How Duolingo broke down their DAU problem into bite-sized pieces
Original: Meaningful metrics: How data sharpened the focus of product teams
Summary
This case study explores how Duolingo used a product-led growth (PLG) framework to drive a 4x increase in daily active users (DAUs). It examines their approach to activation, monetization, and growth strategy, providing insights that can inform data-driven product and marketing decisions.
Who This Is For
Product Managers
Data Scientists
Growth Marketers
Key Takeaways
- Break down monolithic metrics like DAU into smaller, actionable user segments based on activity states
- Use Markov models to track user transitions between states (new, current, reactivated, dormant) for clearer optimization targets
- Focus on transition rates like retention, deactivation, and reactivation rates rather than just topline metrics
- Classify users into 7 mutually-exclusive states to identify specific drop-off points and growth opportunities
- Run hundreds of A/B tests against these refined metrics to achieve measurable growth (4x DAU increase)
Tools & Technologies
Markov Models A/B testing platforms User aliasing systems Duolingo Growth Model framework
Topics Covered
product-led-growth activation monetization growth-strategy
Ready to dive deeper?
Read Full Article on blog.duolingo.com
