Virality fades. What matters more is whether people stick around.

Look for:

• Daily and weekly active users (DAU/WAU)


• Retention curves over 30, 60, 90 days


• Signs that users are getting real value

Jobs’ product-creation philosophy was to avoid asking customers what they wanted because their answers would be predicated on what they already knew based on existing products.

On the contrary, instead of focusing just on the functional needs of customers, he observed what they were trying to accomplish on a social and emotional level as well. He... See more

“I’ve always found that you’ve got to start with the customer experience and work backwards for the technology. You can’t start with the technology and try to figure out where you’re going to try to sell it.

As we have tried to come up with a strategy and a vision for Apple, it started with: What incredible benefits can we give to the customer?

... See more