Activation rate
The share of new users who reach the first real use of a product within a set time.
Sign-ups say who was curious; activation says who got value. Pick one action that predicts staying (a first project created, a first invoice sent) and measure the share of each week’s sign-ups who do it within, say, seven days. It moves faster than retention, so it is the number to watch after onboarding changes.
Related terms
- Tracking plan: The short list of events a product sends, with names, properties and where each is captured.
- Conversion funnel: The ordered steps users take towards a goal, such as visit, sign-up and payment, with the share who get from each step to the next.
- Retention: The share of users who come back and use a product again in later weeks or months, usually shown per sign-up cohort.
