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Make users stay from Day One
Increase activation, reduce time-to-value, and improve retention.
I use this ACTIVATE method with my teams regularly.
When to Use This
- Users signing up but not sticking.
- Confusion in onboarding.
- Low product usage after first login.
- Teams shipping features that go unused.
- Want to improve Day 1 / 7 / 30 retention.
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Analyze Activation Moments
Goal: Pinpoint the user action that signals the core value experienced.
- Talk to users: "When did they find value?"
- Review data: What do retained users do in the first session/day?
- Map at least 1 activation points for each user type
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<img src="/icons/light-bulb_orange.svg" alt="/icons/light-bulb_orange.svg" width="40px" />
Pro Tip!
- Data sources for your product’s core promise.
- Your product’s core promise to each user type.
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Choose Metrics
Goal: Set the metrics that indicate activation experiments are working.
Choose a leading indicator of activation and correlated lagging metrics:
- Time to Value (TTV)
- % Activated Users
- Day 1 / Day 7 retention
- Feature usage frequency
Collect baseline data, if possible.
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<img src="/icons/cursor-click_orange.svg" alt="/icons/cursor-click_orange.svg" width="40px" />
Check out these playbooks
Metrics Playbook
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<img src="/icons/light-bulb_orange.svg" alt="/icons/light-bulb_orange.svg" width="40px" />
- Pro Tip! For Don’t Have Data Yet (Pre-Launch / MVP)
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Tag User Types
Goal: Identify distinct user groups that need unique paths to value.
- Use qualitative data
- Sales notes, onboarding calls, and signup surveys.
- Define at least 2 - 4 primary segments based on:
- Role: E.g., end-user vs admin.
- Company type: freelancer vs agency vs mid-market.
- Job to be done: Core thing users wants to do using the app.
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<img src="/icons/light-bulb_orange.svg" alt="/icons/light-bulb_orange.svg" width="40px" />
- Pro Tip! Ways to identify user types.
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Identify Activation Flow
Goal: Identify the essential steps leading to "lightbulb" moment.
- For each segment, answer:
- “What 1–3 actions get them to perceived value?”
- “Which features are must-use to succeed?”
- Prioritize these steps in the onboarding flow.
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<img src="/icons/light-bulb_orange.svg" alt="/icons/light-bulb_orange.svg" width="40px" />
- Pro Tip! Lightbulb moments start earlier than signup.
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