Getting2Alpha: Turbo-charge your product with Game Thinking by Amy Jo Kim

Game ThinkingBuild a better, faster product with

amyjokim.com getting2alpha.comshufflebrain.com

Agile India 2016

Welcome

I’m glad you’re here

Is this you?

• need to accelerate early design process

• tough to filter & apply all the feedback

• hard to make a stripped-down MVP

What You Will Learn

Actionable techniques for creating

a better product in less time

with Game Thinking

• Social Game Designer

• Entrepreneur

• Startup Coach

Amy Jo Kim, Ph.D.

• Social Game Designer

• Entrepreneur

• Startup Coach

Amy Jo Kim, Ph.D.

As a

child

I loved

to play

As a

child

I loved

to play

But I

didn’t

love to

compete

one night

on a beach

in Greece

my 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

and insights into Game Thinking

4 Strategies for better faster product design

Design your experience to evolve over time

Design is not just what it

looks like & feels like.

Design is how it works.

Steve Jobs

is for Enthusiastswhat is my customer’s end-to-end experience?

Discovery

Onboarding

Habit-Building

Mastery

how does it evolve over time?

is for Enthusiasts

Discovery

Discovery is for VisitorsIs this right for me? What’s the value proposition?

is for EnthusiastsOnboarding is for Newbies

Discovery

Onboarding

How do I learn the ropes? When do I start getting value?

is for EnthusiastsHabit-building is for Regulars

Discovery

Onboarding

Habit-Building

What pulls me back? What am I getting better at?

is for EnthusiastsMastery is for Enthusiasts

Discovery

Onboarding

Habit-Building

Mastery

Can I leverage the skills & knowledge I’ve built?

is for Enthusiasts

Discovery

Onboarding

Habit-Building

Mastery

end-to-end customer experience

is for EnthusiastsStage 1: Discovery is for Visitors

Social Discovery via Friends & Colleagues

is for EnthusiastsStage 1: Onboarding is for Newbies

Learn the ropes with a friendly bot

is for EnthusiastsStage 1: Habit-building is for Regulars

Customized group chat with emojis, bots & integrations

is for EnthusiastsStage 1: Mastery is for Enthusiasts

Launch a channel, program a bot, integrate your app

by offering an extensible environment — built to enable player creativity

Slack evolves to match your skill level

Fun is just another word for learning.

Raph Koster author, A Theory of Fun

Find the fun in your Core Loop

Fun means different things to different people

What is a game?

a system in which players engage in an artificial conflict, defined by rules, that results

in a quantifiable outcome* * Source: Rules of Play

Zero-Sum Game

We are opponents

I Win You Lose

Head-to-Head Battles War Simulations

Rank-Ordered Competitions Gambling

a structured experience with rules and goals that’s fun to play together*

* Source: The Player’s Journey (forthcoming)

We are partners

Non-Zero-Sum Game

Win-Win Lose-Lose

Martial Arts Charity Walk

Double Dutch Pictionary

What kind of fun are your customers looking for?

Do they want to be partners? or opponents?

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

Dan Cook co-founder, Spry Fox

Operant Conditioning AKA Skinner Box?

XOperant Conditioning AKA Skinner Box?

Skill-building =

making customers more awesome

Skill-building =

making customers more awesome

Core Loop = skill-building habit loop

Skill-Building Core Loop

Core Loop = your Day 21 experience

Finding the fun in a co-op music game

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

Finding the fun in a team collaboration tool

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

Trigger

Activity

Engaging activity satisfies an urge or need

Internal Trigger

Core Loop

Feedback & progress promote 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

Skill-building =

making customers more awesome

Core Loop =

making customers more skillful

Start with a skill-building Core Loop

Wanna build long-term engagement?

Connect with your super-fans

“Create something that a few people love - even if most people don’t get it right away”

Paul Buchheit Partner, Y-combinator

Crossing the Chasm Geoffrey Moore, 1991

Everett Rogers, 1961

Innovation Diffusion Theory

To cross the chasm…

Find & delight

a few passionate

early customers

the fans out there are entertaining us, the developers, with their creations!

Will Wright designer, The Sims

Slack came to life as a collaboration tool for a distributed team building a co-op game

solve a real problem for a small group

Leverage your relationships with Superfans

Wanna accelerate innovation?

Build your roadmap with Game Thinking

You can use an eraser on the drafting table or a sledge hammeron the construction site

Frank Lloyd Wright Architect

How to build aGame Thinking Roadmap

Ideas

Design & Build

Product

Measure

Data

Learn

Test your high-risk assumptions

Co-create mastery with your Superfans & enthusiasts

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

Ofer Leidner President, Happify

Case Study:

CHALLENGE

build prototype

identify early customers

prove business model

SHORTCUTS

clarify product strategy

find passionate customers

prototype Core Loop

Skill-Building Core Loop

RESULTS

iterated product with customer insights

market leader in digital happiness

4 Strategies for smarter, faster product design

3 Connect with your Superfans

Design your product to evolve over time1

2 Find the fun within your Core Loop

4 Build your roadmap with Game Thinking

What if you could…

• Accelerate your early product development?

What if you could…

• Accelerate your early product development?

• Talk with EXACTLY the right customers early on?

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*?

*Minimum Viable Product

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

getting2alpha.com/masterclass

Ready to accelerate product/market fit?

let’s stay in touch @amyjokim

amyjokim.com

ajk@getting2alpha.com