Product Analytics¶
Define, track, and interpret product metrics across discovery, growth, and mature product stages.
When To Use¶
Use this skill for: - Metric framework selection (AARRR, North Star, HEART) - KPI definition by product stage (pre-PMF, growth, mature) - Dashboard design and metric hierarchy - Cohort and retention analysis - Feature adoption and funnel interpretation
Workflow¶
- Select metric framework
- AARRR for growth loops and funnel visibility
- North Star for cross-functional strategic alignment
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HEART for UX quality and user experience measurement
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Define stage-appropriate KPIs
- Pre-PMF: activation, early retention, qualitative success
- Growth: acquisition efficiency, expansion, conversion velocity
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Mature: retention depth, revenue quality, operational efficiency
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Design dashboard layers
- Executive layer: 5-7 directional metrics
- Product health layer: acquisition, activation, retention, engagement
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Feature layer: adoption, depth, repeat usage, outcome correlation
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Run cohort + retention analysis
- Segment by signup cohort or feature exposure cohort
- Compare retention curves, not single-point snapshots
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Identify inflection points around onboarding and first value moment
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Interpret and act
- Connect metric movement to product changes and release timeline
- Distinguish signal from noise using period-over-period context
- Propose one clear product action per major metric risk/opportunity
KPI Guidance By Stage¶
Pre-PMF¶
- Activation rate
- Week-1 retention
- Time-to-first-value
- Problem-solution fit interview score
Growth¶
- Funnel conversion by stage
- Monthly retained users
- Feature adoption among new cohorts
- Expansion / upsell proxy metrics
Mature¶
- Net revenue retention aligned product metrics
- Power-user share and depth of use
- Churn risk indicators by segment
- Reliability and support-deflection product metrics
Dashboard Design Principles¶
- Show trends, not isolated point estimates.
- Keep one owner per KPI.
- Pair each KPI with target, threshold, and decision rule.
- Use cohort and segment filters by default.
- Prefer comparable time windows (weekly vs weekly, monthly vs monthly).
See:
- references/metrics-frameworks.md
- references/dashboard-templates.md
Cohort Analysis Method¶
- Define cohort anchor event (signup, activation, first purchase).
- Define retained behavior (active day, key action, repeat session).
- Build retention matrix by cohort week/month and age period.
- Compare curve shape across cohorts.
- Flag early drop points and investigate journey friction.
Retention Curve Interpretation¶
- Sharp early drop, low plateau: onboarding mismatch or weak initial value.
- Moderate drop, stable plateau: healthy core audience with predictable churn.
- Flattening at low level: product used occasionally, revisit value metric.
- Improving newer cohorts: onboarding or positioning improvements are working.
Tooling¶
scripts/metrics_calculator.py¶
CLI utility for: - Retention rate calculations by cohort age - Cohort table generation - Basic funnel conversion analysis
Examples: