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Practice 01.01 · Product quality

Find the biggest funnel drop-off

You do not need to master every analytics report at once. Map five clear steps, identify the largest drop-off, and choose one change for the next release.

Practice outcomeA five-step funnel table with one drop-off point, a likely cause, and an owner for the next change.

60 minutes for the first audit

In plain language

Find one weak spot in the journey, not every problem at once

Think of the user journey as five doors. At every step some people leave. Your task is to see which door loses the most users, understand the likely cause, and fix that first.

What you will need

AccessAppMetrica, Firebase, Amplitude, or any report where user actions are visible.
ColleagueAn analyst or developer for 15 minutes if you do not know the event names.
PeriodThe last 14–30 days without major incidents or ad-driven traffic spikes.
Terms in plain language

Term

Funnel

A sequence of steps leading to an outcome

It compares user counts at each step and reveals the largest drop-off.

ExampleInstall → first open → registration → first useful action → return visit.

Term

Conversion

The share of people moving to the next step

Shows how many people who started a step completed it or reached the next one.

Example80 registrations completed from 100 started: 80 ÷ 100 × 100% = 80% conversion.

Term

Analytics event

A record of a specific user action

The app sends an event when a user opens a screen, taps a button, or completes an action.

Exampleregistration_started and registration_completed reveal how many people abandon registration.

Term

FTD

A user's first deposit

The first time a registered user funds their account. It is the outcome of the whole journey, not a single button to promote more aggressively.

ExampleIf 100 people complete registration and 24 make a first deposit, FTD conversion is 24%.

Term

D1 / D7 / D30

Return after 1, 7, or 30 days

D means day. The metric shows what share of a new user group returned after the selected number of days.

ExampleD7 = 18% means 18 of every 100 new users returned after seven days.

Term

Crash-free rate

The share of users without an app crash

The closer it is to 100%, the fewer users experienced an app crash during the selected period.

Example99.5% crash-free users means 0.5% experienced at least one crash.

Term

ANR

An Android app freeze

Android records an ANR when the interface does not respond to the user for too long.

ExampleThe user taps a button, the screen freezes, and Android offers to close the app.

01

When to use it

Registrations or first useful actions are declining, users complain about the journey, and the team does not know what to fix first.

In plain language

Where to get the data

Choose the option the team already has. If analytics is not set up, start with a manual check — the practice will still produce a result.

AppMetrica or Firebase

Open the “Funnel” report and add: first launch → registration started → registration completed → first useful action → repeat visit.

If the event names are unknown, ask a developer to send the list of events for registration and the first useful action.

Spreadsheet or BI report

Take the number of users at each step for a single period. Do not mix iOS and Android in the first check.

Five numbers are enough. Do not wait for a perfect dashboard to spot a large drop-off.

If there are no events yet

Walk the journey on a clean install ten times on iOS and Android. Record errors, delays, and confusing screens.

Write a short technical specification for the events — that will be the first result of the audit.

02

Run your first audit in five steps

1

Draw the journey

Write down five steps as simple user actions — no internal screen names or team jargon.

Where to do it
A sheet of paper, FigJam, or the first column of the final table.
What the result looks like
Install → first launch → registration started → first useful action → repeat visit.
2

Put five numbers next to the steps

Record how many unique users reached each step during the same period.

Where to do it
The “Funnel” report in AppMetrica / Firebase, or an export from an analyst.
What the result looks like
1,000 launched the app, 820 started registration, 460 completed it.
3

Calculate the conversion between steps

Divide the number at the next step by the number at the previous one and multiply by 100%. The lowest percentage is the first candidate to investigate.

Where to do it
In the table, next to each step.
What the result looks like
460 ÷ 820 × 100% = 56%. That means 44% of those who started registration did not finish it.
4

Verify the cause

Review errors and support tickets, then walk through the step yourself. Do not change the interface until you have ruled out a technical problem.

Where to do it
Crash reports, support tickets, and a clean install of the app.
What the result looks like
On Android 12 the confirmation code arrives late, and resending it is not explained.
5

Choose one change

Record the change, its owner, and the metric you will compare after the release. Do not put several screens into your first experiment.

Where to do it
A task in the backlog or a short plan for the next release.
What the result looks like
Fix code resending; owner — the Android team; check — registration completion rate after 14 days.

03

Practical examples

01

Long load after registration

The user created an account but waits 40 seconds for the first screen and closes the app. The priority is speed and a clear loading status — not another form field.

02

Different journeys per platform

On Android, registration is completed noticeably less often than on iOS. Check the errors of the specific version first, then change the interface.

The finished artifact

One table for one team decision

You do not need a big report. Fill in five rows and highlight the one drop-off the team will address in the next release.

StepUsersConversionWhat we see
First launch1,000Starting point
Started registration82082%Acceptable drop-off
Completed registration46056%Main drop-off point
Completed the first useful action35076%Check the hints
Returned on D115043%Watch after the fix

Conclusion: check registration on Android first — errors, required fields, and waiting time. Owner: product + Android developer.

04

Checklist before the decision

If an item is missing, log it as a separate task — do not guess.

5

05

How to know the change helped

1

Main signal

Conversion at the problem step grew compared with the period before the release.

2

Guardrail metric

Errors, crashes, and support requests at neighboring steps did not grow.

3

Business result

More users reached the first useful action and FTD without extra pressure.

FTD is the user's first deposit and the outcome of the whole journey. Make the journey clear and reliable first, then check the business result.