turbo-charge your product with game thinking - lean startup conference 2015
TRANSCRIPT
Game ThinkingAmy Jo Kim, Ph.D. amyjokim.com Co-Founder & Game Designer shufflebrain.com Creator & Head Coach getting2alpha.com
Lean Startup Conference 2015
Turbo-Charge your Product Design with
Welcome
I’m glad you’re here
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
with Game Thinking
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
Design your experience to evolve over time1
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
Slack evolves to match your skill level
a conversational, extensible environment — built to enable UGC & player creativity
Find the fun within your Core Loop2
Fun is just another word
for learning.
Raph Koster author, A Theory of Fun
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
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
Wanna build long-term engagement?
Start with a skill-building Core Loop
Connect with your super-fans3
In a multi-player game, the people playing are more valuable than all the animations, models & game logic
Gabe Newell CEO, Valve
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
Leverage your relationships with Super Fans
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
Bring ideas to life with Game Thinking
How can you benefit from Game Thinking?
Accelerate & focus your design process
+
Identify & leverage the right early customers
+
Build a stripped-down yet compelling MVP
Launching in 2016
Getting2Alpha Masterclass online course for entrepreneurs & product leaders
Getting2Alpha MVP Club VIP coaching for innovative product teams
getting2alpha.com
let’s stay in touch @amyjokim
amyjokim.com
getting2alpha.com