Ali Demirbaş - Lab
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Mobile App

Does a Profile Completion Meter Fill Empty Fields?

A progress indicator can make incomplete profile fields visible after sign-up.

  • Mobile app
  • Profile completion rate

Control vs Variant

Absent on one side, present on the other.

Changed
Presence
Page
Mobile app
Difference
added

Hypothesis

It may encourage users to return and fill them in, but optional information must remain optional. Measure completion of the same pre-defined set of fields rather than changing what counts as a complete profile.

How to run this test

Primary metric

Profile completion rate

Compare completion of the predefined optional field set among eligible users with incomplete profiles.

Other metrics

  • Return rateCompare subsequent app visits over the same period in both arms.
  • Completed fields per userCount valid field entries per assigned user, including those who add none.
  • Progress indicator dismissal rateUse dismissal as a diagnostic in the variant; dismissal alone does not prove annoyance.
  • Overall session timeCompare all assigned users; those who dismiss the indicator are a selected subgroup.

What to check before and during the test

  • IndicatorAdd one predefined percentage indicator without changing profile fields.
  • CalculationUse the same accurate completion rule throughout the test.
  • PlacementChoose one fixed location before launch.
  • TimingSet one eligibility and display trigger; first-session versus later display is a separate test.
  • FormatKeep the visual format fixed; field count, circle versus bar are separate comparisons.

Setup mistakes to avoid

  1. 1Do not make an optional or sensitive field required just to raise the profile percentage.
  2. 2Do not calculate the percentage inaccurately to make it look higher.
  3. 3Do not change the indicator format and which fields count toward the profile together.
  4. 4Do not make the indicator impossible to dismiss or defer; users should be able to choose “Later.”
  5. 5Keep email and push reminders unchanged; reminder frequency is a separate variable.