Why has Morning Consult's Brand Intelligence platform seen a 15% drop in daily active users over the past month?

Introduction

Morning Consult's Brand Intelligence platform has experienced a 15% drop in daily active users over the past month, signaling a significant issue that requires immediate attention. To address this problem, I'll employ a systematic approach to identify, validate, and resolve the root cause while considering both short-term and long-term implications for the product.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

• Considering the timing, I'm wondering if there have been any recent product updates or changes. Have there been any significant feature releases or UI changes in the past 1-2 months?

Why it matters: Recent changes could directly impact user behavior and engagement. Expected answer: Yes, there was a major UI overhaul about 6 weeks ago. Impact on approach: If confirmed, we'd focus on user experience and adoption issues related to the new interface.

• Looking at the user base, I'm curious about the composition of the affected users. Has the drop been consistent across all user segments, or are certain groups more affected?

Why it matters: Understanding which users are most affected helps narrow down potential causes. Expected answer: Enterprise clients have seen a larger drop compared to smaller businesses. Impact on approach: We'd investigate enterprise-specific features or needs that might not be met in the current version.

• Considering external factors, I'm thinking about potential market shifts. Have there been any significant changes in the competitive landscape or industry regulations recently?

Why it matters: External factors could be driving users to alternative solutions. Expected answer: A new competitor launched a similar product with aggressive pricing last month. Impact on approach: We'd need to assess our value proposition and pricing strategy in light of new competition.

• Regarding data integrity, I'm wondering about the reliability of our metrics. Has there been any change in how we measure daily active users or any known issues with our analytics systems?

Why it matters: Ensures we're addressing a real problem and not a data anomaly. Expected answer: No changes in measurement, and our systems have been stable. Impact on approach: We can confidently focus on actual user behavior rather than data issues.