Feature Adoption Rate (FAR)

Percentage of eligible users who use a feature.

Vanity Risk

First-use adoption spikes are vanity. A feature with 45% adoption in week one that drops to 12% by week four never had real adoption. Track sustained usage, not trial clicks.

FAR = (Users who used the feature / Eligible users exposed to it) × 100%

What it measures

Percentage of eligible users who use a specific feature. "Eligible" is key: measure against users who could use the feature (had access, saw it), not your entire user base.

Benchmarks

Core features: Target 50%+ adoption
Secondary features: 10-30% adoption is typical

What to watch

Rising: The feature is finding its audience. Low adoption isn't always bad, as some features are for power users only.
Falling: Initial curiosity may be wearing off. Track whether users who try the feature continue using it (feature retention), not just first use.

In practice

A project management tool launched a time-tracking feature with 45% adoption in week one, dropping to 12% by week four. Users liked the idea but found manual time entry tedious. The team added automatic tracking, and adoption stabilized at 38%: lower than the spike but sustainable.