ENTR
Metrics & AnalysisJunior≈ 30 min

Tempo — Social Feed

DAU jumped +40% in week 1 after launch, then fell -25% below the pre-launch baseline by week 4.

The scenario

Tempo is a productivity app. Four weeks ago you launched a Social Feed — users can share completed tasks and cheer each other on. The initial DAU spike looked like a success but the metric has since dropped below where it was before launch.

Constraint

Leadership wants a data-backed decision by Thursday — keep, fix, or kill the feature.

Your task

Explain what happened to DAU and recommend a clear next action.

1. Clarify: What do you need to know before drawing conclusions?

Pick the 3 questions you'd ask first.

Model approach (strong picks)

  • Strong pick
    How is DAU defined here — any app open, or a meaningful action (task created, completed)?
  • Strong pick
    Did the week-1 spike come from new users (install spike) or reactivated/existing users?
  • Strong pick
    Are users who engaged with the Social Feed retaining better or worse than those who didn't?

2. Hypothesize: What explains the spike-then-crash pattern?

Pick the 3 hypotheses you'd investigate first.

Model approach (strong picks)

  • Strong pick
    The spike was curiosity-driven — users tried the feed once and found no value in returning to it.
  • Strong pick
    The Social Feed attracted a burst of new low-intent users from a viral moment who never planned to stay.
  • Strong pick
    The feed is noisy or spammy — existing high-value users were annoyed and disengaged.

3. Investigate: What do you do before Thursday's decision?

Pick the 3 highest-leverage analyses.

Model approach (strong picks)

  • Strong pick
    Cohort retention: compare D7/D14/D30 retention for users acquired in launch week vs. the prior 4 weeks.
  • Strong pick
    Segment DAU by feed engagers vs. non-engagers — did the feed users retain better or drive the drop?
  • Strong pick
    Check the source of week-1 new users — organic, paid, referral, viral share? How do they compare in LTV signal?

4. Propose: What's your recommendation to leadership?

Pick the one recommendation you'd make Thursday.

Model approach (strong picks)

  • Strong pick
    Keep the feature but gate it — show the feed only to users with ≥3 connections to fix the cold-start problem, and measure 2-week retention before a broader decision.
  • Strong pick
    Kill the Social Feed — the data shows it hurt retention for existing users without adding long-term value.

Related questions

Solve this case study