Fitbit · Metrics · Mid · 45 to 60 minutes

How should Fitbit reverse falling engagement?

Fitbit makes fitness trackers and smartwatches plus a companion app that helps people monitor activity, health, and habits. Answer this product management case and get it graded line by line against a weighted rubric.

metric design
prioritization
user value framing
experimentation
strategic thinking

The situation

Your director of product for the Fitbit app has asked you to prepare a recommendation for the next planning cycle. Engagement among existing users has started to soften after the initial device setup period. People still buy devices and complete onboarding, but fewer users are returning regularly to review progress, log activity, or build habits over time. Leadership is concerned because lower engagement threatens long term retention and the company’s ability to expand software revenue, but there is disagreement on what to do first. Some teams want to improve motivation and coaching inside the app. Others think social connection could make routines stick. Finance is asking whether a paid software tier could offset slowing usage, while skeptical peers worry that monetization before clear user value could backfire. You are not being asked to design a final feature set. Assume you have access to standard Fitbit app and device engagement metrics, survey feedback, and qualitative insights from support. Your job is to define how Fitbit should frame the engagement problem, what metrics matter, and how to decide which product levers to test first.

What to produce

Write a 1 to 2 page product metrics memo.

Your answer must

State the core user problem and business problem, and define one north star metric plus 3 to 5 supporting metrics tied to user value, not vanity activity.
Break down engagement by lifecycle stage or user segment and identify 2 to 3 plausible causes of the decline.
Recommend a prioritized plan with 2 to 3 product levers or experiments Fitbit should test first, with rationale and trade-offs.
Explain how you would decide whether and when a paid subscription layer makes sense.
Define success criteria, guardrails, and the key readouts you would review after one quarter.

Constraints

Focus on software and service changes in the Fitbit app, not a new device launch or hardware redesign.
Your recommendation should be testable within the next two quarters.
Protect user trust and sensitive health data, and avoid tactics that increase opens without improving user outcomes.
Do not assume large budget increases or external partnerships.

Format

Use sections: problem framing, metrics, diagnosis, recommendation, and experiment plan.

How Fitbit actually played it

Walks through Fitbit's response to falling engagement, including personalized insights, community features and the Premium subscription launch. A worked example of an engagement problem and the levers considered.

Tie engagement metrics to user value, not only activity
Layer subscription on proven engagement

Built from Fitbit's User Engagement Enhancement: A Product Analytics Case Study by HelloPM.