turbo-charge your early product development

5 Powerful Design Hacks to build a Better Product in Less Time Amy Jo Kim, Ph.D. getting2alpha.com

Is this you?

• need to accelerate early design process

• 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

As a child I loved to play

As a child I loved to play

But I didn’t love to compete

one nighton a beach

in Greecemy creativity

was re-ignighted

I found another way to play

I developed my coop design

skills

then one day, I got THE CALL

we created a breakthrough hit

which led to more breakthrough hits

Habits, Culture & Design Hacks

What I’ve learned

• Early product development is HARD

• It becomes faster & easier with the right shortcuts & hacks

• 6 months of progress in 6 weeks

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

Blair EthingtonVP Covet Fashion

RESULTSconnected withaspirational market evergreen hit withmillions of players

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

Ofer LeidnerPresident, Happify

RESULTSiterated product with

customer insightsnow market leader in

digital happiness

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*?

• Do all of this in just a few weeks?*Minimum Viable Product

5 Design Hacksto turbo-charge your MVP

Small, high-learning experiments1

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

Eric RiesAuthor, The Lean Startup

Ideas

Design &

Build

Product

Measure

Data

Learn Ask 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?

Alpha Canvas

Surface & test your high-risk assumptions

Alpha Canvas

Surface & test your high-risk assumptions

Custom Insights Funnel2

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

Erika HallAuthor, Just Enough Research

Geoffrey Moore, 1992

To cross the chasm…

Find & delighta few passionateearly customers

Test & refine your assumptions

Customer Insights Funnel

Ask just a few revealing questions

Daily Habits

Beliefs & Ideas

Unmet Needs

Customer Insights Funnel

• 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 Browserstay up-to-date on fashion trends

Co-Creatorshop & dress with a buddy

Armchair Stylisttell 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 JohnsonAuthor

Piggyback onexisting habits

• Identify relevant habits • Match habit to unmet

need• Look for emotional &

situational triggers

Study their daily routines

Capture Habit-based Insights

When _________

I want to ______________

so I can _____________

trigger

activity + goal

outcome

Job & Habit Stories

Fashion Browserstay up-to-date on fashion trends

Co-Creatorshop & dress with a buddy

Armchair Stylisttell other people how to dress

Fashion Browserstay up-to-date on fashion trends

Co-Creatorshop & dress with a buddy

Armchair Stylisttell other people how to dress

Fashion BrowserExisting 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 BrowserHabit Story

When Ineed to relax after a long day at work

Trigger

Fashion BrowserHabit Story

When Ineed to relax after a long day at workI want tosee gorgeous, creative outfits – made from the latest designer fashions

Activity

Trigger

Fashion BrowserHabit Story

When Ineed to relax after a long day at workI want tosee gorgeous, creative outfits – made from the latest designer fashionsSo I canstay 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 ConditioningAKA Skinner Box?

Operant ConditioningAKA Skinner Box?

