How do you measure an app s success?
For top executives from Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram, it isn t just about attracting more users.
During a panel discussion at Facebook s F8 developer conference, moderator Mary Meeker from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers asked each of the company s officials to talk about some of their key measures of success out of growing users.
They all hit on different goals.
WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton said a lot of their success revolves around reliability and simplicity especially since their product is used in some countries with bad network connections.
Instagram co-founder Mike Krieger talked about looking at the time spent on the app.
Dave Marcus, Facebook s VP of Messaging, mentioned how they re keeping an eye on the competition as they roll out new features for Messenger.
Can we really enhance the way people communicate with each other every day and do it to the point where we really want most of the conversations with the people you care the most about to happen on Messenger and not, you know, on other platforms?, he said.
Earlier in the day, Marcus and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled a platform that will allow developers to integrate apps into Messenger and an upcoming tool aimed at making online shopping easier.
Last week, the social media giant also announced that it will start allowing Messenger users in the United States to send and receive money to one another in what s known as peer-to-peer payments.
As for when peer-to-peer payments will roll out outside the U.S., Marcus said during Wednesday s panel discussion that it s too early to tell and the company will have to wait and see how it pans out here.
Photo Credit: Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images
