A retention table can look authoritative while hiding the context needed to make a decision. Before comparing percentages, define what returning means. Opening the app, completing a core action and receiving value are different measures.
Match the window to the product
Daily retention suits high-frequency habits; rolling weekly or monthly retention is often more honest for travel, finance and considered-purchase apps. The right interval reflects expected use, not the reporting tool's default.
Annotate change
Mark releases, campaigns, pricing changes and tracking incidents against each cohort. Compare like with like by platform, acquisition source and lifecycle stage. This prevents a change in user mix from being mistaken for a product effect.
Ask one question at a time
Use the table to locate a pattern, then investigate the journey behind it. Did users fail to reach first value? Did a key action become harder after an update? Cohorts identify where to look; behavioural detail explains what to improve.