What tools are available for multi-variant testing of user on-boarding in iOs apps (ideally that don't require constant re-submissions to App Store)?

I have designed a few of these online marketplaces and I can tell you from experience that in this day and age, phone numbers are a deterrent on a signup form. I advise against it and agree more with the cons. However, that does not mean that you cannot get feedback from students. Form the past websites that I have built with student demographics, I have found that they like to interact with each other, so a better way to get feedback is to set up a forum in your online marketplace. Also, just adding a comment thread like blogs have is a very good way to get feedback, even more effective than phone numbers. Also, one reliable method that I found works is an incentive based feedback survey when students can earn pennies on the dollar to take surveys. If you go this route, you could offer 25 cents or $1 or even $5 to the first 20 or 100 students that fill out the survey answering all your questions that you would normally have asked over the phone. I hope my suggestions are helpful to you. I can always assist you in building your online marketplace. I have more suggestions for you as well. Bruce

UserTesting can be instructive in terms of understanding whether people understand your copy, CTAs, and intended flows but generally, I've found the quality of their panels to be pretty low. You're almost always getting people who are not your actual users, so the feedback can only be generally applied as above. I find whatever web analytics package or packages you're using are generally able to provide much better insights. I also really do believe in *real* user panels. Buying pizza or offering small financial incentives to real users to click through new flows where they are talking out loud or answering specific questions is going to give far more actionable insights than anything else. What I like to do is take my best guesses as to what's not working or what I'm looking to improve and then discover/validate via real in-person customer panels. Happy to talk through this in more detail with you in a call.

If I had to pick a single efficient and affordable way of getting in front of a targeted audience I would have to recommend Facebook in-stream ads. You control the budget, the target group and the message and they are, right now, offering the highest conversion rates for mobile apps. Keep in mind that your app needs to be amazing - that's the most effective strategy of all...

We have been collecting usage data on the home button from about 750 websites we manage across North America in an effort to try to determine if it is necessary or not. While each website is different, and much of the data is statistically insignificant, we have started to operate with a few assumptions. 1.) Most users, particularly younger users, recognize the logo as a way to get to the home page. 2.) Websites without home buttons seem to get a comparable amount of traffic to the home page as those that do not. We don't see a significant difference between having a home button or not. 3.) Websites without a home button often will see an increase in direct traffic from returning users during a session indicating that users who do not know the logo is a route to the home page will instead clear the address bar back to the root domain to get back home. Based on our research, we have decided to omit the home button in most instances. Although when it is present, it is often used, most users seem to understand how to get to the home page regardless of the inclusion of a home button. With the complexity of modern websites, we are usually pressed for space in the header and can better use the real estate that would be dedicated to the home button for other UI elements. That said, if the audience for our website skews older, we will still include the home button. Our research has indicated older users are less familiar with the concept of the logo being a home button.

Re-visit your marketing strategy. Which is to say - re-visit your business model (which should very directly point you in the direction of your highest probability marketing strategy). And (get ready to not like me for saying this...) stop focusing on those numbers. The number of visitors per month and the number of downloads are only relevant as they directly relate to conversions and sales. And those things are only relevant as they directly relate to bottom line revenue and margins. It's easy to get caught up in "vanity numbers"... those numbers that "feel good" and provide you with a sense of validation. But until and unless they translate into bottom line income for the business they are just numbers that make you feel good (versus wisely chosen key metrics that indicate the health and viability of your business). If this was helpful to you please let me know how else I can be of assistance.