From Feature Flags to Personalisation with Firebase Remote Config

I’ve been working as software engineer for about 8 years, mostly with mobile development on iOS platform. I’m also passionate in UX and I chose this topic to share with you how software engineer like me can implement more engaging user experience app with Firebase Romote Config.

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1. Bangkok From Feature Flags to Personalisation with Firebase Remote Config Somjintana Korbut (@naluinui) Firebase GDE
2. Release and Monitor Crashlytics Performance Monitoring Test Lab Build Auth Cloud Functions Cloud Firestore Cloud Storage Hosting Realtime Database Engage Predictions Cloud Messaging Remote Config A/B Testing Dynamic Links In-App Messaging Analytics
3. Dev 💻 Test ✅ ✅ ✅ Submit for review Launch user Mobile development process 🐞
4. Firebase Remote Config - Update app behavior remotely - Audience and custom targeting - Key:Value pairs in the Cloud - No cost! Yes, it’s free.
7. Feature flags, A/B Tests, Personalisation Version 1.1.0 Add donate feature Use case 1: Put new feature behind flag Donate Every penny helps Donate Version 1.0.0 Helps reduce release risks - Test with small amount of user before rollout - Kill switch ￡ 5 ￡ 10 ￡ 15 ￡ 20
8. 1. Create remote config key-value in Firebase Console 1 2
9. 2. Set up Remote Config import FirebaseRemoteConfig // initialize remote config let config = RemoteConfig.remoteConfig() #if DEBUG let settings = RemoteConfigSettings() settings.minimumFetchInterval = 0 // usually 12 hour caching - adjust this if needed config.configSettings = settings #endif
10. 3. Set up default in-app values // add default config config.setDefaults(fromPlist: "remote_config_defaults")
11. 4. Fetch and apply a value import FirebaseRemoteConfig struct SplashView: View { var body: some View { ... .onAppear { let config = RemoteConfig.remoteConfig() config.fetchAndActivate { status, error in showMainView() // TODO: log error if needed } } } } Ref: 🔗 Firebase Remote Config loading strategies
12. 5. Use value in the UI import FirebaseRemoteConfig import FirebaseRemoteConfigSwift struct ContentListView: View { @RemoteConfigProperty( key: "donate_feature_enabled", fallback: false ) var donateFeatureEnabled: Bool .. Button("Donate") { donateButtonPressed() } .hiddenConditionally(isHidden: !donateFeatureEnabled) }
14. Feature flags, A/B Tests, Personalisation Use case 2: Targeting conditions - Internal test - Percentage rollout Donate Dev team & Internal users Other users
16. Targeted configurations 📦 Ready-to-use conditions: - App, platform - App version, browser - Langage, country - Date time - Random percentiles ✨ Google Analytics: - User property, User audience
17. fitness_goal: "getStrong" music_genre: "classical" is_signed_in: "true" favorite_food: "ceviche" pronounces_gif: "hard_g" User Properties
18. Test your parameters within dev team - Get the installation id to test on your device import FirebaseInstallations Installations.installations().installationID { id, error in print("installation id: \(id)") }
20. Internal test import FirebaseAnalytics let isInternalUser = user.email.hasSuffix("firefeed.dev") FirebaseAnalytics.Analytics.setUserProperty( String(isInternalUser), forName: "is_internal_user" )
21. Percentage rollout
22. Other use case for targeted configurations Localization content
23. Other use case for targeted configurations Seasonal promotion campaign
24. Other use case for targeted configurations Adjust game complexity for different group of users
25. Feature flags, A/B Tests, Personalisation Use case 3: Experiment Donate VS I think our donate button is very hard to see – changing position of it might help? Boss: Version 1.1.2 Experiment position of donate button Donate
26. Firebase A/B Testing - Optimize app with multivariate experiments - Automatic winner determination - Integrated with Analytics, Remote Config and FCM
