Want to build an app? Don't! Questions to consider before embarking on a mobile strategy
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Want to build an app? Don’t! Just kidding. Planned Parenthood’s Digital Product Lab is a team of six on the forefront of technology for the 100-year-old sexual and reproductive health organization. The challenge? Understanding what it takes to launch and scale great digital products for people who need them the most. Learn from their successes and failures (or opportunities) to uncover why you should or should not build an app as part of your digital strategy, examining the launch and success of Spot On - a period and birth control tracker app for iOS and Android; and the shelving of Spark - a sex ed coach app for parents of 9-12 year olds.
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Want to build an app? Don't! Questions to consider before embarking on a mobile strategy
- 1. When to Build an App – And When to Think Twice Jenny Friedler, Digital Product Lab, PPFA Jennifer Johnsen, Education, PPFA
- 2. Planned Parenthood exists to create a world where sexual and reproductive rights are basic human rights, where access to health care doesn’t depend on who you are, and where every person has the opportunity to choose their own path to a healthy and meaningful life. Background 2
- 3. Planned Parenthood has been around for a hundred years. Background 3
- 5. The scale has changed. Background 5 The smartphone is the closest to a universal tech product we’ve ever had. 0 0.45 0.9 1.35 1.8 Game Consoles Cameras TVs PCs Smart Phones Mobile Phones Unit Sales, 2014 (bn)
- 6. Background 2.7 million patients receive care at Planned Parenthood health centers 1.5 million young people and adults participate in our educational programs each year
- 7. Background 70 millionannual website visitors
- 8. A new opportunity calls for new ways of working. BackgroundDigital Product Lab 1020 x 1020 We build for the intersection of our mission objectives, technological opportunities, and users’ needs. X
- 9. Spot On The opportunity. When period tracking apps began to enter the mainstream, there was a natural intersection with our mission and history. We wanted to combine users’ desire to understand their bodies with the ability choose and track their birth control, and receive accessible educational info along the way. 9
- 10. A new opportunity calls for new ways of working. Background
- 11. BackgroundSection Title Data Analysis Product Management Subject Matter Marketing X User Experience Background
- 12. 12 We believe that from user good, comes business good.
- 13. Spot On. A heads up on your period and a tracker for your whole cycle? Check. Birth control reminders and customized advice if you make a mistake? Yep. Tips, guidance, and fun facts from Planned Parenthood experts? We’re on it.
- 16. We learned from our users…
- 17. Section Title …from paper prototypes to production.
- 18. Spot On "... it's probably time you download the new Planned Parenthood Spot On app. Seriously, it's pretty awesome.” "This new period tracking app is a serious game- changer.” "... a smart, unassuming, useful piece of technology— thank the gynecological cosmic forces.” "We've already downloaded it—have you?" “Spot On is the period tracker that’s not trying to get you pregnant, thank god.” “Staying on top of your period has never been simpler than with Spot On’s easy to use interface.”
- 19. Spot On “Great app. Easy and fast to use! Helps me track my moods, body trends and helps me plan for the future. Love it. The user interface is SPOT ON… get it…” “Finally, a period tracker that isn’t covered in flowers and trying to get me pregnant!!! It helps me remember my birth control and it’s gender neutral and so frickin cuuuuuuute with all the bobblies!” “OMG I love that dinosaur! Also, I found the calendar really helpful for planning my upcoming vacation and knowing when I’d be on my period. I’ve been on the pill my whole life, but considering other options after seeing all that’s out there. Thank you, PP!” User Feedback
- 20. Spot On 580,000+total downloads to date.
- 21. Spot On 7 millionsessions since launch
- 22. Spot On 22 Active Users • 43% of our 580,000 users are active within the app at least monthly, significantly overshooting our 20% target • The average active user opens the app more than once a week. 1020 x 1020 43%Monthly Active Users
- 23. Birdie. Our parent coaching app was designed to provide activities, topics, advice and encouragement to help parents of preadolescents get involved in their kids’ lives — while breaking the ice around sexual health.
- 24. Spot On 24 Methods Android has almost 8% fewer non-method users, and higher percentages of IUD (10% compared to 5%), implant (9% compared to 4%), and shot users (6% compared to 3%). The most common birth control method is the pill, which about 30% of users are currently on. This suggests a significant opportunity to educate users about available birth control options. 47% 31% 8% 4% 3% 3% 2% 2% 46% No Method 31% Pill 8% IUD 4% Ring 4% Implant 3% Shot 2% Not Sure 2% Patch 370,000 total users /Users/friedjen/ Downloads/Archive 3/JPGs/ 3_Birdie_Modal_10.jp g /Users/friedjen/ Downloads/Comps/ Spot On_9.png /Users/friedjen/ Downloa/Users/ friedjen/Downloads/ Comps/Spot On_10.png ds/Comps/Spot On_9.png
- 25. What makes an idea work as an app? Background 25
- 26. It supports existing behaviors, instead of requiring new ones. Background 26
- 27. It stores information that is valuable and unique to the user. Background 27
- 28. There’s a reason for users to interact with the app regularly. Background 28
- 29. Its value builds over time based on user engagement. Background 29
- 30. Get in touch! – Jenny.Friedler@ppfa.org – Jennifer.Johnsen@ppfa.org
Editor's Notes
- JF TO DO INTRO
- As you know, this is an organization that’s been around for a long time.
