For Remitly's mobile app, should we emphasize adding new features or simplifying the user interface to improve ease of use for first-time customers?

Introduction

For Remitly's mobile app, we're facing a critical trade-off between adding new features and simplifying the user interface to improve ease of use for first-time customers. This decision will significantly impact our user acquisition, retention, and overall product strategy. I'll analyze this trade-off by examining our product context, identifying key metrics, designing experiments, and providing a data-driven recommendation.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

• Based on our current market position, I'm thinking user acquisition might be a top priority. Could you share our current user growth rate and how it compares to our targets?

Why it matters: Helps determine if we should focus more on attracting new users or retaining existing ones. Expected answer: Growth is below target, acquisition is a key focus. Impact on approach: Would lean towards simplifying UI for new users if acquisition is lagging.

• Considering our revenue model, I assume transaction fees are our primary income source. What percentage of our revenue comes from first-time vs. repeat customers?

Why it matters: Informs whether we should prioritize first-time user experience or features for power users. Expected answer: First-time users contribute significantly but have lower retention. Impact on approach: Would influence balance between simplification and new features.

• Looking at user behavior, I'm curious about our current onboarding completion rates. What percentage of new users successfully complete their first transaction?

Why it matters: Indicates whether UI complexity is a major barrier for new users. Expected answer: Completion rate is below industry average, suggesting room for improvement. Impact on approach: Low completion rates would strongly favor UI simplification.

• From a technical perspective, I'm wondering about our app's current performance metrics. What's our app's average load time and crash rate?

Why it matters: Helps assess if adding features might negatively impact app performance. Expected answer: Performance is stable but could be improved. Impact on approach: Poor performance would prioritize optimization over new features.

• Regarding our development resources, what's our current sprint velocity and team capacity?

Why it matters: Determines feasibility of implementing both UI changes and new features simultaneously. Expected answer: Team is at capacity with current roadmap. Impact on approach: Limited resources would necessitate choosing one direction over the other.