5 design hacks to super-charge your mvp

Skyrocket Early Product Design5 hacks to super-charge your MVP*

*Minimum Viable Product

Is this you?

• need to accelerate early design process

Is this you?


• tough to find the right early customers

Is this you?


• tough to find the right early customers

• hard to make a stripped-down MVP

What You Will Learn

Actionable techniques for creating

a better product in less time

Who is this for?

Who is this for?

Innovators & entrepreneurs with a

hot idea and the desire to:

Who is this for?



✓ Create a highly-engaging product

Who is this for?




✓ Achieve mass-market success

Who is this for?




✓ Achieve mass-market success

✓ Speed up design & development

Who is this NOT for?

Anyone looking for:


Anyone looking for:

✗ Easy answers


Anyone looking for:

✗ Easy answers

✗ Silver bullets


Anyone looking for:

✗ Easy answers

✗ Silver bullets

✗ Manipulative game mechanics


Anyone looking for:

✗ Easy answers

✗ Silver bullets

✗ Manipulative game mechanics

✗ Skinner Box approach to engagement

Amy Jo Kim, Ph.D.

Amy Jo Kim, Ph.D. • Social Game Designer

• Entrepreneur

• Startup Coach

Habits, Culture & Design Hacks

What I’ve learned

• Early product development is HARD

What I’ve learned


• It becomes faster & easier with the

right shortcuts & hacks

What I’ve learned


• It becomes faster & easier with the

right shortcuts & hacks

• How would you like to make 6

months of progress in 6 weeks?

Case Study

Amy Jo has a refined and effective process for bringing early product ideas to life.

Blair Ethington VP Covet Fashion

Initial Challenge

• Test & refine innovative coop game idea with non-gamer audience

G2A Action Plan

• Product strategy • Early Adopters • Prototype & Test • Customer feedback

Key Results

• Found early market • Financially successful evergreen hit

Initial Challenge


G2A Action Plan

• Clarify product strategy & constraints • Find & learn from Early Adopters • Run weekly interviews & playlists

Key Results

• Found early market • Financially successful evergreen hit

Initial Challenge


G2A Action Plan

• Clarify product strategy & constraints • Find & learn from Early Adopters • Run weekly interviews & playlists

Key Results

• Found early aspirational market • Financially successful evergreen hit

Amy Jo’s MVP methodology is fantastic. The ROI you’ll see is a no-brainer.

Ofer Leidner President, Happify

Initial Challenges

• Build prototype • Find early market • Prove business model

G2A Action Plan

• Product strategy • Early Adopters • Prototype & Test • Customer feedback

Key Results

• Contact with early enthusiasts • Market leader in digital health

Initial Challenges


G2A Action Plan

• Clarify product strategy • Find & learn from Early Adopters • Prototype & test Core Loop

Key Results

• Contact with early enthusiasts • Market leader in digital health

Initial Challenges


G2A Action Plan

• Clarify product strategy • Find & learn from Early Adopters • Prototype & test Core Loop

Key Results

• Built product with customer input • Market leader in digital health

What if you could…

• Accelerate your early product development?



• Talk with EXACTLY the right customers early on?




• Turn those insights into a simple yet compelling MVP*?





• Turn those insights into a simple yet compelling MVP*?

• Do all of this in just a few weeks?


5 Design Hacks to super-charge your MVP

Small, high-learning experiments1

To increase your chances of success, minimize time through the Build-Measure-Learn cycle.

Eric Ries Author, The Lean Startup

Ideas

Design &

Build

Product

Measure

Data

LearnAsk the hard, important questions upfront

Will people subscribe to a digital service that deliversdaily happiness exercises?

Will fashion-loving, young women play a dress-up game with real designer clothes?

Surface & test your highest-risk assumptions

MVP Canvas

Early Adopter Funnel2

Early Adopters will put up with cost & ridicule for innovations that meet real needs.

Erika Hall Author, Just Enough Research

Geoffrey Moore, 1992

To cross the chasm…

Find & delight

a few passionate

Early Adopters

Test & refine

your assumptions

Ask just a few

revealing questions

Daily Habits

Beliefs & Ideas

Unmet Needs

• 25 fashion-obsessed women 18-40

• both gamers & non-gamers • existing player base + Craigslist ads

WHO

• 25 fashion-obsessed women 18-40

• both gamers & non-gamers • existing player base + Craigslist ads

• 10 minute screening interviews

• 3-5 revealing questions • best subjects become paid testers

WHO

WHAT

Fashion Browser

stay up-to-date on fashion trends

Co-Creator

shop & dress with a buddy

Armchair Stylist

tell other people how to dress

RESULTS3 key

activity patterns

Customer Habit Stories3

The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken.

