QUESTION OF THE WEEK
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How do you approach optimizing user flows in apps?
You might not expect it, but I didn't do a bachelor on programming. Instead, I studied Communication and Multimedia Design (CMD) in Amsterdam. It's a study that teaches you how to optimize products for end-users.
I was able to teach myself the programming side and ended up with a perfect combination to successfully develop apps. Whenever I look at existing apps (either my own or others), I'd love to think in so-called funnels.
You define your app's key action and you determine the steps in the funnel to succeed. Each step is a crucial conversion point with potential drop offs. If you can reduce drop off in each step, you'll automatically increase the conversion into the key action.
Sounds straightforward, but it all comes down to proper telemetry. I'm often surprised to speak with developers who know their key action, know their funnel, but have no way to show me how it performs.
Finally, if you can create a flywheel into that funnel, you're setting yourself up for success. See if you can get another funnel-start for each user that completes your key action and you'll allow your app to grow exponentially. A simple example: add a share screen at the end of the funnel.
A key action could be completing level one of a game, where the share function would be to show off on socials that you did complete level one. This potentially brings in new users, who will also complete level one, and who might also share their result → flywheel.
Btw, if this sparks your interest, I go way deeper into funnels in my "From Side Project to Going Indie" course. You can now get it as a bundle when purchasing my Swift Concurrency Course. Enjoy!
