Recently I was brought in to audit a dating application, with one huge caveat – for some reason the team couldn’t get access in time to any dashboards, activations rates, retention curves, drop-off funnels. Nothing! Being able to see the shape of a user journey in clean, quantifiable lines is not only satisfying but also essential in being able to recommend tweaks, fixes or roadmap adjustments.
But what happens when you don’t have that data?
I needed to examine why users were churning – in droves!
The Real-World Reality of “Data-Less” Audits
In a perfect world, we’d start every audit with a clear view of conversion metrics, cohort retention, and feature usage by segment. But in the real world, many products — especially early-stage ones — simply aren’t there yet.
And that’s okay.
Because while data is useful, it’s not the only lens. A growth audit can still deliver enormous value — if you know how to shift gears.
What to Focus on When the Numbers Are Missing
Here’s what we recommend:
✅ Start with stated business goals.
Even without metrics, most teams can tell you what they want to improve: activation, retention, feature adoption, etc.
✅ Infer drop-off points from UX friction.
You don’t need analytics to know that a 12-field sign-up form is painful. Or that onboarding without a clear CTA causes confusion. Additionally, with the dating app I only had to jump on the product, examine app store reviews and put two and two together to see that the experience on many levels was a shitshow!
✅ Use heuristics and behavioural models.
Frameworks like the Fogg Behaviour Model, Nielsen’s Usability Heuristics, and the Hook Model can guide your diagnosis without relying on numbers.
✅ Review public signals.
App store reviews, social posts, Reddit threads — these are rich sources of real user sentiment (and pain).
✅ Highlight what’s missing.
A good audit doesn’t just fix problems — it reveals blind spots. Pointing out the absence of meaningful metrics is a value-add in itself.
Lay the Groundwork for Future Data
When done right, a product audit without analytics becomes the strategic foundation for proper measurement. You help the team:
• Improve UX flow and reduce friction
• Set clear hypotheses for future A/B tests
• Define what to track moving forward
And when that data does start flowing?
You’ve already given them a head start.
Something New Is Coming
Over the past few months, we’ve been quietly working on a new way to deliver high-impact growth audits — fast, focused, and framework-driven.
It’s designed for startups and scale-ups who want insight, not fluff. Strategy, not generic UX feedback.
You’ll hear more about it soon.
But for now, if you’re facing an audit with no data in sight…
Don’t panic.
You’ve still got magic to work with.