For RidiWebtoon's mobile app, should we focus on optimizing loading speed or adding more interactive features to increase engagement?

Introduction

For RidiWebtoon's mobile app, we're facing a critical trade-off between optimizing loading speed and adding more interactive features to increase engagement. This decision will significantly impact user experience, retention, and ultimately, our business metrics. I'll analyze this trade-off by examining our product context, defining 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 retention might be a key challenge. Could you share our current retention rates for the mobile app, particularly for new users?

Why it matters: Helps prioritize between speed (which might impact new user retention) and engagement features (which might improve long-term retention) Expected answer: Retention rates are below industry average, especially for new users Impact on approach: Would lean towards optimizing loading speed to improve first-time user experience

• Considering our revenue model, I assume we rely heavily on ad revenue. Is that correct, and what's the split between ad revenue and other sources like premium subscriptions?

Why it matters: Determines whether we should prioritize features that increase time spent (for ad views) or conversion to paid tiers Expected answer: 70% ad revenue, 30% subscriptions Impact on approach: Would influence whether to focus on engagement features that increase session time or those that showcase premium content

• From a technical perspective, I'm curious about our current app performance. What's our average load time, and how does it compare to industry benchmarks?

Why it matters: Helps assess the urgency of speed optimization Expected answer: Load times are 20% slower than top competitors Impact on approach: If significantly behind, would prioritize speed optimization before adding new features

• Regarding our user base, I'm wondering about the distribution between creators and consumers. What percentage of our users are content creators versus readers?

Why it matters: Influences whether to prioritize features for creation or consumption Expected answer: 5% creators, 95% consumers Impact on approach: Would likely focus on consumer-facing features unless creator retention is a critical issue

• Looking at our product roadmap, are there any major releases or updates planned in the next quarter that might impact this decision?

Why it matters: Helps align this decision with broader product strategy Expected answer: Planning a major UI overhaul in Q4 Impact on approach: Might suggest a phased approach, tackling speed now and integrating new features with the UI update