Post on 14-Jul-2015
for breakthrough innovation
5 Key Hacks Amy Jo Kim, Ph.D.
1 Section One – Introduction
Table of ContentsWhat We’ll Cover Today
1 Section One – Introduction
Think Like a Scientist
Laser-focus on Early Adopters
Gather customer insights early
Build & test your Core Loop
Co-create a path to mastery
2 Section Two – 5 Key Hacks for Breakthrough Innovation
Table of ContentsWhat We’ll Cover Today
1 Section One – Introduction
Think Like a Scientist
Laser-focus on Early Adopters
Gather customer insights early
Build & test your Core Loop
Co-create a path to mastery
2 Section Two – 5 Key Hacks for Breakthrough Innovation
3 Section Three – Getting Started: 3 Smart Shortcuts
Table of Contents
Clarify your strategy & assumptions with the MVP Canvas
Gather early-adopter insights with Speed Interviews
Turn insights into product design with Habit Stories
What We’ll Cover Today
section one
IntroductionIntroduction Section One
A hunch is creativity trying to tell
you something.
Frank Capra
Filmmaker
You’ve got a great product idea
Section TwoHow I discovered these HacksHow do you know if it’s the RIGHT ONE?
we partner with great companies to make
smart games for a connected world
what can we learn from
breakthrough innovations?
Rock Band
The Sims
Covet Fashion
eBay
5 Hacks for Successful Innovation
Section TwoHow I discovered these HacksCan we generate & validate innovative product ideas
Better, Smarter, Faster?
that lead to breakthrough innovations
5 Key HacksSection Two
Hack 1: Think like a scientist
Hack 1: think like a scientist
To increase your chances of
success, minimize time through
the Build-Measure-Learn cycle
Eric Ries
Author, The Lean Startup
you are here
Ask the hard, important questions upfront
Rock Band
The Sims
Covet Fashion
eBay
what do people want to do in a
virtual dollhouse simulation?
Think Like a Scientist: The Sims
What social systems do we need
to build trust online in a marketplace?
Think Like a Scientist: eBay
Can non-musicians play plastic instruments
together and feel like a band?
Think Like a Scientist: Rock Band
Will fashion-loving young women pay to play
dress-up with real designer clothes?
Think Like a Scientist: Covet Fashion
Hack 1: Think like a scientist
Hack 2: laser-focus on early adopters
Why focus on the early market? Ever heard of Crossing the Chasm?
Geoffrey Moore, 1992
Why focus on the early market? Successful innovations delight a small early market FIRST
Innovation Diffusion Theory
Everett Rogers, 1961
Early adopters will put up
with cost and ridicule for
innovations that meet
real needs.
Erika Hall author, Just Enough Research
you are here
Find & delight your early adopters
Gather ideas and feedback on key systems
Laser-Focus on Early Adopters: eBay
Cultivate relationships with content creators
Laser-Focus on Early Adopters: The Sims
Leverage relationships with avid music gamers
Laser-Focus on Early Adopters: Rock Band
Hack 3: harvest customer insights early
Hack 3: gather customer insights early
you are here
Create a culture of iterative play-testing
There is nothing quite so
useless as doing with great
efficiency something that
should not be done at all.Peter Drucker
Conduct onsite interviews with social gamers
Gather Customer Insights Early: Rock Band
Setup weekly interviews & play-tests
female team + fashion research crossover appeal to non-gamers
Gather Customer Insights Early: Covet Fashion
Expand playtests with team friends enthusiasts
Female-driven team strong appeal to female audience
Gather Customer Insights Early: The Sims
Hack 3: harvest customer insights early
Hack 4: build & test your Core Loop
What is – and isn’t - a core loop?
you are here
In a loop, you’re learning
a skill and updating your
mental model. That’s
what leads to player
delight.
Dan CookCo-founder, Spry Fox Games
DESIGN
& BUILD
Fake Landing Page?AKA Discovery
Fake Landing Page?AKA Discovery
Operant Conditioning Loop?
AKA Skinner Box
Operant Conditioning Loop?
AKA Skinner Box
skill-building =
making customers more awesome
Skill-building habit loop?
