zeroone: Improved Week 2 retention (+15%), engagement (+30%), and implementation of new tracking

About zeroone

zeroone is a blockchain-powered social app where users upload, mint, and collect digital artwork. Designed for both creators and collectors, zeroone blends social engagement with crypto-native mechanics, making early activation and repeat usage critical for long-term retention and network growth.

Challenge 1: Low Artwork Upload Completion After Onboarding

zeroone noticed that although users were completing onboarding, a significant portion dropped off before uploading their first artwork, a key activation milestone. Since the core value of the app is tied to uploading and collecting art, this created:

• Low activation rates
• Weak creator participation
• Slower social and marketplace interactions

The team needed a way to help users reach value faster.

Solution

After validating that the onboarding flow itself was smooth and not causing friction, we proposed a high-leverage experiment to reshape the early user experience:

1. Encourage artwork uploads during onboarding (optional)

• Added a lightweight prompt during onboarding for users to upload their first piece
• Kept it optional to avoid cognitive overload
• Increased the chances of users completing this action early in the journey

2. Removed unnecessary onboarding screens

• Streamlined the onboarding flow to reduce friction
• Helped users reach the app faster and experience value sooner

3. Enabled collecting even before uploading

Users were given a few free collection tickets, allowing them to:

• Collect artwork immediately
• Engage socially before contributing their own work
• Experience the excitement of the product from day one

This gave users a meaningful first interaction that didn’t depend on having artwork ready.

Result

The experiment delivered strong improvements:

• Activation increased from 21% to 55%
• Week 2 retention increased by 15%

Providing early value and simplifying onboarding helped users better understand the purpose of the app and stay engaged longer.

Challenge 2: Week 2 Retention Dropped by 26%

zeroone saw a sudden 26% decline in Week 2 retention, which did not recover organically. The team needed clarity on:

• What caused the drop
• Which app updates or user segments were most affected
• What actions were needed to restore retention

Given the community-driven nature of the product, retention dips have compounding effects on engagement and marketplace activity.

Solution

I performed a multi-layer analysis that included:

• Reviewing feature releases leading up to the drop
• Segmenting users by acquisition channels, device, first-week behaviour, and art actions
• Analyzing key funnel steps where the drop-off became most pronounced
• Cross-checking for technical issues or broken user flows

This allowed us to identify the precise contributors to the retention decline, enabling the team to focus on the right fixes rather than guessing.

Result

The engineering and product teams are now implementing the required fixes identified in the analysis. Early internal tests indicate that correcting the issues will restore baseline retention levels and prevent future declines.

Challenge 3: Low Ongoing Engagement and Lack of Habit Loops

zeroone wanted to make the platform more engaging, fun, and repeat-visit-friendly. Users interacted with the product but did not develop strong habits around daily posting, collecting, or exploring art.

The team needed features that:

• Encourage users to come back frequently
• Create a sense of progression
• Increase social sharing
• Make the platform feel more alive and competitive

Solution

We conducted competitive research across social apps, gaming ecosystems, and Web2.0 engagement loops to identify high-impact mechanics. Based on this analysis, we proposed three features:

1. Streaks

Reward users for daily activity, creating habit loops and a sense of progress.

2. Leaderboards

Introduce friendly competition across creators and collectors, encouraging users to improve their ranking and share achievements.

3. Tiered Rewards

Give users incentives to stay active and unlock exclusive perks based on their engagement level.

All three features were designed to reinforce repeat usage and make the app socially sharable, fun, and rewarding.

Result

After rollout, zeroone saw a measurable lift in user activity:

• Engagement increased by 30%
• Users frequently shared streak milestones and leaderboard positions
• Collecting and posting activity became more consistent

These features created the habit loops the product was missing, transforming ZeroOne into a more dynamic and interactive platform.

Challenge 4: New App Launch With No Tracking in Place

As zeroone prepared to roll out a completely rebuilt app, the team needed:

• A clean, comprehensive tracking plan
• Clear definitions for events and properties
• A structure that would help them measure onboarding, engagement, creations, collections, and social loops
• A way to ensure new features could be analyzed immediately after launch

Without proper tracking, the team would be flying blind during one of the most critical phases of the product’s life cycle.

Solution

To support the relaunch, we conducted a full product walkthrough and mapped out every meaningful user interaction. This included:

1. Deep-dive into the new app flows

• Identified core journeys such as onboarding, uploading artwork, collecting, social actions, wallets, and profile setup.
• Documented edge cases and hidden paths to ensure nothing was missed.

2. Built a complete tracking plan

The tracking plan covered:

• Event definitions for key actions
• Properties needed to segment and understand behaviour
• Standardized naming conventions for consistency
• Conversion funnels tied to activation and retention metrics
• Feature-specific tracking for new UI/UX elements introduced in the revamp

3. Created implementation guidelines

So the engineering team could integrate tracking easily and accurately from day one.

Result

The tracking plan is now with the development team and is being fully implemented across the new app.

Once live, zeroone will have:

• Complete visibility into user behaviour
• The ability to measure the impact of the redesign
• Clean, structured data for insights, experiments, and growth strategy

This foundation will allow the team to iterate faster and make data-driven decisions immediately after launch.