What do you do if your mobile application's data and analytics are overwhelming?

Identify the key metrics that you really care about and let everything else go to background data. Focus on valuable takeaways that result in better user experience, retention and more money. Filter and dice data by user demographics, behavior or app usage patterns. Use the reports to simplify and highlight trends/ anomalies or even better view the essential metrics on a dashboard where you get an overview of your business in one screen. This keeps you focused on what is most important without getting lost in all of the data.

From my perspective, the first step is to clarify your app’s primary goals and objectives. Whether it’s boosting user engagement, optimizing conversion rates, or enhancing user retention, defining these goals helps in filtering out the noise and focusing on what truly matters. By aligning your data analysis with these objectives, you can streamline your efforts and concentrate on metrics that drive meaningful insights. This approach not only simplifies data management but also ensures that your decisions are based on the most impactful information, leading to more effective and strategic improvements for your app.

When dealing with overwhelming data and analytics in a mobile application, I've found that the best approach is to take a step back and simplify. Instead of trying to analyze everything at once, I focus on breaking down the data into smaller, more manageable chunks that are directly tied to the app's key objectives. This way, I can concentrate on what truly matters without getting lost in the details. Additionally, setting up automated reports for the most critical metrics helps me stay on top of things without feeling overwhelmed. By narrowing my focus and using tools to streamline data analysis, I can make more informed decisions that drive the app's success.

At work, we were using Mixpanel for our analytics but later transitioned to Amplitude. In my experience, I find Amplitude to be more intuitive than Mixpanel. Once we encountered a situation where we needed to create a highly complex cohort based on user behavior history. Since some of data was still on Mixpanel, we had to set it up in both Mixpanel and Amplitude, and we found that Amplitude was significantly easier to work with. Additionally, tasks like creating segments and visualizing data through charts are more straightforward and user-friendly in Amplitude. Also, if you want to go fully custom analysis on huge data. I recommend using data platforms Like BigQuery.

From my perspective, turning data into actionable insights is where the real impact lies. When I notice a trend or issue, like a drop in user retention, I dive deeper to understand the root cause. This often involves not just looking at where users are dropping off but also considering their feedback and behavior patterns. I then use this information to make specific changes that address the problem, whether it's simplifying a confusing feature or enhancing the user experience. This approach helps me move beyond just analyzing data to actually implementing changes that improve the app's performance and meet user needs.

From my experience, it’s important to move beyond simply collecting data and focus on interpreting it in ways that lead to tangible improvements. For example, if you notice a decline in user retention, it’s vital to dive into the analytics to understand where users are losing interest. This might involve examining user behavior patterns or feedback to identify pain points. Once these areas are pinpointed, you can implement targeted changes, such as refining onboarding processes or enhancing features that aren't meeting user expectations. By focusing on actionable insights, you transform raw data into strategic actions that drive real enhancements in your app’s performance and user satisfaction.

Currently we have a huge amount of analytics since we majorly focus on audio and other stuff. There are also a lot of analytics for payments too. We majorly use mixpanel to get all of the analytics from our app and backend. Inside mixpanel you can create customised dashboards based on your requirements by providing specific fields inside them. This can help streamline the large number of analytics.