Skill-building habit loop?
Engaging activity + internal urge fuels the loop
Feedback & progress support learning & mastery
Investment & triggers pull people back
Focus on prototyping, testing & tuning the basics
Build & test your Core Loop: Rock Band
Create a daily skill-building reason to return
Browse your Style Feed
Browse New
Content
Show off your outfit
Raid your friend’s closet
Browse your Style Feed Accept an Invitation
Dress for the Event
See New
Invitations
Build & test your Core Loop: Covet Fashion
Hack 5: Create a path to mastery
Hack 5: co-create a path to mastery
you are here
DESIGN
& BUILD
Every artist was first an amateur.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Author, Essays on Self-Reliance
Engage customers with progressive skill-building
Empower enthusiasts & early adopters
by giving them tools, access & special powers
Harvest ideas from early adopters
Co-create a path to mastery: eBay
Release tools early to your fan communitythen harvest feedback & ideas for advanced features
Co-create a path to mastery: The Sims
Build mastery systems around
early adopter & non-musician aspirations
Co-create a path to mastery: Rock Band
Create rating systems that bubble up experts
Co-create a path to mastery: Covet Fashion
Think like a scientist
Recap: 5 Key Hacks
Think like a scientist
Laser-focus on early adopters
Recap: 5 Key Hacks
Think like a scientist
Laser-focus on early adopters
Harvest customer insights early
Recap: 5 Key Hacks
Think like a scientist
Laser-focus on early adopters
Harvest customer insights early
Build & test your core loop
Recap: 5 Key Hacks
Think like a scientist
Laser-focus on early adopters
Harvest customer insights early
Build & test your core loop
Co-create a path to mastery
Recap: 5 Key Hacks
5 Hacks for Successful Innovation
3 Smart Shortcuts Section Three
to turbo-charge your Customer Discovery
CASE STUDY
Section Two1. MVP Canvas Shortcut #1: the MVP Canvas
Think like a scientist
Laser-focus on early adopters
Harvest customer insights early
Build & test your core loop
Co-create a path to mastery
Shortcut #1: the MVP Canvas
Section Two
5 Hacks for Successful Innovation
1. MVP Canvas Clarify your product strategy
Section Two
5 Hacks for Successful Innovation
1. MVP Canvas Identify strengths, values & success metrics
Section Two
5 Hacks for Successful Innovation
1. MVP Canvas Prioritize your highest-risk assumptions
Section Two1. MVP Canvas Shortcut #2: Speed Interviews
Think like a scientist
Laser-focus on early adopters
Harvest customer insights early
Build & test your core loop
Co-create a path to mastery
Shortcut #2: Speed Interviews
Interview 10-15 (potential) early adopters
5-10 min. per interview
Ask just a few revealing questions
Needs & DesiresDaily Habits Beliefs & Ideas
Section Two
5 Hacks for Successful Innovation
1. MVP Canvas
I’m in the
background, taking
notes and
categorizing patterns
I’m answering
questions
I’m asking
questions
Interviewer Subject Note-taker
Interviewer + Note-Taker Pairs =
Better, Faster Pattern Recognition
Section Two1. MVP Canvas Identify 5-7 Enthusiastic Early Adopters
Early
Adopters
Identify Early Adopters + Collect
InsightsCustomer
Insights
Section Two1. MVP Canvas
When
trigger
I want a
activity + goal
so I can
outcome
Shortcut #3: Habit Stories
Think like a scientist
Laser-focus on early adopters
Harvest customer insights early
Build & test your core loop
Co-create a path to mastery
Shortcut #3: Habit Stories
habits, ideas, unmet needs Habit Story =existing habit + unmet need Job Story
When _________
I want to _____________
so I can __________
trigger
activity + goal
outcome
+
