5 App KPI Metrics that Product Managers Underestimate
Launching a mobile app is only half the battle, because once it’s done, it’s time to dive into the numbers and make sure the app is fully optimized. Product managers are aware of the basic KPI metrics to measure for their mobile app, but there are a handful of underestimated KPI metrics that product managers need to measure as well.
KPI Metric #1: Number of unresponsive gestures
An unresponsive gesture is a mobile touch gesture that occurs on part of the app’s screen that does not have any interactive controls or functions. Touch heatmaps can help track these types of gestures. There are a variety of reasons unresponsive gestures occur such as:
- Confusing design
- Technical matters
- Dexterity and familiarity.
- Intent Misalignment
- Misleading or faulty ads
- Resolution miscalculations
You can read more about unresponsive gestures in our mobile touch gesture report.
KPI Metric #2: Average time between conversion funnel steps
Conversion funnels consist of a series of integral steps/user actions that lead to the completion of a goal. An important KPI metric to focus on here is the average time between each consecutive step. It’s important to measure this KPI metric because if you notice the average time between particular steps is longer than normal then that could be signaling issues in the user experience and interface. The time acts as a red flag to potential friction points that can make the conversion funnel less smooth. It’ll help you understand any friction points that might be occurring for your users.
KPI Metric #3: Pop-up UX
Pop-ups can be a powerful engagement tool in your app, but if used incorrectly they can frustrate users. It’s important to measure how users are interacting with your pop-ups to understand whether they or not they are contributing to your overall UX. With a qualitative tool like user session recordings, you can capture how they’re actually interacting with the pop-ups. But remember not all pop-ups are created equal, so it’s important to track all your pop-ups and analyze accordingly.
KPI Metric #4: Last gesture on each screen
This KPI metric is interesting in that it can help you examine the most valuable gestures and associated action in terms of the users’ journey/progress within the app. For example, if you have an eCommerce app, you would expect (and hope) that when users arrive to the “My Cart” screen that their last gesture would be tapping the “pay now” button in order to ultimately convert. If users are not tapping the “pay now” button as their last gesture, this can illuminate friction within the user journey and should prompt you to optimize your CTA button.
KPI Metric #5: Retention Cohorts
Retention cohorts allows you to understand how often your users return to use your app in a given time frame. With cohort analysis, it aggregates groups of users who started using the app in the defined time frame. With these reports you can understand if your app is meeting your users’ needs and expectations which enables you to measure how your app optimization efforts impact user retention.
Summary
While these might not seem like your ordinary KPI metrics they are imperative to measure to take your mobile analytics to the next level. These KPI metrics can show you hidden friction points that are halting your users from moving forward in your app.