X

Skill-building =making customers more awesome

Skill-building =making customers more awesome

Core Loop = skill-building habit loop

Skill-Building Core Loop

EscapeTime! urge to dive into an escapist world

Browse yourStyle Feed

Rate/Comment on Outfits

Earn $$, Dress for Events,

Collect Ratings

Activity

Feedback & Progress

Investment Path

Internal Trigger

EscapeTime! urge to dive into an escapist world

Browse yourStyle Feed

Rate/Comment on Outfits

Earn $$, Dress for Events,

Collect Ratings

Activity

Feedback & Progress

Investment Path

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

Urge or Need

Engaging Activity

Desired Outcome

Internal Trigger

EscapeTime! urge to dive into an escapist world

Browse yourStyle Feed

Rate/Comment on Outfits

Earn $$, Dress for Events,

Collect Ratings

Trigger

Activity

Engaging activity satisfies an urge or need

Internal Trigger

EscapeTime! urge to dive into an escapist world

Browse yourStyle Feed

Rate/Comment on Outfits

Earn $$, Dress for Events,

Collect Ratings

Activity

Fashion Browser

Internal Trigger

Feedback &progresspromote learning & mastery

EscapeTime! urge to dive into an escapist world

Browse yourStyle Feed

Rate/Comment on Outfits

Earn $$, Dress for Events,

Collect Ratings

Feedback & Progress

EscapeTime! urge to dive into an escapist world

Browse yourStyle Feed

Rate/Comment on Outfits

Earn $$, Dress for Events,

Collect Ratings

Feedback & Progress

Armchair Stylist

EscapeTime! urge to dive into an escapist world

Browse yourStyle Feed

Rate/Comment on Outfits

Earn $$, Dress for Events,

Collect Ratings

Investment Path

Investment & triggers pull people back

Engaged Trigger

Check your Stats

Check Updates urge to connect with your team

Read & Respond to

Updates

No More Updates Need

Attention

Customize your channel &

expressions

Activity Chain

Feedback & Progress

Investment Path

Internal Trigger

Core Loop

Check Updates urge to connect with your team

Read & Respond to

Updates

No More Updates Need

Attention

Customize your experience

Activity Chain

Feedback & Progress

Investment Path

Internal Trigger

When Ineed to check on my team’s progressI want tosee everything in one placeSo I canstay on top of what’s happening with less friction & more pleasure

Core LoopJob Story

Check Updates urge to connect with your team

Read & Respond to

Updates

No More Updates Need

Attention

Customize your experience

Trigger

Activity

Engaging activity satisfies an urge or need

Internal Trigger

Core Loop

Feedback &progresspromote learning & mastery

EscapeTime! urge to dive into an escapist world

Read & Respond to

Updates

No More Updates Need

Attention

Customize your experience

Feedback & Progress

Core Loop

EscapeTime! urge to dive into an escapist world

Read & Respond to Updates

No More Updates Need Attention

Customize your experience

Investment Path

Investment & triggers pull people back

Engaged Trigger

Check Notifications

Core Loop

BreakTime! urge for a quick

social “hit”

Read & Respond to

Updates

Check Notifications

& Stats

Collect faves, RTs & followers

BreakTime! urge for a quick

social “hit”

Read & Respond to

Updates

Check Notifications

& Stats

Collect faves, RTs & followers

Activity

TriggerEngaging activity satisfies an urge or need

Internal Trigger

Feedback & progresspromote learning & mastery

BreakTime! urge for a quick

social “hit”

Read & Respond to

Updates

Check Notifications

& Stats

Collect faves, RTs & followers

Feedback & Progress

Investment & triggers pull people back

BreakTime! urge for a quick

social “hit”

Read & Respond to

Updates

Get Notifications,Check Stats

Investment Path

Engaged Trigger

Check your Stats

Collect faves, RTs & followers

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 Path

Activity

Internal Trigger

Beat the Song

Engaged Trigger

Skill-building =making customers more awesome

Core Loop =making customers more skillful

Lightweight weekly play-tests5

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

Peter DruckerAuthor

The power of play-testing

• Find & leverage early customers

The power of play-testing

• Find & leverage early customers

• Source & test ideas quickly

The power of play-testing

• Find & leverage early customers

• 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 LachmanCEO, Pley

CHALLENGEbuild high-learning MVP

for digital community

SHORTCUTSclarify product strategy find the right customers prototype & test MVP

RESULTSlaunched Youtube MVP,raised Series B, built sharing platform

Small, high-learning experimentsCustomer insights funnelCustomer habit storiesSkill-building core loopLightweight weekly play-tests

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5 Innovation Design Hacks

How can you benefit from these shortcuts?

Accelerate your design & development process

+Identify & leverage the right early customers

+Use game thinking to build a simple, compelling MVP

What We Do

turbo-charge your path to product/market fit

getting2alpha.com

Thank You @amyjokim amyjokim.com @getting2alpha getting2alpha.com