habits, ideas, unmet needs Piggyback your Core Looponto an existing habit + unmet need
+
CASE STUDY
MVP Canvas
CASE STUDY
MVP Canvas Speed Interviews
CASE STUDY
MVP Canvas Speed Interviews Habit Stories
+
Covet Fashion BEFORE
Young women 18-30
who play mobile
fashion games
Aspirational dress-up
in designer fashions
PLUS advice from a
celebrity stylist
Covet Fashion BEFORE
Young women 18-30
who play mobile
fashion games
Aspirational dress-up in
designer fashions PLUS
advice from a celebrity
stylist
F2P co-op game with
real-world fashion
content & hot trends
Vogue alternative -
stay up-to-date on
fashion by playing –
not just looking
Covet Fashion BEFORE
Young women 18-30
who play mobile
fashion games
Aspirational dress-up in
designer fashions PLUS
advice from a celebrity
stylist
F2P co-op game with
real-world fashion
content & hot trends
Vogue alternative -
stay up-to-date on
fashion by playing –
not just looking
like/dislike metrics
via interviews with
hard-core fashion
gamers
F2P game experience
Existing, addressable
audience for fashion
games
Covet Fashion BEFORE
Young women 18-30
who play mobile
fashion games
Aspirational dress-up in
designer fashions PLUS
advice from a celebrity
stylist
F2P co-op game with
real-world fashion
content & hot trends
Vogue alternative -
stay up-to-date on
fashion by playing –
not just looking
like/dislike metrics via
interviews with hard-
core fashion gamers
F2P game experience
Existing, addressable
audience for fashion
games
Young women want a
mobile game based
on real-world fashion
PLUS access to a
celebrity stylist
Speed Interviews
WHO we spoke with
• 15 young women 18-40 who play mobile fashion games
• Recruited from existing player base & craigslist ads
Speed Interviews
WHO we spoke with
• 15 young women 18-40 who play mobile fashion games
• Recruited from existing player base & craigslist ads
WHAT we asked them to do
• Spend 5-10 minutes answering 3-5 questions
The best interview subjects became paid testers
Speed Interviews
WHO we spoke with
• 15 young women 18-40 who play mobile fashion games
• Recruited from existing player base & craigslist ads
WHAT we asked them to do
• Spend 5-10 minutes answering 3-5 questions
The best interview subjects became paid testers
WHEN & WHERE we ran these tests
• Via phone & Skype, over a period of 2 weeks
Research Results: 3 Key Patterns
Fashion Browsers want to immerse themselves
in a beautiful aspirational world that keeps them
up to date on fashion trends
Co-creators want to “do fashion” with a buddy –
a friend or relative they can dress with, shop
with, and borrow from.
Armchair Stylists love telling other people how
to dress – they want role-play a celebrity stylist,
and get credit for their fashion sense
When I’m tired after a long
day, I want to flop on the
couch & get the escapist,
immersive experience of
flipping through Vogue –
but in a game.
The Fashion Browser
When I
Login to the game
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 and relaxing way
When I’m tired after a long
day, I want to flop on the
couch & get the escapist,
immersive experience of
flipping through Vogue –
but in a game.
The Fashion Browser
HABIT STORY
Patti told me to put these
shoes and belt together
with this outfit – I would
never think of that, but it
TOTALLY works. I need
her advice all the time!
The Co-Creator
When I
Need to dress up for an important
event
I want to
raid my friend’s closet and get her
feedback on my outfit online
so I can
have her accessorize my look and
help me feel confident - just like in
real life :-)
Patti told me to put these
shoes and belt together
with this outfit – I would
never think of that, but it
TOTALLY works. I need
her advice all the time!
