3.3 Reforge - Evaluating Cohorts

Cohorts are essential for analyzing retention to identify opportunities and problems.
A retention cohort chart tracks user activity over time, starting at signup and incrementing by a specific timeframe (e.g., monthly).

Frequency: Determines the cohort timeframes for both the left-hand column and across the top of the chart.
Core Action Definition: Used to identify users who remain within the cohort after a specific period.
User Branding: Ensures the analysis focuses on the correct user set and cohort volume.

Absolute: Shows the number of users remaining from the initial group after a certain time.
- Example: Of 1,170 users who signed up on February 12, 650 were still active four weeks later.
Percentage: Indicates the percentage of the original group still active after a specific duration.
- Example: 56% of users who signed up on February 12 were still active four weeks later.
Absolute Relative: Displays the number of users from the starting group who became dormant within a given period.
- Example: 71 users from the February 12 cohort went dormant four weeks after signing up.
Percentage Relative: Shows the percentage of the initial cohort that went dormant during a specific timeframe.
- Example: 6% of the February 12 cohort went dormant four weeks after signing up.
Average Relative: Compares cohort performance to the average, highlighting underperforming or outperforming cohorts.
- Example: The February 12 cohort retained 4% worse than the average after four weeks.

Cohort analysis helps pinpoint specific time periods or user groups that are particularly problematic or successful.
This information can be used to address issues and leverage opportunities to improve overall retention.