Identify the reason notifications delivery is failing for your App.

Introduction

Notifications delivery failure in our app is a critical issue that directly impacts user engagement and product value. I'll approach this problem systematically, focusing on identifying the root cause, validating hypotheses, and developing both immediate and long-term solutions.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

• What percentage of notifications are failing to deliver?

• Are all user segments affected equally, or is this issue more prevalent in specific groups?

• When did we first notice this problem, and has it been gradually worsening or suddenly appeared?

• Have we made any recent changes to our notification system or app infrastructure?

• Are we seeing any patterns in terms of device types, operating systems, or geographical locations?

• Has our definition or measurement of successful notification delivery changed recently?

Why these questions matter:

1. Scope: Helps quantify the issue's severity and prioritize our response.
2. User impact: Identifies if it's a universal problem or specific to certain user groups.
3. Timeline: Provides context for potential causes and urgency of the solution.
4. Recent changes: Could point to a direct cause if correlated with the issue's onset.
5. Patterns: May reveal specific technical or environmental factors contributing to the problem.
6. Metrics: Ensures we're working with consistent and accurate data.

Hypothetical answers and impact:

1. 30% failure rate - This suggests a significant, widespread issue requiring immediate attention.
2. All segments affected equally - Indicates a systemic problem rather than a user-specific issue.
3. Noticed 2 weeks ago, gradually worsening - Suggests a degrading system or cumulative effect.
4. Recent cloud provider migration - Could be related to new infrastructure or configuration issues.
5. Higher failure rates on Android devices - Narrows down potential causes to platform-specific factors.
6. No changes in measurement - Confirms the issue is real and not a result of altered metrics.