Findings from six interviews, a week of numbers and a beta

Why new users stop after one note

Reading time about 5 minutesWritten 2026-10-01For: Mara and TedExample with made-up data

Half of the people who write a first note never write a second, because the first was only a test and nothing calls them back.

Keep in your head (only these)
  1. 189 of 371 first-note writers never wrote a second.
  2. One cause is strong, two are moderate, one is weak.
  3. Sharing as a way to keep people is the weakest finding.

What we found, and how far to trust it

8 sources in all

Take: two causes rest on most of the sources. The weakest, that sharing keeps people, is the one the 2.4 headline bets on.

  1. The first note is a testStrong: short notes stop twice as often.
  2. Nothing calls people backModerate: four in five never return.
  3. Their notes live elsewhereModerate: three of six keep another app.
  4. Sharing may keep peopleWeak: a small beta and two interviews.
  5. What this changesWhat we do now, and what stays open.

Chapter 1 of 5, about 1 minute

Is the first note a real note?

Before this: half of the people who write a first note never write a second.

In the week of 21 September, 371 new people wrote a first note, and 189 never wrote another. The first notes show why.

58%of first notes had under 10 words
65%of those short-note writers stopped
31%of longer-note writers stopped
5 of 6interviewees called it a try-out

Take from this: people who wrote only a few words stopped twice as often as people who wrote more.

How far to trust it: strong. Six of the eight sources agree, and the numbers back the interviews.

Show what people said
  • "I typed 'test 123' to see if it saved. It did, so I was done." (P2, student)
  • "It was a throwaway line. I never planned to open it again." (P5, freelancer)
  • "I wanted to see what it looked like, not to start writing." (P6, retired nurse)

Remember: the first note is usually a test, and short test notes stop twice as often.

Chapter 2 of 5, about 1 minute

Does anything bring people back?

Before this: the first note is usually a test, and short test notes stop twice as often.

After the first note, the app sends nothing. Four of the six interviewees said they forgot it was installed.

  1. Day 0189 people write one note and stop.
  2. Day 1The app sends no reminder and no email.
  3. Days 2 to 6151 of the 189 never open the app again.
  4. Day 7The other 38 open it once and leave.

Take from this: four in five of the people who stop never come back, and nothing asks them to.

How far to trust it: moderate. Four interviews and the numbers agree, but nobody has tested a reminder yet.

Show what people said
  • "I forgot I even had it." (P4, freelancer)
  • "Nothing told me it was there. My phone is full of apps." (P1, student)
  • "A week later I found the icon and wondered what it was." (P6, retired nurse)

Remember: after the first note the app says nothing, and four in five of the people who stop never return.

Chapter 3 of 5, about 1 minute

Are their notes already somewhere else?

Before this: after the first note the app says nothing, and four in five of the people who stop never return.

Three of the six interviewees already keep their notes in another app or on paper. The week's numbers hint at the same thing, but less clearly.

  • Interviews3 of 6 said their notes live elsewhere, before we asked.
  • Usage61 of the 96 people who opened Import stopped, which is 64% against 51% overall.
  • The reasonWe know they opened Import. We do not know why they stopped.

Take from this: the interviews say it clearly, the numbers only hint at it, and nobody has told us why Import failed.

How far to trust it: moderate. Three interviews and a 13-point gap, with no test of the cause.

Show what people said
  • "My phone's notes app is already on my home screen." (P5, freelancer)
  • "I would have to move two years of notes before this was any use." (P3, student)
  • "I use paper for lists, and one app was not going to change that." (P6, retired nurse)

Remember: half the interviewees keep notes elsewhere, and people who open Import stop a little more often.

Chapter 4 of 5, about 1 minute

Does sharing keep people?

Before this: half the interviewees keep notes elsewhere, and people who open Import stop a little more often.

In September, 40 testers used an early build with view-only sharing. Two interviewees also said a partner or a sister would keep them using the app.

5.2notes in week one for the 18 who shared
2.3notes in week one for the 22 who did not
40testers, who all chose to join
2 of 6interviewees named someone to share with

Take from this: sharers wrote more than twice as many notes, but 40 volunteers cannot say whether sharing was the reason.

How far to trust it: weak. People who like the app may share more anyway. Nobody has tested it with new users.

Show how the beta was counted

The beta ran from 14 to 27 September with 40 volunteers. A note counts if it was written in the tester's first 7 days. Two interviewees said: "If my partner used it, I'd have kept going" (P1, student) and "My sister and I share everything" (P4, freelancer).

Remember: sharers wrote twice as many notes, but 40 volunteers cannot prove sharing is the reason.

Chapter 5 of 5, about 1 minute

What does this change?

Before this: sharers wrote twice as many notes, but 40 volunteers cannot prove sharing is the reason.

We act on the causes that rest on most of the sources. We measure the weak one before we bet on it.

The plan before this
  • 2.4 is sharing and little else for a new user.
  • A new user hears nothing after the first note.
  • Success is counted in shared notebooks.
The plan now
  • Sharing stays the 2.4 headline.
  • A weekly digest email brings people back to their notes.
  • We count second notes, not only shared notebooks.

Take from this: the two stronger findings change what we build, and the weak one changes only what we measure.

Four questions stay open. Each one is a small test, not a debate.

  • Would a reminder help, or annoy?
  • Why did people stop after opening Import?
  • Does sharing make people stay, or do keen people share?
  • Does a partner who joins stay too?
Show how the interviews were run

Six people, 20 minutes each, from 22 to 29 September. P1 to P3 are students, P4 and P5 are freelancers, and P6 is a retired nurse. Each wrote a first note in the app in the week before the interview.

Remember: act on the two stronger findings now, and test the weak one in 2.4.

Recap

  1. The first note is usually a test, and short test notes stop twice as often.
  2. After the first note the app says nothing, and four in five of the people who stop never return.
  3. Half the interviewees keep notes elsewhere, and people who open Import stop a little more often.
  4. Sharers wrote twice as many notes, but 40 volunteers cannot prove sharing is the reason.
  5. Act on the two stronger findings now, and test the weak one in 2.4.