Investigating High Daily Downloads but Flat DAU

Scenario

Adobe Express reports approximately 1M daily downloads, yet daily active users (DAU) remain flat.

Assume:

• Daily downloads = app store installs on iOS/Android (unique devices), inclusive of organic and paid.
• DAU = unique users who generate a qualifying in-app event per calendar day (e.g., app open or key activity), de-duplicated by user/account where available.

Task

Daily downloads are high but DAU is not growing. Outline a rigorous plan to investigate and resolve this discrepancy.

Your answer should cover:

1. Data cuts and instrumentation checks you would run.
2. Analyses (time series, funnels, cohorts) to diagnose where the gap occurs.
3. Key hypotheses that could explain the pattern and how you would test them.
4. Experiments or causal methods to validate fixes and measure impact.

Hints to Consider

• Funnel drop-offs: install → first open → permissions → sign-up/login → activation event → repeat use.
• Activation and retention cohorts (D0/D1/D7/D28).
• Organic vs. paid installs; incrementality of paid channels.
• Device/platform/app version issues (crashes/ANR, app size, OS compatibility).
• User feedback (reviews, CS tickets, surveys) and store listing performance.
• Reinstalls, duplicate devices, cross-platform cannibalization (mobile vs. web).