127ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Doughertypage.title=Build Better Apps 227ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Doughertypage.metaDescription=Get actionable insights to optimize your app and learn what works best for your business. 327ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Doughertypage.tags="analytics, user behavior" 427ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty 527ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty@jd:body 627ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty 727ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty<p> 827ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty While looking at your data in beautiful reports can be fun, the real power of 927ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty Google Analytics is uncovered when you derive insights from your data. Having 1027ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty Analytics in your app can help you identify where in your app users spend 1127ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty most time; it can also help you see where users are getting stuck. You may 1227ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty find that users who tend to take a specific action are more likely to 1327ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty convert, so see if drawing more users to that action has an impact on your 1427ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty conversion rate. 1527ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty</p> 1627ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty 1727ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty<h2 id="actions">What Actions Get People to Convert?</h2> 1827ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty 1927ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty<p> 2027ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty Go beyond looking at the sheer number of actions people take in your app. 2127ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty Combine your custom event data with conversion metrics and see what actions 2227ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty tend to have the highest conversion rates. Build custom reports to identify 2327ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty which events or screens have the highest conversion rate or revenue. Once you 2427ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty know what’s successful at getting users to convert, derive a hypothesis as to 2527ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty why an event or screen might have good results. Then, if appropriate, drive 2627ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty more users there to see if it has an impact on conversion metrics. 2727ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty</p> 2827ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty<p> 2927ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty In the example below, <em>Shopping in Star Shop</em> has a high conversion; 3027ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty this result isn't surprising since users are indicating that they're 3127ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty interested in buying by being in the shop. More interesting is seeing that if 3227ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty someone Lost More than 10 Times, the conversion rate is low and those users 3327ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty didn’t generate much money. It might be worth offering a promotion after 8 or 3427ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty 9 losses to keep the user interested. Also notice that users who started a 3527ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty <em>New Game after Gameover</em> generated lots of revenue. You might 3627ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty hypothesize that those users are determined to take another chance, so more 3727ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty inclined to convert. Lastly, the <em>Discovered Secret Stairwell</em> is 3827ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty particularly interesting — the conversion rate is fairly low, but it 3927ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty generated lots of revenue, indicating that it was potentially difficult to 4027ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty find, but those that discovered it purchased a lot. It may be worth seeing if 4127ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty driving users to find the staircase could increase conversion. 4227ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty</p> 4327ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty 4427ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty<div> 4527ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty<img src="{@docRoot}distribute/analyze/images/event-actions.png"> 4627ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty</div> 4727ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty 4827ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty<h2 id="flows">Know Your Flows</h2> 4927ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty<p> 5027ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty Your home screen is probably the most visited screen in your app. But do you 5127ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty know what happens after that? What percentage of users navigate through which 5227ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty flows, and where do they drop off the most? In a gaming app, it may be useful 5327ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty to investigate which levels have the highest percentage of users leaving your 5427ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty app, in order to see where users find it difficult to proceed. You can then 5527ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty take action by modifying sections of your app that might need improvement. 5627ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty</p> 5727ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty 5827ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty<p> 5927ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty Similarly if you've an e-commerce app, the behavior flow report will show you 6027ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty at which stages of the purchase flow the highest percentage of users abandon 6127ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty their purchase. By taking these data and improving your purchase flows, you 6227ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty may be able to reduce your drop-off rates. 6327ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty</p> 6427ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty 6527ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty<p> 6627ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty In the example below, users tend to click the Level Up action after they 6727ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty consult the Sorcerer. If users tend to get stuck on a level, then you might 6827ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty want to guide them to see the sorcerer before completing a task. 6927ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty</p> 7027ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty 7127ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty<div> 7227ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty<img itemprop="image" src="{@docRoot}distribute/analyze/images/flows.png"> 7327ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty</div> 7427ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty 7527ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty 7627ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty<h2 id="test">Not Sure of the Right Approach? Test it</h2> 7727ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty 7827ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty<p> 7927ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty Stop guessing when it comes to finding the right features for your audience. 8027ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty Use Content Experiments in your app to run A/B tests — without needing 8127ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty to update your app. Think a stronger call to action like “Buy Now!” will 8227ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty drive more purchases than the more common phrase “Checkout”? Test it! Content 8327ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty Experiments uses Google Analytics data to optimize towards your objectives 8427ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty and Google Tag Manager to control the test from the server — so you can 8527ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty test multiple variations of the same app at the same time. And since this is 8627ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty a standard feature of Google Analytics, you don’t have to set up additional 8727ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty tagging for your KPIs; you simply focus on building your variations. 8827ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty</p> 8927ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty 9027ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty<p> 9127ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty Experiment results are displayed in Google Analytics reports that summarize 9227ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty all of the key information about your experiment. Experiments and Variations 9327ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty are also available as user segments, which allow you to superimpose that 9427ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty information over all of your Google Analytics reports to gain even deeper 9527ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty insights. However, don’t worry about keeping an eye on your reports: you can 9627ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty set an experiment to lock-in the winning variation for all of your users 9727ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty automatically. 9827ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty</p> 9927ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty 10027ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty<div> 10127ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty<img src="{@docRoot}distribute/analyze/images/a_b_testing.png"> 10227ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty</div> 10327ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty 10427ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty 10527ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty <div class="headerLine clearfloat"> 10627ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty <h2 id="related-resources"> 10727ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty Related Resources 10827ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty </h2> 10927ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty</div> 11027ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty 11127ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty<div class="resource-widget resource-flow-layout col-13" 11227ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty data-query="collection:distribute/analyzebuild" 11327ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty data-sortorder="-timestamp" 11427ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty data-cardsizes="6x3" 11527ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty data-maxresults="6"> 11627ab5a079b0248e1f8e36f756aaeba77dcd886b2Dirk Dougherty</div> 117