Power users drive some of the most successful companies.

In eCommerce marketplaces it’s power sellers. In ridesharing platforms it’s power riders. And in social networks it’s influencers.

All companies want more power users, but you need to measure them before you can find them.

Why it matter

Power User Curve allows you to get a better understanding of how users engage with your product.

It helps you make more informed decisions using that data.

That might mean choosing another business model or designing better re-engagement loops.

Power users curve

The power user curve is a more nuanced way to understand user engagement.

It’s a histogram of users’ engagement by the total number of days they were active in a week, or a month.

While reflecting top-level activity like app opens or logins, it can be customized for whatever action you decide is important.

Advantages

The Power User Curve has some advantages over DAU/MAU:

• It shows if you have a hardcore, engaged segment that’s coming back every day.

• It shows the variability among your users. Some are engaged, whereas others are power users. Contrast this with DAU/MAU: it’s a single number and so blurs this variance.

• Power User Curves can be shown for different user actions, not just app opens. This matters if the core activity that matters for your product is deeper in the funnel.

How to use it

The beauty of the Power User Curve is that it reflects the nuances of different user segments.

Creating versions of Power User curve by various user segments can  be particularly insightful.  Showing Power User by country can reveal which geographies are developing network effects.

It also doesn’t have to reflect app opens or logins.  You can hone in on an action that maps to users getting specific value out of your  product.

Timeframe

Some products should be analyzed in a 7-day timeframe — like SaaS/productivity. Others on a 30-day one - like Consumer apps.

‍