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The not-so-secret trick to boosting user engagement is this: give people what they want, when they want it. That means anticipating user needs before they even realize they have them. It sounds obvious, but plenty of product teams lose sight of it in the fog of competing business priorities and urgent feature requests.
This is Part 2 in our series on the three main principles of user engagement we use to help clients reach their business and UX goals. Read Part 1.
For an overview of our general approach, watch my video conversation with our lead product strategist, Alicia Fremling.
How Do You Boost User Engagement?
The core answer: understand your users deeply enough to deliver what they need before they have to ask. Clients come to us saying people aren't logging into their app enough, aren't using the new features they built, or aren't taking advantage of upgrade options. The root cause is almost always the same. The product isn't meeting users where they are.
Giving people what they want when they want it feels like common sense. But it requires real research, real journey mapping, and a commitment to continuous improvement. It doesn't happen by accident.
What Does "Anticipating User Needs" Actually Mean?
Anticipating user needs means identifying moments in the user journey where you can deliver value before the user consciously reaches for it.
Think of it like a great book or a great movie. Those spontaneous, delightful moments don't just happen. They're the result of thoughtful planning and a lot of trial and error. The same is true for products.
Once you've identified the core jobs to be done, you can start building solutions that address real user needs rather than assumed ones. The places in your interface where you can do this are where the true magic of user engagement happens.
How Do Journey Maps Help With User Engagement?
Journey maps help you see exactly where users are getting stuck and where you have an opportunity to help them.
If you've done the research on your users and mapped their pain points, opportunities to anticipate their needs start to become visible. Without that map, you're guessing. With it, you're building with intention.
When sketching and brainstorming solutions, you need to consider the entire experience. Every touchpoint you have with your users, from text alerts to emails to phone calls, plays a role. Thoughtful design that anticipates needs keeps people coming back. But it can't be built in a day. It takes a constant focus on continuous improvement.
What Does a Real-World Example of Anticipating User Needs Look Like?
One of our favorite examples is QuikTrip, the Oklahoma-based convenience store chain that consistently outperforms larger competitors like Circle K and sits on Forbes' list of the largest privately held companies.
How? By making thoughtful operating decisions that anticipate what customers and employees need.
Here's what that looks like in practice:
- Stores are designed to be easy to navigate, with organized shelves, clean bathrooms and parking lots, and quick, friendly service from well-compensated employees
- Every store has three checkout terminals
- Credit card transactions are batch processed at the end of the day to prevent long lines
- Stores offer three times as many gas pumps as competitors, so there's always an open one
- Processes are continuously refined based on real-time customer feedback and employee input
The result is a brand that delivers on its promise to be "more than a gas station." Customers and employees are happy, and the business keeps growing.
How Does QuikTrip Know What Customers Actually Want?
QuikTrip does the work. Those moments of delight don't come out of thin air.
- Employees regularly participate in resource groups to discuss problems and potential solutions
- Secret shoppers evaluate stores and staff
- The QT Insights Panel offers customers coupons in exchange for their feedback and insights
These mechanisms allow QuikTrip to get better incrementally over time rather than waiting for one big earth-shattering innovation. As their CEO puts it, "I don't necessarily think QT is good at literally inventing things... However, we are, I think, really good at working toward perfecting things that already exist."
That kind of continuous improvement has a huge impact on engagement and on the business.
Why Is Continuous Improvement the Key to User Engagement?
Because delight is never finished.
Every product has friction points. Every user journey has moments where things could be smoother, faster, or more intuitive. Continuous improvement means you're always looking for those moments and fixing them, rather than shipping a product and moving on.
The teams that do this well aren't necessarily the most innovative. They're the most attentive.
FAQ
How do I get users to log in to my app more often? Start by understanding why they're not. Research your users, map their journey, and look for points of friction or confusion. Then design solutions that remove those barriers and deliver value at the right moments.
What are "jobs to be done" in the context of user engagement? Jobs to be done is a framework for understanding what users are actually trying to accomplish when they use your product. Instead of focusing on features, you focus on the underlying goal the user is trying to achieve. This makes it much easier to design experiences that feel useful and relevant.
What is a user journey map and why does it matter? A user journey map is a visual representation of the steps a user takes to accomplish a goal with your product. It helps you identify where users get stuck, where they drop off, and where you have opportunities to improve the experience.
Why aren't users engaging with the new features we built? Often because the features were built around business priorities rather than user needs. If users don't know a feature exists, don't understand how to use it, or don't see how it helps them, they won't engage with it. Research and journey mapping before you build can prevent this.
How do we start improving user engagement if we don't know where to begin? Start with research. Talk to your users, observe how they use your product, and map where they're struggling. If you're not sure how to approach it, contact us to see how our iterative design thinking approach can help you perfect your user experience.
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