Summary of Suhail Doshi - How to Measure Your Product

Summary

In the video titled "How to Measure Your Product," Suhail Doshi, co-founder of Mixpanel, discusses effective strategies for measuring Product Performance and understanding User Engagement. The presentation emphasizes the importance of simplifying Analytics and focusing on key metrics to drive growth.

Main Financial Strategies and Market Analyses:

Understanding User Metrics: Emphasizes the need to measure how users interact with a product, including:
- The number of visitors to a page or app.
- Conversion rates from visits to sign-ups.
- User Engagement with valuable actions (e.g., watching a video).
- Retention rates and the likelihood of users returning to the product.
Simplicity in Metrics: Encourages companies to avoid overcomplicating their metrics, suggesting that having too many metrics can lead to paralysis in decision-making. Instead, focus on a few critical metrics that guide the team.
Retention and Growth: Highlights the importance of User Retention as a key factor in sustainable growth. Doshi introduces the "shark fin effect," where a product may experience initial viral growth but fail to retain users, leading to a decline.
Iterative Design and User Feedback: Stresses the need for continuous iteration based on user feedback and behavior analysis. Engaging with users directly can yield valuable insights into product usability and appeal.

Step-by-Step Methodology:

Identify Key Metrics: Focus on 3-5 essential metrics that align with the company's goals.
Measure User Understanding:
- Track sign-up rates to gauge interest.
- Analyze user interactions to identify drop-off points.
Evaluate User Engagement:
- Monitor the funnel from landing page visits to valuable actions taken within the product.
- Assess speed and ease of getting started with the product.
Focus on Retention:
- Measure daily active users (DAU) and revenue churn.
- Use retention metrics to evaluate product-market fit.
Iterate and Optimize: Continuously improve the product based on user behavior and feedback.

Conclusion

Suhail Doshi emphasizes that Analytics should be straightforward and focused on User Engagement and retention. By simplifying metrics and continuously iterating based on user feedback, startups can better understand their products and drive sustainable growth.

Presenters/Sources

Suhail Doshi, co-founder of Mixpanel.

Notable Quotes

— 10:04 — « People basically just have their mouths like hovering on the back button and they're just waiting to say I don't know what this is confusing back. »

— 11:16 — « Metrics that'll make you drool. »

— 24:41 — « When the app's going viral, you're just like, 'Oh my god, I need to take advantage of this moment because what if I don't get in?' »

— 25:31 — « The shark fin effect is really, really bad. »

— 34:11 — « I think that one of the biggest mistakes that people make with analytics is being really overcomplicated. »