Phase 4 · Data & Metrics for PMs

Topics

Retention Curves

Part of the Product Management Roadmap.

Summary

A chart of the percentage of users still active N days after signup — a flattening curve ('smile curve') signals product-market fit; a curve heading to zero signals a leaky bucket.

How to Learn This

  • 1Sketch what a healthy vs unhealthy retention curve looks like.
  • 2Find a public retention benchmark for an app category you're interested in.
  • 3Learn why acquiring more users doesn't fix a bad retention curve — it just hides it temporarily.
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