Engagement Metrics: DAU, MAU, and Playtime Quiz Quiz

Challenge your understanding of key engagement metrics such as Daily Active Users (DAU), Monthly Active Users (MAU), and average playtime. This quiz helps you assess concepts crucial for analyzing user activity trends and measuring product success.

  1. Identifying DAU

    If a mobile app reports 25,000 unique users logging in on July 15th, which engagement metric does this value best represent?

    1. Monthly Active Users (MAU)
    2. Playtime Ratio
    3. Daily Active Users (DAU)
    4. User Acquisition Rate

    Explanation: Daily Active Users (DAU) counts unique users who engage with an app in a single day, making it the most suitable metric here. Monthly Active Users (MAU) would involve a tally over an entire month, not just one day. Playtime Ratio refers to the proportion of time spent engaging with content, not the number of users. User Acquisition Rate measures how many new users are joining, not how many log in daily.

  2. DAU/MAU Ratio Interpretation

    A service has a DAU of 10,000 and an MAU of 50,000. What does a DAU/MAU ratio of 0.2 suggest about user engagement?

    1. Users engage frequently but not daily
    2. All users log in every day
    3. The app is losing all its users
    4. Playtime is at its highest this month

    Explanation: A DAU/MAU ratio of 0.2 means that on average, 20% of monthly users engage daily, which shows moderate engagement—users are returning, but not every day. 'All users log in every day' would require a ratio of 1. 'The app is losing all its users' is not indicated by this ratio. 'Playtime is at its highest' refers to usage duration, not to active user ratios.

  3. Average Playtime Insight

    If Player A spends 50 minutes and Player B spends 10 minutes in an app during one day, what is the average playtime for that day?

    1. 20 minutes
    2. 30 minutes
    3. 5 minutes
    4. 60 minutes

    Explanation: Average playtime is calculated by adding both players' sessions (50 + 10 = 60) and dividing by the number of players (60 / 2 = 30 minutes). Sixty minutes would only apply if both played an hour each. Twenty and five minutes are both underestimates, not accounting for the actual time spent. Thus, 30 minutes correctly represents average playtime.

  4. Choosing the Right Metric

    Which metric is most suitable for tracking trends in user retention over a monthly period for a social platform?

    1. Monthly Active Users (MAU)
    2. Time Zone Engagement
    3. Playtime per Session
    4. Daily Playtime Fluctuation

    Explanation: Monthly Active Users (MAU) gives a good sense of how many unique users return over a month, which is key for retention analysis. Playtime per Session measures duration, not return rates. Time Zone Engagement examines when users are active, not whether they come back over time. Daily Playtime Fluctuation only shows day-to-day variations in use, not retention.

  5. Misinterpretation of Playtime

    In reviewing data, someone claims a higher average playtime always means higher engagement. Why might this statement be incorrect?

    1. MAU is always larger than DAU
    2. Playtime and DAU always increase together
    3. Playtime only measures monthly activity
    4. High playtime could result from fewer users playing longer

    Explanation: Average playtime might rise if fewer users spend much longer in an app, which does not necessarily indicate broader engagement. Playtime and DAU do not always increase together; one could increase while the other drops. MAU's relation to DAU is structural but not related to this playtime statement. Playtime can be measured daily, not only monthly.