Analytics

What is your stickiness metrics really saying?

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Joseph Pacheco
App Developer and Product Creator
Last Edited:
May 13, 2024
Published:
Oct 22, 2022

Stickiness and frequency of engagement

DAU/MAU as the go-to formula

Same stickiness, very different data

Example A: 1 user, 1 day

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Example B: 1,000 users, 1 day

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Example C: 7,000 users, 7 days

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“Good” stickiness is not always good

Example D: 1 user, 7 days

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Example E: 1,000 users, 7 days

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The problem with averages

Example F: Unusually grouped usage

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Example G: Cohorting stickiness

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Cohort A

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Cohort B

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In the end: It’s hard to standardize any metric

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Joseph Pacheco
Joseph Pacheco
Joseph is the founder of App Boss, a knowledge source for idea people (with little or no tech background) to turn their apps into viable businesses. He’s been developing apps for almost as long as the App Store has existed—wearing every hat from full-time engineer to product manager, UX designer, founder, content creator, and technical co-founder. He’s also given technical interviews to 1,400 software engineers who have gone on to accept roles at Apple, Dropbox, Yelp, and other major Bay Area firms.