The earnings announcement has spurred analysts and investors to ponder whether Snap, whose initial public offering in March was celebrated on Wall Street, is in trouble. Though it remains a darling of younger users, many of its major functions — notably its Stories video feature — have been copied by competitors, in particular Facebook.

Before its market debut, Snap had been lauded as being hipper and more innovative than Facebook and other social media companies. Since going public, however, it has had to address slower-than-expected user growth, rising costs and investor doubts about its strategy for dealing with both. Other problems that the company has grappled with include overestimating demand for its Spectacles camera-equipped sunglasses, a once-hot product whose sales cooled rapidly.

During a call with analysts on Tuesday, Evan Spiegel, Snap’s co-founder and chief executive, said that the company was focused on issues like simplifying the ad-purchase process on its platform and making its core app easier to use, a longstanding complaint. He also promoted the company’s efforts to expand its content and augmented-reality offerings.

“I guess we’re just not afraid to make changes in the long-term interest of the business,” Mr. Spiegel said on the call. “So I would expect us to continue learning as we grow the business and making changes that we think are in the best interest of growing the user base, growing revenue and, ultimately, providing our customers with a great product experience.”

That he spoke openly about his priorities marked a change for the Mr. Spiegel, who is normally tight-lipped about his strategy. Such an approach has frustrated investors who have sought a better sense of where the company was headed.