Do you want to harness the deeper power of games – the power to drive long-term engagement? Are you ready to look beyond the silver bullets & Skinner boxes – and learn to think like a game designer? In this talk, you’ll learn the foundations of Game Thinking - brought to life with front-line stories from eBay, Ultima Online, The Sims, Rock Band, Covet Fashion, Happify, Lumosity and Slack. You’ll come away with a smarter approach to innovative product design - and practical, actionable design tips you can use right away to turbo-charge your path towards product/market fit. More details: https://confengine.com/agile-india-2016/proposal/1961/getting2alpha-turbo-charge-your-product-with-game-thinking

1. Game Thinking
Build a better, faster product with
amyjokim.com getting2alpha.comshufflebrain.com
Agile India 2016

2. Welcome
I’m glad
you’re here

3. Is this you?
• need to accelerate early design process
• tough to filter & apply all the feedback
• hard to make a stripped-down MVP

5. What You Will Learn
Actionable techniques for creating
a better product in less time
with Game Thinking

6. • Social Game Designer
• Entrepreneur
• Startup Coach
Amy Jo Kim, Ph.D.

7. • Social Game Designer
• Entrepreneur
• Startup Coach
Amy Jo Kim, Ph.D.

8. As a
child
I loved
to play

9. As a
child
I loved
to play
But I
didn’t
love to
compete

10. one night
on a beach
in Greece
my creativity
was re-ignighted

11. I found another way to play

12. I developed my coop design skills

13. then one day, I got THE CALL

14. we created a breakthrough hit

15. which led to more breakthrough hits

16. and insights into Game Thinking

17. 4 Strategies
for better
faster
product
design

18. Design your experience to evolve over time
Design is not just what it
looks like & feels like.
Design is how it works.
Steve Jobs

19. is for Enthusiastswhat is my customer’s end-to-end experience?
Discovery
Onboarding
Habit-Building
Mastery
how does it evolve over time?

20. is for Enthusiasts
Discovery
Discovery is for Visitors
Is this right for me? What’s the value proposition?

21. is for EnthusiastsOnboarding is for Newbies
Discovery
Onboarding
How do I learn the ropes? When do I start getting value?

22. is for EnthusiastsHabit-building is for Regulars
Discovery
Onboarding
Habit-Building
What pulls me back? What am I getting better at?

23. is for EnthusiastsMastery is for Enthusiasts
Discovery
Onboarding
Habit-Building
Mastery
Can I leverage the skills & knowledge I’ve built?

24. is for Enthusiasts
Discovery
Onboarding
Habit-Building
Mastery
end-to-end customer experience

25. is for EnthusiastsStage 1: Discovery is for Visitors
Social Discovery
via Friends &
Colleagues

26. is for EnthusiastsStage 1: Onboarding is for Newbies
Learn the ropes
with a friendly bot

27. is for EnthusiastsStage 1: Habit-building is for Regulars
Customized group
chat with emojis,
bots & integrations

28. is for EnthusiastsStage 1: Mastery is for Enthusiasts
Launch a channel,
program a bot,
integrate your app

29. by offering an extensible
environment — built to
enable player creativity
Slack evolves to match your skill level

30. Fun is just another
word for learning.
Raph Koster
author, A Theory of Fun
Find the fun in your Core Loop

31. Fun means different things to different people

32. 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

33. Zero-Sum Game
We are opponents
I Win You Lose

34. Head-to-Head Battles War Simulations
Rank-Ordered Competitions Gambling

35. a structured experience with rules
and goals that’s fun to play together*
* Source: The Player’s Journey (forthcoming)

36. We are partners
Non-Zero-Sum Game
Win-Win
Lose-Lose

37. Martial Arts Charity Walk
Double Dutch Pictionary

38. What kind of fun are your customers looking for?
Do they want to be partners? or opponents?

39. 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

40. Operant
Conditioning
AKA
Skinner Box?

41. X
Operant
Conditioning
AKA
Skinner Box?

42. Skill-building =
making customers
more awesome

43. Skill-building =
making customers
more awesome

44. Core Loop =
skill-building
habit loop
Skill-Building Core Loop

45. Core Loop = your Day 21 experience

46. Finding the fun in a
co-op music game

47. 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

48. Finding the fun in a
team collaboration tool

49. 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

50. 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

51. 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

52. 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

53. Skill-building =
making customers
more awesome

54. Core Loop =
making customers
more skillful

55. Start with a
skill-building
Core Loop
Wanna build long-term engagement?

56. 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

57. Crossing the Chasm
Geoffrey Moore, 1991

58. Everett Rogers, 1961
Innovation
Diffusion
Theory

59. To cross
the chasm…

60. Find & delight
a few passionate
early customers

61. the fans out
there are
entertaining us,
the developers,
with their
creations!
Will Wright
designer, The Sims

62. 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

63. Leverage your
relationships with
Superfans
Wanna accelerate innovation?

64. Build your roadmap with Game Thinking
You can use an eraser
on the drafting table
or a sledge hammer
on the construction site
Frank Lloyd Wright
Architect

65. How to build a
Game
Thinking
Roadmap

66. Ideas
Design &
Build
Product
Measure
Data
Learn
Test your
high-risk
assumptions

67. Co-create mastery
with your Superfans
& enthusiasts

68. Amy Jo’s MVP methodology is
fantastic. The ROI you’ll see is
a no-brainer.
Ofer Leidner
President, Happify
Case Study:

69. CHALLENGE
build prototype
identify early customers
prove business model

70. SHORTCUTS
clarify product strategy
find passionate customers
prototype Core Loop
Skill-Building Core Loop

71. RESULTS
iterated product with
customer insights
market leader in
digital happiness

72. 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

73. What if you could…
• Accelerate your early product development?

74. What if you could…
• Accelerate your early product development?
• Talk with EXACTLY the right customers early on?

75. 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

76. 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

77. getting2alpha.com/masterclass
Ready to accelerate
product/market fit?

78. let’s stay
in touch
@amyjokim
amyjokim.com
ajk@getting2alpha.com