Should Udemy prioritize course quantity or quality to attract more users?

Introduction

The trade-off between course quantity and quality on Udemy is a critical decision that could significantly impact user acquisition and retention. This scenario involves balancing the platform's content offerings to attract more users while maintaining educational value. I'll analyze this trade-off by examining its implications on various stakeholders, proposing metrics to measure success, and designing experiments to validate our hypotheses.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

• Based on Udemy's current market position, I'm thinking course quantity might be a key differentiator. Could you share how our course catalog size compares to our main competitors?

Why it matters: Helps understand our competitive advantage Expected answer: Udemy has a significantly larger catalog Impact on approach: Would lean towards maintaining quantity if it's a key differentiator

• Considering our revenue model, I assume we operate on a revenue-sharing basis with course creators. Is this correct, and what's our typical split?

Why it matters: Influences incentives for course creation and quality Expected answer: Yes, with a 50/50 or 70/30 split favoring creators Impact on approach: Would consider creator incentives in quality vs. quantity decision

• Looking at user behavior, I'm curious about the correlation between course completion rates and user retention. Do we have data on this?

Why it matters: Indicates whether course quality impacts long-term user engagement Expected answer: Higher completion rates correlate with better retention Impact on approach: Would emphasize quality if strongly correlated with retention

• Regarding our technical capabilities, do we currently have robust quality assessment tools in place for courses?

Why it matters: Determines feasibility of scaling quality control Expected answer: Basic tools exist, but there's room for improvement Impact on approach: Would influence the timeline and resources needed for quality initiatives

• Considering our current team structure, do we have dedicated resources for course curation and quality control?

Why it matters: Affects our ability to implement quality-focused strategies Expected answer: Limited resources currently allocated Impact on approach: Would impact the feasibility of quality-focused initiatives