Samuel Johnson Author

Piggyback on

existing habits

• Identify relevant habits

Study their daily routines

• Identify relevant habits • Match a habit to an

unmet need


• Identify relevant habits • Match a habit to an

unmet need • Look for emotional and

situational triggers


Capture Insights with Habit Stories*

When _________

I want to ______________

so I can _____________

trigger

activity + goal

outcome

*habit-based Job Stories

Fashion Browser

stay up-to-date on fashion trends

Co-Creator

shop & dress with a buddy

Armchair Stylist

tell other people how to dress

Fashion Browser Existing habit

“When I’m tired after a long day at work,

I want to flop on the couch and get the

escapist, immersive hit of flipping through

Vogue - but in a game.”

Fashion Browser Habit Story

When I need to relax after a long day at work

Trigger



I want to see gorgeous, creative outfits – made

from the latest designer fashions

Activity

Trigger



I want to see gorgeous, creative outfits – made

from the latest designer fashions

So I can stay on top of fashion trends in a fun,

relaxing & playful way

Activity

Outcome

Trigger

Skill-building Core Loop4

In a loop, you’re learning a skill and updating your mental model. That’s what leads to player delight.

Dan Cook Game Designer

Fake landing page?

Fake landing page? X

Operant Conditioning AKA Skinner Box?

Operant Conditioning AKA Skinner Box? X

Skill-building =

making customers more awesome

Core Loop = skill-building habit loop

EscapeTime! urge to dive into an escapist world

Browse your Style Feed

Rate/Comment on Outfits

Earn $$, Dress for Events, Collect

Ratings

Activity

Feedback & Progress

Investment Path

Trigger





Ratings

Activity

Feedback & Progress

Investment Path

Trigger

When I need to relax after a long day at workI want to see gorgeous, creative outfits – made from the latest designer fashionsSo I can stay on top of fashion trends in a fun, relaxing & playful way

Urge or Need

Engaging Activity

Desired Outcome





Ratings

Trigger

Activity

Engaging activity satisfies an urge or need

Trigger





Ratings

Activity

Trigger

Fashion Browser

Feedback & progress promote learning & mastery





Ratings

Feedback & Progress





Ratings

Feedback & Progress

Armchair Stylist





Ratings

Investment Path

Investment & triggers pull people back

Secondary Trigger

Check your Stats

BreakTime! urge for a quick

social “hit”

Read & Respond to

Updates

Check Notifications

& Stats

Collect faves, RTs & followers

Activity

Feedback & Progress

Investment

Check your Stats


social “hit”

Read & Respond to

Updates

Check Notifications

& Stats


Activity

TriggerEngaging activity satisfies an urge or need

Feedback & progress promote learning & mastery


social “hit”

Read & Respond to

Updates

Check Notifications

& Stats


Feedback & Progress

Check your Stats

Investment & triggers pull people back


social “hit”

Read & Respond to

Updates

Get Notifications,

Check Stats


Activity

Investment

Engaged Trigger

Check your Stats

PartyTime! urge for a fun social activity

Play a Song Together

Get your Score, Accolades, $$

get better, play harder songs & bigger venues

Core Loop

Feedback & Progress

Investment

Trigger

Activity

Lightweight weekly play-tests5

There is nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency something that should not be done at all.

Peter Drucker Author

The power of play-testing

• Find & leverage early customers



• Source & test ideas quickly



• Source & test ideas quickly

• Get high-value input for your MVP

Amy Jo helped us create our MVP in record time. An invaluable investment that’s still paying off.

Ranan Lachman CEO, Pley

Initial Challenges

• Quickly build MVP for Pley community

Initial Challenges


G2A Action Plan

• Clarify product strategy • Find & learn from Early Adopters • Prototype & test MVP

Initial Challenges


G2A Action Plan

• Clarify product strategy • Find & learn from Early Adopters • Prototype & test MVP

Key Results

• YouTube channel launched for MVP • raised Series B • Integrated video-sharing

Small, high-learning experiments

Early Adopter funnel

Customer Habit Stories

Skill-building Core Loop

Lightweight weekly play-tests

1

2

3

4

5

5 Design Hacks

How can you benefit from these design hacks?


• Accelerate your design & development process



• Identify & leverage the right early customers




• Create & run low-fidelity, high-learning play-tests




• Create & run low-fidelity, high-learning play-tests

• Design a simple, compelling MVP

What We Do

accelerate your path to

product/market fit

How We Can Help

• Define & test your key assumptions

How We Can Help


• Find & delight the right Early Adopters

How We Can Help


• Find & delight the right Early Adopters

• Create & test a simple, compelling MVP

using Game Design techniques & shortcuts

Let’s talk! • 15-30 minutes


• Review your project



• Provide feedback & answer questions



• Provide feedback & answer questions

• Together decide if our programs are right for you

getting2alpha.com

Let’s talk!

http://getting2alpha.com/apply

5 design hacks to super-charge your mvp

Small Business & Entrepreneurship