- But this new invention is totally changing the game.
- Technology has always held opportunities, but when you look at the fact that between 3.5 and 4.5 billion people have mobile phones (out of 7.12bn), the rest are about to get them in the next few years, and all of those mobile phones are about to become smart phones, this is really the closest humanity has ever come to having a “universal technology.” It drastically outpaces the camera, television, or PC in that regard.
- We’ve been doing this work with people in person for almost a century, but just imagine the kind of scale that the phone can potentially open up for our work.
- Two thirds of those people are coming to us from a mobile device
- As a refresher, let’s talk about why we decided to make a period tracker. We’ve heard every question in the book when it comes to periods, birth control, and reproductive health. There’s a huge opportunity for us to extend the non-judgmental, reliable, trustworthy care we provide in our health centers and bring that to women’s pockets with something that’s completely specific to their needs, and complements the services we provide in our health centers. Spot On is the only tracker on the market that supports all methods of birth control that affect your menstrual cycle (pill, patch, shot, ring, IUD, implant), and helps women both manage their birth control, and understand how it affects their bodies and periods. Spot On is geared toward 18-22 year olds, as we know this is the average age of first intercourse, and when users may begin trying to find the method of birth control that’s right for them.
- JJ TO DO SPOT ON FUNCTIONALITY (ETC) Spot On helps to simplify and streamline your cycle. It gives you birth control reminders, tracks your symptoms, and also delivers fun facts and key advice to keep you in control.
- Users entering Spot On for the first time get a quick walk through of all the key features in the Introduction to the app. As part of Onboarding, they will then be able to select and track any birth control method that affects their cycle, including the pill, patch, ring, shot, IUD, or implant. They can also learn more about other methods once they’re in the app through Resources. In the Day View, birth control and cycle tracking is simplified with personalized reminders and fun facts, and users can navigate through their cycle using the Cycle Ribbon at the top of the screen.
- JF TO DO SPOT ON RESULTS Press coverage at launch
- Also raises up the period — keeps it light and funny, but breaks down stigma, which was something that really resonated with the potential users we spoke to.
- With no paid marketing to date (that kicks off next week), we’ve already seen more than 18K downloads We’ll begin paid marketing next week on both Facebook and Instagram, and have recently been asked by Apple for artwork to be featured in the App Store, which is generally thought to be a better boost than any money or marketing efforts can buy. Interestingly, we currently have an almost unheard-of high rate of conversion from app-store visit to download (77%), which suggests that bringing more people to the app store page will be a huge boon.
- .59 sessions per active user per day; which means that most people who use the app are using it at least every couple days. What we learned in our beta testing was that the more people used the app, the more they liked it; so one of the first things we’re digging into in our next updates is additional reminders and notifications to increase user engagement.
- Perhaps most excitingly, we’re seeing that people who download the app are actually using it; our goal is to have 20% monthly active users after 6 months on the market; currently, we have almost 50% of users remaining active.
- JJ TO DO BIRDIE & APP LEARNINGS So, based on everything we learned from research and directly from parents, we came up with Birdie. It’s a friendly, accessible parent coach. And then we did some more testing.
- Note that there are 46% no method (compared to 50%), 11% IUD (compared to 7%), and 8% Implant (compared to 4%) in Android.
- As you know, this is an organization that’s been around for a long time.
- Spot On – tracking your period on a calendar, wondering when it’s going to come. Something you can react to. Setting reminders to use your birth control. Birdie – Reframing “the talk” as having an ongoing convo w/ your kids around sexual and reproductive health – you have to be sold on the behavior AND the app
- Spot On – Storing your personal period history, birth control method, and current status; getting smarter about your period and fertility predictions as you continue to use it, so the value builds. Birdie – Storing static content; you can add notes, but then it just becomes a record, not something that directly and dynamically impacts what you’re given back.
- Spot On – your period is literally a monthly reminder to use the thing (even if you’re not getting reminders for a renewable method). Birdie – The trigger is likely to be a question from your kid, but the content isn’t quite dynamic enough to support that (not framed as the answer to specific questions, which may be too timely).
- Spot On – gets smarter as you keep using it, and the more unique tracking data it holds, the more valuable it is; builds loyalty. Birdie – The content doesn’t change as you use it, or with the news – that’s a tough thing to do in an app, so it’s not giving you more value as you use it; gives you back only exactly what you put in. Storage is not enough value.