CEO and President of InspiringApps, joined the podcast to discuss turning the corner on employee turnover. Employee turnover is an important and often overlooked aspect of running a business, especially in competitive industries like tech. And every time there’s turnover, there’s cost—even in the best scenarios. In an inspiring discussion with Kendra, Brad shares his unique approach to keeping employees happy and turnover low. Watch the Full Interview Quote From the Interview “Foundational for us is definitely respect and support for one another on our team. And that goes a surprisingly long way. And it’s also not as common as I would have thought that it is, but that’s really important to us. Everybody on the team is absolutely respected for their contribution, and we want to help them grow in the ways that make sense for them—whether that’s technically or or to pick up non-technical skills that are important to them. We do all of that over the course of their career at InspiringApps.” —Brad Weber About Kendra Prospero Kendra Prospero is the CEO and Founder of Turning the Corner, LLC. For over a decade, Kendra’s career has been all about creating healthier and more rewarding work environments. She helps people connect to work they love, while transforming workplace culture to retain top talent, increase productivity, and build confident leaders. She has served hundreds of clients in revamping their corporate cultures, revitalizing their recruiting and helping them retain their people. Her clients include Google, Infusionsoft, Ricoh USA, Project Management Institute, Galvanize, Boomtown, SurveyGizmo, and SHRM Colorado.  About Brad Weber Brad Weber has more than 25 years of software development experience. Brad received his MBA from the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado and spent several years with Accenture before striking off on his own adventures, including the successful founding of four different technology companies. With a passion for software artisanship, Brad founded InspiringApps to build a team that could tackle larger app development challenges than he was able to handle on his own. His leadership creates an environment where the most innovative digital products continue to come to life. About InspiringApps App development that makes an impact. InspiringApps builds digital products that help companies impact their employees, customers, and communities. Yes, we build web, mobile, and custom apps, but what we offer is something above and beyond that. What we offer is inspiration. Our award-winning work has included 200+ apps since the dawn of the iPhone. Our core values: integrity, respect, commitment, inclusivity, and empathy. Our guarantee: finish line, every time, for every project. Get in touch at hello@InspiringApps.com. Say Hello on Social LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspiringapps/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InspiringApps  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inspiringapps/ 

6 days ago

App Design

Designing Apps for Gen Alpha

The possibilities are endless when it comes to Gen Alpha. As the most diverse generation, they are forward-thinking and brilliant innovators. Gen Alphas were born into a hyper-technological and entrepreneurial world, making them the most globally connected generation ever. This demographic has tremendous earning potential and will have the highest spending power in history. Technology is a part of daily life. Thus, Gen Alphas prioritize authentic connection and meaningful causes. In a previous post, Designing Apps for Different Generations, we looked broadly at how your generation influences your relationship to technology throughout your lifetime. Each generation has shared experiences during their formative years that help to shape collective values. These values, in turn, influence motivations, preferences, and expectations regarding technology. As you develop products aimed at this generation, understanding these values can provide insights to consider when designing for Gen Alpha. Gen Alpha Background If you can bet on any generation making big waves, it’s Generation Alpha. Born in the 21st century from 2010-2025, they’re the largest generation and most likely to live the longest. Gen Alphas are also predicted to be the most educated and wealthiest generation of all time. Born into a global pandemic, this generation has become increasingly immersed in technology and digital experiences. As a result, Gen Alphas seek authentic communication and connection more than ever. Unlike their Millennial parents, Gen Alphas frequent platforms like TikTok, Instagram Live, Houseparty, Clubhouse, and similar platforms. AI is part of their daily lives, and they frequently use technologies like Siri and Alexa (among others) from an early age. Due to shorter attention spans in our increasingly digitalized world, short, easily digestible content is imperative. Creativity and innovation are common themes among this brilliant and up-and-coming generation. This demographic has a tremendous amount of earning potential. They like to think out of the box, are incredibly technologically savvy, and value the importance of social causes. They tend to place a high value on climate change and inclusivity. Gen Alpha is a passionate group that desires to help others and improve the world around them. Gen Alpha & Technology Generation Alpha is immersed in a world of technology. According to McCrindle, Gen Alpha has more screen time than previous generations. The pandemic has only intensified technology use. With few places to go, Gen Alpha kids turned to their screens to combat their inner loneliness. One must design with authentic influence to bridge the gap between digital technology and the human experience. Gen Alpha is tired of the manufactured experience and is looking for a genuine connection that speaks to them personally. They tend to have short attention spans and are interested in fast-paced, easily-consumable media content. Due to the plethora of information available to this modern generation, Gen Alpha believes strongly in the power of data and is greatly influenced by it. Gen Alphas are enthusiastic about documenting and sharing their own content and like interacting with others digitally. Influencers can profoundly impact their purchasing decisions. Gen Alphas want customizable, meaningful digital experiences that bring them value and uplift their daily life. Considerations When Designing for Gen Alpha Authentic Influence Niche content creators greatly influence Generation Alpha. That said, this generation is bombarded with influencers and advertisements. We can expect Gen Alpha to distrust brands that seem phony or don’t have their best interests at heart. Similarly, they will likely reject traditional forms of marketing much as their Millennial parents did.  Authentic influence is critical for gaining the trust of Generation Alpha. Gen Alphas are looking for genuine connections with brands that align with their values. Raw, real-life experiences, humanized messaging, and value-based technology will be best received best by Gen Alphas. In short—less curated experiences and more authenticity. Having concentrated human-centric features will dramatically shape the Gen Alpha’s user experience.  Return on User Experience Gen Alphas invest in experiences that enrich their lives and, in turn, have high expectations for all elements of their experience. The level of transparency of taking the customer on the journey from start to finish will significantly benefit this generation. They want an immersive experience with the entire process demonstrated to them, not just a cherry-picked, glamorous experience. Leveraging interactive marketing tactics such as user-generated content allows the user to be part of an experience. Here’s a formula to constantly improve a Gen Alpha’s user experience: 1. Observe. Develop a thorough understanding of your customer journeys and pinpoint what matters most to them along the way. 2. Evaluate. Collect operational data and derive meaningful results with a key performance indicator framework. 3. Act. Use those insights to improve your app to fit the user’s preferences and desires. A rule-based action engine can help expedite and automate the process. Connected to Social Issues Generation Alpha cares deeply about social issues. Causes like climate change, diversity and inclusion, fair representation, acceptance, and sustainability will be at the forefront of their value system. They’ll be seeking out brands and technologies that combat social issues. With that in mind, be transparent about your mission, impact, and what you do to solve it. Brands looking to engage with this audience must embody and foster inclusive and accepting environments. As the most diverse generation, brands can build trust by representing their consumers authentically. Here are some questions to consider when designing for Gen Alpha: What are the demographic and psychographics of the country? How can you reduce our imprint on the environment and create a more sustainable solution? Where are there additional opportunities for broader representation? Concluding Thoughts on Designing for Gen Alpha Taking Gen Alphas’ background, needs, and technological preferences into account will help broaden your app’s reach and market potential.  Many digital products can potentially be solutions for users spanning multiple generations, so there is much to consider. In addition to our free guide, Designing Digital Products for Every Generation, we’ve highlighted key takeaways on designing digital products for Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Baby Boomers, and for all. If you have questions or concerns about designing for Gen Alpha—or any other generation—we would be happy to consult with you free of charge. Get in touch with us today!

9 days ago

Blog Categories
App Design
App Development
Business & Strategy
Client Projects
Events
InspiringApps News
Mobile Industry
Technology