How Western Governors University 2x'd Their Monthly Active Users
Western Governors University (WGU) is an online university serving more than 120,000 students across all 50 states, offering accessible and flexible higher education since 1997.
112% growth
in monthly active users in 24 months
145% increase
in enhanced login conversions within 6 months
242% increase
in students reached over 18 months
The Challenge
WGU's product team discovered a significant problem: only 19% of the student population, about 40K users, were actively using the app. Before this, the team had been relying on guesswork and assumptions without reliable data.
The team also found that many users only had a single session and never returned.
They needed answers to key questions: Why were so few students taking advantage of the mobile app? Why did so many users fail to find value in it?
What we found was both an "Aha!" moment and a "Doh" moment. Many users, using correct credentials were getting an error message that prevented them from logging into the app. Why was this happening? That was our problem to solve.
The Solution
Using UXCam, the team filtered for users' first sessions and discovered a critical problem: many students faced login errors despite using correct credentials.
To quantify the impact, they used funnels to track conversions from the login page to the home page. The findings were striking: 61% of sessions were dropping off at login. Through a combination of funnels and session replay, they validated that login was a significant barrier.
Further investigation revealed the root cause: the app only recognized "Active-status" students who had started their term. Students with portal credentials but who had not yet started were unable to log in.
To solve this, WGU adjusted the login logic to allow "cleared to start" students to access the app. While the pre-term experience was not yet built in, these students were redirected to a web view of their portal, encouraging them to return as active users.
The support and attention that our success manager gives us is one reason we continue to use the platform.
The Result
The results were impressive:
- Login funnel conversion increased from 61% to 95.6%
- Monthly active users grew from 55,000 to 117,000
- User reach expanded to 65% of the student body from the initial 19%
WGU continues to track login attempts and user engagement through custom events, enabling them to proactively address issues before they escalate.
UXCam adoption is expanding across the university, with leaders and departments beyond Ed Tech using the platform for insights into user behavior.