Building an Engagement-First Analytics Framework for a Social Media App
A product analytics case study where I designed an engagement-first measurement system for a social app. I defined the North Star Metric, event taxonomy, HEART framework, AARRR funnel, and built a launch-stage analytics dashboard to guide product decisions.
PRODUCT Context
Connectly Product Analytics
(TIMELINE)
4 weeks
(challenges)
Measuring meaningful engagement instead of passive activity
Choosing a North Star Metric that predicts retention, not vanity growth
Designing event definitions that are precise and non-ambiguous
Aligning HEART framework metrics with observable event data
Avoiding over-instrumentation at launch stage
Making insights actionable rather than just descriptive
(SOLUTION)
I designed an engagement-first analytics system focused on measuring deliberate user participation rather than passive app usage. The system combines a clear North Star Metric (Daily Engaged Users), a structured event taxonomy, HEART framework metrics, and an AARRR funnel to guide launch-stage product decisions.
Key Components
North Star Metric: Daily Engaged Users (DEU)
Event-Based Tracking: Posts, likes, comments, follows, profile completion
HEART Framework: To balance behavior and experience quality
AARRR Funnel: To evaluate acquisition, activation, retention before monetization
Dashboard: Single source of truth for growth, engagement, and retention signals
(result)
DEU
North Star Metric Defined
D7 ≥ 20%
Early Retention Target
3+ actions
Multi-Feature Engagement Signal
