Active user analysis

Active user analysis examines user engagement across different time frames to understand product stickiness and usage patterns. Daily Active Users (DAU), Weekly Active Users (WAU), and Monthly Active Users (MAU) form the foundation of this analysis, with each metric revealing distinct aspects of user behavior.

Different products define "active" based on their core value proposition and user journey. A social platform might consider content interaction as active usage, while a productivity tool might focus on task completion or document creation. Understanding these activity thresholds helps teams measure meaningful engagement rather than superficial interactions.

The relationships between different time-frame metrics provide crucial insights into user behavior patterns. The DAU/MAU ratio, known as the stickiness ratio, indicates how frequently users return within a month. A higher ratio suggests users find regular value in the product, while a lower ratio might indicate occasional or task-specific usage. For example, if a product has 1,000 Monthly Active Users and 330 Daily Active Users, the DAU/MAU ratio would be 0.33. This means users typically engage with the product for 10 days per month (0.33 × 30 days), indicating a healthy level of repeat usage without requiring daily engagement.