Measuring What Matters

Talk Description: In this session, we'll dive into the critical gap between traditional product metrics and genuine user success. We'll explore why relying solely on KPIs like click-through rates or conversion can often paint an incomplete, or even misleading, picture of a feature's true value, especially when considering long-term impact. Discover practical strategies for crafting and championing user-centered success metrics within your product teams. We'll focus on methods like mapping and measuring complete user journeys, and how these metrics can illuminate the downstream effects on feature engagement and user retention, ultimately driving a more holistic and user-focused approach to product development. Bio: Danae Holmes earned her Master’s and Ph.D. (2015) in Human Factors/Human-Computer Interaction from Rice University, specializing in the usability and universal accessibility of voting systems. Her career began at X (formerly Google[x]) where she supported strategic and tactical research efforts on software and hardware designs for virtual reality, robotics, and UAV projects. In 2016, she joined Twitch as a UX Researcher, focusing on the user experience and accessibility of their mobile and gaming console platforms. Danae moved to YouTube in 2019, leading UX research for the Gaming vertical. Currently, she is the UX Research lead for YouTube Search and Identity & Privacy, where she defines and manages research programs to drive intuitive and safe user experiences.