Mobile analytics unlock the what and the when

Flurry's Sean Byrnes on mobile metrics and tablet apps vs phone apps.

When applied appropriately, mobile analytics reveal both what happened and when it happened. Case in point: “Let’s say you have a game,” said Flurry CTO Sean Byrnes (@FlurryMobile) during a recent interview. “You want to measure not just that someone got to level 1, 2, 3, or 4, but how long does it take for them to get to those levels? Does someone get to level 3 in one week, get to level 4 in two weeks, and get to level 5 in four weeks? Maybe those levels are too difficult. Or maybe a user is just getting tired of the same mechanic and you need to give them something different as the game progresses.” [Discussed at the 2:21 mark.]

This is why a baseline metric, such as general engagement, deserves more than a passing glance. The specific engagements tucked within can unlock a host of improvements.

Byrnes touched on a number of related topics during the full interview (below), including:

  • Why mobile developers are focusing on engagement: Once you engage a user, do they stick around? If it costs you $1 to acquire a user, how much return will you get — if any? Byrnes said app engagement has grown in importance as developers have shifted their thinking from apps as marketing channels to apps as businesses. [Discussed 30 second in.]
  • Tablet apps vs smartphone apps: A tablet app isn’t the same as a phone app. Flurry has found that tablet applications are being used “a number of times longer” than phone applications, but tablet consumers use fewer applications overall. [Discussed at 3:28]

You can view the entire interview in the following video.

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