27. A/B Testing: What & Why - Make data-driven decisions - Shift from “I think” to “I know” - Understand users opinions - Every experiment tells you something
28. A/B Testing: What & Why - Make data-driven decisions - Shift from “I think” to “I know” - Understand users opinions - Every experiment tells you something
29. Design an experiment • Goal ◦ Which position of the donate button will get more engage? • Variants ◦ Top vs Bottom • Targeting ◦ 20% of iOS users Donate Donate VS
30. Log analytic events Button("Donate") { donateButtonPressed() } ... func donateButtonPressed() { showingDonateView.toggle() FirebaseAnalytics.Analytics.logEvent( "donate_btn_pressed", parameters: nil ) }
31. Add config for button position (Firebase console)
32. Create experiment draft
33. Set up default in-app value
34. Add config for button position ... @RemoteConfigProperty( key: "donate_button_position", fallback: "top" ) var donateButtonPosition: String // Button at the top Button("Donate") { donateButtonPressed() }.hiddenConditionally( isHidden: donateButtonPosition != "top" )
35. Add config for button position ... @RemoteConfigProperty( key: "donate_button_position", fallback: "top" ) var donateButtonPosition: String // Button at the top ... // Button at the bottom Button("Donate") { donateButtonPressed() }.hiddenConditionally( isHidden: donateButtonPosition != "bottom" )
36. 1 2 Test your experiment
37. Test your experiment import FirebaseInstallations Installations.installations().authTokenForcingRefresh(true, completion: { (result, error) in guard let result = result else { return } print("Installation auth token: \(result.authToken)") })
38. Start your experiment
39. Monitor the result
40. Monitor the result
41. Roll out!
42. Roll out!
44. A/B Test Messaging
45. Drop off
46. Reduce it to be 3 pages by merging page 3 and 4 together
48. Feature flags, A/B Tests, Personalisation Use case 4: Personalization (Infinite A/B Testing) Mate, people are having different tastes – why stick with one option that best for all? Version 1.1.2 Personalize suggested amount Every penny helps ￡ 5 ￡ 10 ￡ 15 ￡ 20 Donate Every penny helps ￡2.99 ￡4.99 ￡9.99 ￡12.99 Donate or
49. Remote config Personalization Beta - Create several use experience alternatives - Machine learning to automatically provide best one to each user - ML model continuously adjusts
50. “รับขนมจีบ ซาลาเปา เพิ่มมั้ยคะ” กาแฟ นม ขนมปัง เพดดิกรี Options Objective / Goal Maximum revenue
51. “รับขนมจีบ ซาลาเปา เพิ่มมั้ยคะ” Options Objective / Goal Maximum revenue กาแฟ นม ขนมปัง เพดดิกรี
52. A/B Testing • 1 best option for all • Fixed time window • Help on decision making • Personalized for each users • Continuous running • Optimize conversion objective Personalization
53. Feature flags, A/B Tests, Personalisation Use case 4: Personalization (Infinite A/B Testing) Mate, people are having different tastes – why stick with one option that best for all? Version 1.1.2 Personalize suggested amount Every penny helps ￡ 5 ￡ 10 ￡ 15 ￡ 20 Donate Every penny helps ￡2.99 ￡4.99 ￡9.99 ￡12.99 Donate or
54. Add config for donate amount ... @RemoteConfigProperty( key: "donate_amount", fallback: "5,10,15,20" ) var donateAmountsString: String var amounts: [String] { donateAmountsString.components(separatedBy: ",") } Picker( "Donate amount", selection: $selectedDonateAmountIndex ) { ForEach(0..<amounts.count, id: \.self) { Text("￡\(amounts[$0])") } }
55. Log event for goal measurement func donateButtonPressed() { FirebaseAnalytics.Analytics.logEvent( "donate", parameters: [AnalyticsParameterValue: selectedAmount] ) }
56. Create personalization
60. That’s a wrap! • Feature flagging • Targeting conditions ◦ Internal testing ◦ Percentage rollout • A/B Testing • Personalization @naluinui fb.com/FirebaseThailand fb.com/groups/FirebaseDevTH youtube.com/FirebaseThailand medium.com/FirebaseThailand Resources