Projects
Mobile App Growth Strategy

Mobile App Growth Strategy

Overview

Strategic Consultation for a Location-Based Community Platform
📅 Nov 2016
🏛️ Cogsol Research Consultancy
👥 Collaborators: Arun Krishna, Karthikeyan Palaniswamy

This project delivered a research-backed growth strategy for a peer-to-peer service platform connecting local seekers and providers. Facing challenges in user acquisition and retention despite a global user base, the client sought scientifically grounded solutions to enhance:

  • App discovery in crowded markets
  • User engagement during critical “micro-moments”
  • Long-term retention through habit formation

Our approach combined information systems theory (UTAUT2 model), mobile UX heuristics, and behavioral psychology to diagnose friction points and prescribe 20 actionable strategies.

Research Framework

Adapted UTAUT2 Model:

graph LR A[Product Features] --> D[Perceived Interactivity] B[Nature of Task] --> D C[User Characteristics] --> D D --> E[Behavioral Intentions] E --> F[App Usage]
  • Key Investigation Dimensions:
    1. Perceived Interactivity (PI):Active control, responsiveness, and personalization drivers
    2. Behavioral Intentions (BI): 8 determinants including Perceived Usefulness and Social Influence
    3. App Usage (AU): 5 growth metrics: Re-engagement, Stickiness, WOM, Trust, Discovery

Diagnostic Insights

  • Critical Barriers:

    • 34% user abandonment after first use (vs. industry average 23%)
    • Discovery dependency on word-of-mouth (52% installs)
    • Trust deficits in peer transactions
    • Contextual misfit between user needs and app functionality

  • Behavioral Triggers:

    • Micro-moment utilization: 50% users engage in <5min sessions
    • Effort-Reward balance as key retention driver
    • Social proof as primary adoption catalyst

Strategic Recommendations

  • 20 Solutions Across Four Vectors
  • Highlighted Interventions:
    1. Trust Architecture: Verified provider profiles + transaction transparency
    2. Habit Engineering: Context-aware notifications + personalized tones
    3. Discovery Amplification: “Ghost presence” mapping + connector targeting
    4. Localization Playbook: Culture-specific service prioritization

Implementation Framework

  • Strategic Phasing:

    Phase Focus Key Metrics
    1. Trust Foundations Verification systems ↑30% profile completion
    2. Engagement Loops Micro-moment features ↑25% session frequency
    3. Growth Hacking Referral ecosystems ↓40% CAC

  • Cognitive Design Principles:

    • Progressive disclosure of features
    • Frictionless task completion paths
    • Glanceable information architecture

Impact & Future Roadmap

  • Measurable Outcomes:

    • Framework adopted for 2017 product roadmap
    • Prioritized implementation of 8 high-ROI strategies

  • Research Legacy:

    • Extended UTAUT2 with Traditional Methods (TM) construct
    • Established cultural specificity in stickiness drivers

  • Scalable Applications:

    • Model generalizable to peer-to-peer marketplaces
    • Metrics applicable for app health benchmarking

Collaboration Opportunities

Open to collaboration or discussion on anonymized framework details or consumer behavior insights. Happy to exchange ideas.