Four steps to investigate the causes of user churn

The user loses causes the investigation to do not know how to start?

Do not know how to find the user's real reason for the loss?

Don't know how to apply research results to product improvement?

In the end how to do a good job of the cause of user churn?

After doing some research projects on the causes of user churn, the author summarizes the four steps of user churn.

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The first step: understand the purpose of research

No matter what research, the researcher first must confirm the research goal, only then knows the demand side finally wants to solve any question to be able to do the research. The cause of user churn is not only a simple understanding of the reasons for the loss of users can be, product managers put forward the reasons for user churn demand, the ultimate goal is generally two: (1) to prevent the loss of users, (2) to save the lost users.

The ultimate goal is different, the research needs to answer the question is not the same:

(1) Prevent users from losing

Why do users lose? (User churn reason) → Will the user continue to lose? (Does the current user's dissatisfaction point coincide with the loss reason?) → How to prevent the loss of users? (What improvement measures should be taken)

(2) Save the Lost users

Why do users lose? (user loss reason) → The possibility of the loss of user Backflow? → When do they want to come back? (reflux contact) → How to save the lost user? (What improvement measures should be taken)

Step two: Identify the real causes of user churn

Regardless of the final purpose of the product manager, they put forward the user churn reason research needs prove that they are very concerned about why the user lost, so it is important to find out the real reason for the user churn. But it's not easy to figure out the real cause of user churn, sometimes ask users why no longer use a product, they will use "no money" or "no time" and other excuses to perfunctory us, users because "no money" does not use our products, but other prices the same products are sold in full swing, this reasonable? "No money" or "no time" these excuses we certainly do not accept, then how do we find out the real reason? The author summarizes three ways:

(1) Further inquiry--5 Why

Ask the user 5 consecutive questions to get the depth of the answer, this method can effectively use users to express deep thoughts and reasons.

Case study: A study on the causes of users ' loss in casual games

Visitor: Why haven't you logged in for a while recently?

User: * * * (game character) is ill.

Visitor: Why did the * * * * * * * * * t sign in?

User: Because a login * * * will die, do not want to see it die.

Visitor: Since the fear of death, why did not bring * * * doctor (referring to the Doctor in the game)?

User: No money, despise sickness.

Visitor: Why is there no money?

User: * * * is very easy to get sick, let * * * work to earn enough money to see a doctor.

Visitor: Why not take the * * * to see the free doctor (free medical treatment in the game)?

User: Do not know can cure for free.

The case finally learned that there are two reasons for the loss of users: * * * * * (game role) to earn less money, users do not know that the disease can be free.

Note: The picture comes from the Ideo method card

(2) Side contrast related products

Sometimes the user is not aware of their behavior behind the real reason, directly cross-examine them may not ask the specific reasons, this time can be through the side contrast to stimulate the user subconscious, digging out the real reason for the loss.

Case：

Visitor: Why not renew the drill?

User: no money.

Visitor: Do you currently have any other monthly business?

User: Open * * * *.

Visitor: Why the Open * * * * * * is not opened * drill?

User: Because it feels more practical and more privileged.

Visitor: What Privileges in * * * are most appealing to you?

User: Red name, magic expression

The case learned that the user is not because of "no money" and no longer to set the drill, but because the "drill" privilege can not attract users to continue to open, and users like what kind of privileges, which requires us to continue digging.

(3) Behavioral analysis

When we investigate through the network questionnaire method, it is difficult to achieve in-depth inquiry, for users, the reasons for the topic they are very difficult to answer, and behavioral topics easier to answer, and behavioral questions to answer the truth is higher, some of the deep loss of reasons, not necessarily need to in-depth questioning why, sometimes through behavioral analysis to solve.

Case：

Your * * * (game role) to earn money mainly in the following ways:

Data cross analysis found that because the money is difficult to lose the * * * game user main way to earn money is "work", and we communicate with product managers to understand that in fact * * * * * (game role), not only can not earn money, but also lose money, because "work" will let * * * * * (role) (game characters) will be more dirty, more hungry, users will spend more money to raise them, the cost is greater than the benefits. But many users do not know this situation, so always choose to "work" to earn money, and finally can not maintain the game role in the game of survival, resulting in loss.

Step three: Answer the two final goals and other issues

(1) Will the user continue to lose? --Understand the difference between existing and lost users

To understand whether users will continue to lose, you need to investigate existing users, if existing users and loss users are the same type of users, the existing users will continue to drain.

How do you know the difference between existing and lost users? It needs to understand the attitude of existing users, the existing user is not satisfied with the aspect of what, if the existing user is not satisfied with the loss of users in line with the reasons for the loss, it proves that there is no significant difference between the user and the loss of users, if the problem of user churn is not resolved,

(2) When the user is willing to come back

First of all, to know the possibility of the loss of users, if the majority of users say that no matter how the product changes will not try to use, it will not be useful to retain users to put more resources.

The second is to understand the circumstances in which users are willing to come back, this includes but not limited to the cause of the loss of improvement, in addition to the loss of reasons for the improvement of the relevant promotional activities, need to ask the loss of users to understand.

Finally, to confirm that the improvement measures will not arouse the dissatisfaction of the existing users, to understand the existing user satisfaction and unsatisfactory aspects, to ensure that the loss of the user-saving measures will not affect existing users.

Fourth Step: Design improvement measures

Know the user side feedback product issues, that specific how to improve the product? Suggestions can refer to the "Gap model" to understand where the gap, in which link problems.

(1) Cognitive gap: Product managers do not know what users want. If there is a cognitive gap, the first is to let the product manager clearly know the real reason for the loss of users.

(2) Execution gap: The product manager knows what the user wants, but the actual product is inconsistent with the design. If there is a implementation gap, you need to know which execution steps are the problem, whether the resource is deficient or the technology is difficult to implement.

(3) Delivery gap: Product publicity and guidelines can not allow users to understand the product real understanding if there is a delivery gap, it is to understand what the user is now the perception of what, in which publicity and guidelines on the problem.

(4) Loss gap: The user experience of the product and expectations are different.

Case: Causes the user to lose the main reason is the community game monotonous renewal is slow

User expectations: A variety of games, the hope that at least a month to launch a new game.

Product Manager Awareness: Know that users expect a variety of games, the faster the game update the better.

Design execution: Weekly update of a new game, different types of games on the hundreds.

User cognition: Feel that the game has not been updated for six months, come and go only a few games.

From this case it can be found that the whole process is mainly user awareness of the problem, that is, the delivery gap, the product of the propaganda guidelines do not do well, then our improvement measures should be placed on the product's promotional guidelines, to increase the publicity of the new game, or in the guidelines clearly tell users the frequency of game updates.