Essay
The Hierarchy of Engagement, Expanded
Sarah Tavel · Medium Free Advanced
Tavel gives you a ladder for what working actually means: users completing the core action, coming back, and eventually pulling others in. It teaches you to define the one core action a feature should drive and measure repeat use of it, not surface adoption. A sharp framework for judging whether engagement is real or just curiosity.
- Define the single core action your product is built around
- Real engagement is core action, then retention, then self perpetuation
- Measure repeat use of the core action, not one time interest
