Initially a mobile-first video editor, CapCut's rising usage on desktops by social media managers was a crucial market signal. It showed that professional workflows requiring collaboration and approvals are ill-suited for mobile, revealing an underserved B2B segment for web-first platforms.

Focus on a single job where the user provides a high-signal input (a photo, item, or text prompt). This simplifies the user experience and allows AI to deliver instant, high-value output, leading to better conversion and user engagement.

The most lucrative opportunities in media are now on the smallest screen: the phone. As consumer attention shifts from movie theaters and traditional TV to mobile-first social platforms, the return on investment for content creators and distributors has flipped, favoring short-form, mobile-native content over big-screen productions.

Beyond data analysis, Shutterfly's Director of Web Analytics envisions AI's primary role as a creator's assistant. For complex products like photo books that can take 30 hours to build, AI can drastically reduce customer effort by intelligently sorting photos and suggesting layouts. This makes high-value products more accessible to a broader audience.

While the goal is often a frictionless experience, some friction can be a positive filter. Descript found that users willing to download a desktop app were more invested and more likely to stick around. Don't be afraid of early steps that test a user's commitment.

Users frequently switch between mobile and web, especially for complex tasks. Shutterfly discovered that differing experiences caused user friction. By using analytics to identify these "stuck" points, they aligned the mobile app and site experiences, creating a more seamless journey for customers building complex products like photo books.

A review widget that performs well on desktop by being large and comprehensive can be distracting and hurt conversions on mobile. On smaller screens, a more subtle, less intrusive social proof element is often more effective as it doesn't detract from the primary call-to-action.

When customers invest significant time in a product, like a 30-hour photo book, tracking isolated events is insufficient. Shutterfly adopts a user-based data model to track behavior across multiple sessions and devices, focusing on critical milestones like "project start" rather than just individual clicks.

Counter to conventional wisdom that every web product must be mobile-responsive at launch, StackBlitz's Bolt.new reached $20M ARR with no mobile view. They pragmatically focused on their core user—builders—who work on laptops, not phones. This prioritization allowed them to ship faster and capture the market.