This Is How You Design Your Mobile App for Maximum Growth: The Hierarchy of Engagement

This Is How You Design Your Mobile App for Maximum Growth: The Hierarchy of Engagement

I think of user engagement as the fuel powering products. The hierarchy has three levels: growing engaged users, retaining users, and self-perpetuating. In order to design your mobile app for maximum growth, it's important to focus on each level of engagement and create a seamless experience for your users.

1. Formulate a thesis about who the best possible users are for your product. Start by identifying the core use case that your product serves and consider what type of person has both the most frequent and urgent need for that use case. By understanding your target audience, you can tailor your app to meet their specific needs and create a product that resonates with them.

Once you have identified your target audience, you can start getting users to come in through basic or beginning channels. It's important to identify your "best" users using your thesis and isolate their behavior. Use this benchmark to analyze your onboarding funnel and early retention curves. Are foodies checking Yelp reviews every time they go out for dinner? Understanding the behavior of your best users can help you optimize your app for maximum growth.

If your stats aren't looking great, it's important to dig in and see if the problem is isolated to just one or two steps in your funnel or if it's distributed throughout your product. If the issue appears to be isolated to a specific point in your app, you can take clear steps to solve the problem. However, if the problem is distributed throughout your retention curve and onboarding funnel, it may indicate that your product isn't ready for growth or that your thesis from step one is incorrect. In this case, you need to reevaluate your approach and go through the steps again.

2. Find opportunities for positive reinforcement and bust unexpected sources of friction. When designing your app, it's important to create a seamless and intuitive user experience. Don't over-educate your users with opening screens that require them to say yes before moving forward. Instead, replace these screens with "tool tips" that provide information in real-time while allowing users to take action. This way, users can learn about the app while actively engaging with it.

Additionally, design every call to action in a way that consistently moves users forward. Avoid creating unnecessary friction by requiring users to switch keyboards back and forth, for example. By eliminating these sources of friction, you can create a smoother user experience that encourages users to continue using your app.

3. Find and focus on your best referral channels. Referrals are a powerful source of growth for any app. Identify the channels that generate the most valuable referrals and double down on making it easier for more people to come through those gates. Referrals should be tied to the core experience of your product and offer value to both the referrer and the recipient. Consider what social interactions are happening outside of your app and think about ways to incorporate them into your product.

Consider offering double-sided incentives for referrals, but be mindful of profitability. Rewards tend to attract users who are only looking for deals, so it's important to set clear expectations that these rewards are temporary. By incentivizing referrals and making them valuable for both parties, you can increase the likelihood of people referring your app to others.

In conclusion, designing your mobile app for maximum growth requires a strategic approach that focuses on user engagement at every level. By formulating a thesis about your target audience, identifying your best users, and optimizing your onboarding funnel, you can create a seamless user experience that encourages growth. Additionally, finding and focusing on your best referral channels and offering valuable incentives can help drive organic growth. Remember to constantly evaluate and iterate on your app to ensure it is ready for growth.