What metrics would you use to evaluate Ancestry's family tree building tool?

Introduction

Evaluating Ancestry's family tree building tool requires a comprehensive approach to product success metrics. To address this challenge effectively, I'll follow a structured framework that covers core metrics, supporting indicators, and risk factors while considering all key stakeholders.

Step 1

Product Context

Ancestry's family tree building tool is a core feature of their genealogy platform, allowing users to create, edit, and share their family histories. Key stakeholders include:

1. Users (genealogy enthusiasts and family historians)
2. Ancestry's product team
3. Marketing and sales teams
4. Data scientists and researchers

The user flow typically involves:

1. Creating an account
2. Starting a new family tree or importing existing data
3. Adding family members and relationships
4. Attaching historical records and photos
5. Collaborating with other users and sharing discoveries

This tool is central to Ancestry's strategy of engaging users in genealogical research and fostering a community of family historians. Compared to competitors like MyHeritage or FamilySearch, Ancestry's tool aims to offer a more comprehensive database and user-friendly interface.

As a mature product, the family tree builder is in the optimization stage of its lifecycle, focusing on refining features and improving user engagement.