Payer DAU DECLINE

Since the beginning of May HoV has lost 10% of its paying DAU:
Looking when that drop happens we have identified one important period where the DAU for older players (in the app for more than 60 days) from May 24th onwards. See week on week DAU attrition below and the drop late May onwards.

Can you guys shed some light on what we might have changed in terms of re-engagement campaigns around those dates?

BRIEF description:

In this case study, challenges arose after a minor update to the user interface (UI) of Heart of Vegas (HoV), a popular social casino game. The update subtly modified essential UI components such as the leaderboard and statistics page, disproportionately affecting our long-term, older player base. Although the changes were intended to enhance the game’s aesthetic and functionality, they inadvertently disrupted the user experience for this key demographic, leading to a noticeable drop in daily active users (DAU) among players who had been engaged with the app for more than 60 days.

Steps Taken to Fix the Problem:

  1. Identifying the Issue:

    • I initiated an analysis to correlate the timing of the UI changes with the decline in DAU. Using analytics tools, we pinpointed that the drop started immediately after the updates were rolled out, primarily affecting players familiar with the previous interface.

  2. Gathering Feedback:

    • We launched targeted surveys and feedback sessions specifically for long-term players to understand their difficulties with the new UI. This approach helped us gather direct insights into which elements were causing the most confusion and frustration.

  3. Iterative UI Adjustments:

    • Based on the feedback, we made incremental adjustments to the UI. For instance, we increased the font size for better readability and enhanced color contrast to make critical elements more visible. Each change was A/B tested to ensure it positively impacted user experience.

  4. Improving Communication:

    • Recognizing the oversight in not adequately informing players about the upcoming changes, we improved our communication strategy. We started providing detailed change logs before every update and used in-game notifications to guide players through new features.

  5. Monitoring and Continuous Improvement:

    • Post-adjustment, we continued to monitor user engagement metrics closely and maintained an open line of communication with our player base. This ongoing dialogue ensured that any further issues could be promptly addressed and that player satisfaction remained high.

Through these steps, we not only managed to recover the lost engagement from our long-term players but also enhanced our overall approach to UI updates in Heart of Vegas, ensuring that future changes would be better received and more effectively implemented.