know-your-user.jd revision 2f33f97ed2c2583f008453bbdc172a525b8d7083
13506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Doughertypage.title=Know Your User 23506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Doughertypage.metaDescription=It\'s essential to understand your users and listen to their input. Here are some ideas. 33506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Doughertypage.image=/distribute/images/know-your-user.jpg 43506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Doughertypage.tags="users, growth, global" 53506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty 63506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty@jd:body 73506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty 83506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty<div style="width:100%"> 93506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty <img src="{@docRoot}images/gp-androidify.png"> 103506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty</div> 113506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty 123506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty<p> 133506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty A key part of growing your apps' installed base is knowing more about your 143506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty users — how they discover your app, what devices they use, what they do 153506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty when they use your app, and how often they return to it. 163506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty</p> 173506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty 182f33f97ed2c2583f008453bbdc172a525b8d7083Scott Main <h2 id="read-ratings-comments"> 193506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty Read Ratings Comments 202f33f97ed2c2583f008453bbdc172a525b8d7083Scott Main </h2> 213506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty 223506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty<p> 233506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty The most obvious way to get to know your users is by reading review comments 243506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty for your apps on Google Play. While the details provided in reviews will vary 253506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty greatly, in addition to telling you about what users like and dislike in your 263506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty apps, they can also provide insight into your users’ motivations for using 273506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty your apps. And remember that users can update their ratings and comments 283506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty about an app when you fix issues. 293506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty</p> 303506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty 313506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty<p> 323506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty Learn more about <a href= 333506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty "{@docRoot}distribute/essentials/optimizing-your-app.html#listen-to-your-users"> 343506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty how to listen to users</a>. 353506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty</p> 363506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty 373506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty<div> 383506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty <img src="{@docRoot}images/gp-your-user-0.jpg" class="border-img"> 393506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty <p class="img-caption"> 403506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty User ratings 413506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty </p> 423506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty</div> 433506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty 443506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty<div class="headerLine"> 452f33f97ed2c2583f008453bbdc172a525b8d7083Scott Main <h2 id="start-community"> 463506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty Start a Community 472f33f97ed2c2583f008453bbdc172a525b8d7083Scott Main </h2> 482f33f97ed2c2583f008453bbdc172a525b8d7083Scott Main 493506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty 503506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty</div> 513506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty 523506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty<p> 533506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty Another great way to get to know your users, learn who they are, and what 543506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty they are looking for, is to start a community. There are many support tools 553506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty you can use, from forums such as <a href="http://groups.google.com/">Google 563506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty Groups</a> to comprehensive customer support products. You can integrate some 573506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty directly into your apps. And once you deploy a support tool, make sure to 583506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty fill in the support link in your Google Play product details page. 593506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty</p> 603506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty 613506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty<p> 623506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty <a href="{@docRoot}distribute/users/build-community.html">Learn more about 633506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty starting and managing a community</a>. 643506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty</p> 653506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty 663506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty<div class="headerLine"> 672f33f97ed2c2583f008453bbdc172a525b8d7083Scott Main <h2 id="create-survey"> 683506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty Create a Survey 692f33f97ed2c2583f008453bbdc172a525b8d7083Scott Main </h2> 702f33f97ed2c2583f008453bbdc172a525b8d7083Scott Main 713506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty 723506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty</div> 733506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty 743506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty<p> 753506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty Consider using a survey to gather information about your users and their 763506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty views on your apps. Compared to app reviews, a questionnaire enables you to 773506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty seek specific information. However use with care, as the creation of suitable 783506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty question is something of an art. Also consider providing an appropriate 793506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty incentive for completing the questionnaire, as too few responses can be worse 803506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty than no responses at all. 813506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty</p> 823506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty 833506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty<p> 843506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty You can create a questionnaire with <a href= 853506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty "http://www.google.com/drive/apps.html#forms">Google Drive Forms</a> or use 863506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty one of the various third-party survey and questionnaire hosting tools 873506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty available, such as SurveyMonkey. 883506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty</p> 893506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty 903506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty<div class="headerLine"> 912f33f97ed2c2583f008453bbdc172a525b8d7083Scott Main <h2 id="add-analytics"> 923506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty Add Analytics to your Apps 932f33f97ed2c2583f008453bbdc172a525b8d7083Scott Main </h2> 942f33f97ed2c2583f008453bbdc172a525b8d7083Scott Main 953506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty 963506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty</div> 973506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty 983506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty<p> 993506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty Analytics data can tell you a lot about your users, by exposing their 1003506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty behaviour in your apps. You can use <a href= 1013506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty "http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2013/10/improved-app-insight-by-linking-google.html"> 1023506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty Google Analytics by linking it with your Google Play account</a> or use a 1033506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty third-party analytics tool. Analytics tools can help you gather information 1043506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty on app installs, feature popularity, unused features, and more. You can see 1053506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty any usage pattern differences by region, device, time day and other 1063506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty variables. 1073506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty</p> 1083506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty 1093506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty<p> 1103506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty Read more about <a href= 1113506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty "{@docRoot}distribute/essentials/optimizing-your-app.html#measuring-analyzing-responding"> 1123506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty measuring behavior</a>. 1133506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty</p> 1143506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty 1153506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty<div> 1163506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty <img src="{@docRoot}images/gp-dc-stats.png" class="border-img"> 1173506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty</div> 1183506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty 1193506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty<div class="headerLine"> 1202f33f97ed2c2583f008453bbdc172a525b8d7083Scott Main <h2 id="use-google"> 1213506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty Use Google+ 1222f33f97ed2c2583f008453bbdc172a525b8d7083Scott Main </h2> 1232f33f97ed2c2583f008453bbdc172a525b8d7083Scott Main 1243506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty 1253506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty</div> 1263506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty 1273506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty<p> 1283506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty <a href="https://plus.google.com/">Google+</a> is a great way to gather user 1293506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty feedback, announce surveys and contests, and see how users react to new 1303506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty features and functionality. Many developers manage a Google+ page to 1313506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty communicate with their users. It’s also a good way to get feedback from your 1323506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty beta-testing. Some developers have a page for each of their apps. This is 1333506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty especially true for game developers, who post challenges and tournaments. 1343506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty Google+ can also be used to post game walkthroughs and tips. 1353506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty</p> 1363506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty 1373506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty<div> 1383506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty <img src="{@docRoot}images/gp-your-user-2.jpg"> 1393506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty</div> 1403506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty 1412f33f97ed2c2583f008453bbdc172a525b8d7083Scott Main<div class="headerLine"> 1422f33f97ed2c2583f008453bbdc172a525b8d7083Scott Main<h2 id="related-resources">Related Resources</h2> 1433506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty</div> 1443506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty 1453506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty<div class="resource-widget resource-flow-layout col-13" 1463506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty data-query="collection:distribute/users/knowyouruser" 1473506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty data-sortOrder="-timestamp" 1483506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty data-cardSizes="6x3" 1493506ac87c09c0748d92ef594c94365a5d7b07262Dirk Dougherty data-maxResults="6"></div>