Why did I give up an app that was recommended four times on the AppStore homepage?

The author of this article, Ding Ruoyu, is the founder of the fitness app Lianlian and is currently working on a private fitness product. He once had a product with millions of users and it was recommended on the App Store homepage four times. However, after achieving such outstanding startup results, he chose to stop the project he had nurtured. Why?

1. The story of a hit app

I started my business as a poor college student. After going through a lot of hardships, the product I made became a small hit as soon as it was launched. Without spending a penny, I gained millions of users and was recommended as the most beautiful app, recommended four times on the App Store homepage, and won a series of halos such as the 360 ​​Dandelion Award. However, after achieving such excellent initial results, in February of this year, our team officially suspended the update and maintenance of the Lianlian APP. We believe that continuing with Lianlian according to the current model is doomed to fail to bring users the value we want.

Second, why was this project stopped?

Let’s start from the original intention of this project.

Two years ago, I was eager to prove myself, so I made products to show off. Even though they were on the front page of the app store four times, they were just for practice. I didn’t have a deep understanding of whether they could bring value to users.

The product was made, recommended, and gained millions of users. I was happy. Then what?

It is a sad fact for product people that the product does not really help our target users (people who are losing weight).

Regarding Lianlian, the comments I heard almost all were: "Oh my goodness, Lianlian is so pretty!", "The little white guy is so cute!", "This fitness app is so adorable!" I was really happy to hear such feedback from users at first. That kind of happiness was the same as when it suddenly reached the top of the list four days after its launch. It was a kind of happiness that comes from having one's vanity satisfied, a kind of happiness of "I finally proved myself."

Over time, I found that no users ever praised us for being easy to use or effective. I really look forward to hearing comments like “Lianlian really helped me lose weight!” and “Lianlian is really useful.” But everyone's focus is always on the cute mascot and exquisite UI.

This should be an honor for a designer and a sorrow for a product person.

3. Behind the magnificent number of users, have you helped users solve practical problems?

Today, Lianlian plays more of a vase role. It can attract new users with its cute appearance, but it cannot retain users with its connotation. No matter how cute the little white guy is, it is still a fat guy after all...

This is the biggest change that my two years of entrepreneurial experience has brought to me personally. When our product data showed a trend of "high ratings, low retention", I began to think: When it comes to fitness, apart from the superficial video tutorials, what else can we do to truly help users solve practical problems and help them lose weight?

Here is a real data that I would like to share with you: For all fitness apps, it is basically impossible for the 30-day retention rate to exceed 5%. This means that the APP is permanent, but the users are transient. There are always users who come and go, and there are no real users who settle down. The daily active data of a fitness APP in the angel round and the B round may be almost the same. Given the "anti-human" nature of fitness, the possibility of users continuing to use it is extremely low.

In fact, this may be the mentality in the current Internet circle. Everyone is trying hard to become a user and then leave a string of gorgeous numbers. Is the product good? Then there is still a need to ask – “If our product is useless, how could there be so many users?” However, no one knows the retention rate , and as for whether it has real value to users, it is even more difficult for outsiders to know.

Fourth, what kind of product can bring value to users?

If you really want to think from the user's perspective, then it's not just talk. You should really think about it, study it, design the best experience and functions, find the most effective form of service, and really make users stick to your product.

Everyone understands that when it comes to losing weight and exercising, the pain point of being difficult to stick to is much greater than not knowing how to exercise. Regarding persistence, how can we really encourage and supervise users?

1. Peer research

This problem once troubled me a lot. I looked at all the methods on the market that attempt to solve this problem: community, gambling, directly creating encouraging content, etc. However, disappointingly, there is really no existing method that can be called "effective".

2. Exploring the needs of traditional industries

After researching online solutions, I turned to explore solutions and opportunities in traditional gyms. The longer I've been in traditional gyms, the more I feel that the way that can really bring results is still "personal training" - the simplest, most direct, efficient and fast traditional way. Although it has been highly demonized in China, and I often hear negative reviews about personal trainers such as forced sales and insincere service, this cannot completely deny the effectiveness of personal trainers. Just like swimming does have the risk of drowning, it is undeniable that it is still one of the most effective exercises for burning fat all over the body.

The reason is simple. Private training packages solve the pain points of not knowing how to exercise and difficulty in persisting, helping users complete weight loss tasks that they cannot complete alone. It can be regarded as the most effective and authoritative way to solve the pain point of "difficulty in persisting" on the market.

From the perspective of an Internet product manager , the concept of private training actually has many hidden advantages:
1. In line with user perception, low education market cost

Most people know that hiring a personal trainer is the best way to get good fitness results, and they are more willing to trust personal trainers (it’s just that the current domestic prices are too high)

2. High cooperation due to paid behavior

The relationship established after payment will create a natural psychological bond for users (“I paid, so I have to consume”). Therefore, private training users often cooperate with the coach's supervision and guidance.

3. High degree of service standardization

From measuring body shape, writing plans, teaching to after-class supervision, every aspect of personal training service has a very clear process and business logic. In other words, it is relatively easy to productize services.

All in all, when I was stuck in the deep pit of "how to bring value to users", private training was indeed like a ray of light, illuminating the direction for me to move forward. At least in my opinion now, personal training is fertile ground to be developed. I don't understand those gyms in China that have ruined the reputation of such a precious service.

3. Visit industry experts to gain in-depth understanding of problem-solving methods

At the same time, I specially invited Professor Zhang Shenghai, a leader in the fitness industry, to understand the core algorithm and how to make the fitness plan truly and perfectly fit the physical condition of each user. I also found 500 people to conduct exhaustion tests on the algorithm, carefully recorded every data indicator, and made continuous adjustments.

Get rid of the previous vanity and impetuous idol baggage, start to truly think for the users, and strive to base the results on the actual effects of the users rather than those empty numbers and download volumes.

Final words

As a product dog who dreams of "making the world a little better", this may be the proudest decision of my life so far. I am a CEO, but I still have to have ideals for products, just in case they come true!

I sincerely hope that all product people can truly think about problems from the user's perspective. It's not just talk, you have to really think about it, study it, design the best experience and functions, find the most effective form of service, and really make users stick to your product.

ASO optimization service click link: ASO optimization service introduction

IOS accelerated review click link: //www.opp2.com/8854.html

APP Top Promotion (www.opp2.com) is the top mobile APP promotion platform in China. Welcome to follow our official WeChat public account: appganhuo

[Scan the top APP promotion WeChat QR code to get more dry goods and explosive materials]
This article was compiled and published by (APP Top Promotion) by @丁若愚. Reprinting this article requires the consent of Top Promotion , and please attach the link to this article!