The Co-Creator
HABIT STORY
I LOVE the idea a game
that lets me rate my
friends’ outfits & tell them
how to dress better – like I
do before every party
The Armchair Stylist
When I
Login to the game
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 and relaxing way
I LOVE the idea a game
that lets me rate my
friends’ outfits & tell them
how to dress better – like I
do before every party
The Armchair Stylist
HABIT STORY
Covet Fashion AFTER
Young women 18-30
who play mobile fashion
games
Skews older – women
18-45 like the game &
older women spend
more $$
Aspirational dress-up
in designer fashions
PLUS advice from
aspiring player-
stylists
F2P co-op game with
real-world fashion
content & hot trends
Vogue alternative -
stay up-to-date on
fashion by playing –
not just looking
like/dislike metrics via
interviews with hard-
core fashion gamers
F2P game experience
Existing, addressable
audience for fashion
games
Young women want a
mobile game based on
real-world fashion
PLUS access to a
celebrity stylist
Covet Fashion AFTER
Young women 18-30
who play mobile
fashion games
Skews older - women
18-45 like the game &
older women spend
more $$
Aspirational dress-up in
designer fashions PLUS
advice from aspiring
player-stylists
F2P co-op game with
real-world fashion
content & hot trends
Vogue alternative -
stay up-to-date on
fashion by playing –
not just looking
like/dislike metrics
via interviews with
hard-core fashion
gamers
F2P game experience
addressable audience
for fashion games
Young women want a
mobile game based on
real-world fashion
PLUS access to a
celebrity stylist
Covet Fashion AFTER
Young women 18-30
who play mobile
fashion games
Skews older - women
18-45 like the game &
older women spend
more $$
Aspirational dress-up in
designer fashions PLUS
advice from aspiring
player-stylists
F2P co-op game with
real-world fashion
content & hot trends
Vogue alternative -
stay up-to-date on
fashion by playing –
not just looking
like/dislike metrics via
interviews with hard-
core fashion gamers
F2P game experience
addressable audience
for fashion games
Young women want a
mobile game based on
real-world fashion
and will spend $$ on
a game based on
real-world fashion
Young women want
access to a celebrity
stylist – AND to up-
and-coming stylists
iterative play-testing hit game
Try out these techniques for yourself
http://mvpdesignhacks.com/shortcuts
Is this you?
My team is creating an innovative project
Is this you?
My team is creating an innovative project
We’re in an entrepreneurial organization
startup, incubator, accelerator, enlightened co.
Is this you?
My team is creating an innovative project
We’re in an entrepreneurial organization
startup, incubator, accelerator, enlightened co.
We want to validate ideas faster & smarter
Is this you?
My team is creating an innovative project
We’re in an entrepreneurial organization
startup, incubator, accelerator, enlightened co.
We want to validate ideas faster & smarter
We have the bandwidth to focus for 4 weeks
validate your product idea with game design smarts
TEAM program LEADER program Custom Packages
MVP Design Hacks
Testimonials from startup founders
This program gave
me a framework for
turning my startup
ideas into concrete
reality.
Megan Berwick
Founder, Stealth Startup
Testimonials
Testimonials from startup founders
This program gave
me a framework for
turning my startup
ideas into concrete
reality.
Megan Berwick
Founder, Stealth Startup
MVP Design Hacks
gave me the skills
and confidence to
quickly validate my
ideas & build a
product that our
customers love and
need.
Amanda Pouchot
Founder, Stealth Startup
Testimonials
Testimonials from startup founders
This program gave
me a framework for
turning my startup
ideas into concrete
reality.
Megan Berwick
Founder, Stealth Startup
MVP Design Hacks
gave me the skills
and confidence to
quickly validate my
ideas & build a
product that our
customers love and
need.
Amanda Pouchot
Founder, Stealth Startup
Fantastic
methodology –
the ROI you’ll
see is a no-
brainer.
Ofer Leidner
President, Happify
Testimonials
Testimonials from startup founders
This program gave
me a framework for
turning my startup
ideas into concrete
reality.
Megan Berwick
Founder, Stealth Startup
MVP Design Hacks
gave me the skills
and confidence to
quickly validate my
ideas & build a
product that our
customers love and
need.
Amanda Pouchot
Founder, Stealth Startup
Fantastic
methodology –
the ROI you’ll
see is a no-
brainer.
Ofer Leidner
President, Happify
This program
was invaluable in
helping us
connect ideas &
prototypes to the
needs of a real
audience.
Ori Ratner
Co-founder, Pedago
Testimonials
Testimonials from startup founders
This program gave
me a framework for
turning my startup
ideas into concrete
reality.
Megan Berwick
Founder, Stealth Startup
MVP Design Hacks
gave me the skills
and confidence to
quickly validate my
ideas & build a
product that our
customers love and
need.
Amanda Pouchot
Founder, Stealth Startup
Fantastic
methodology –
the ROI you’ll
see is a no-
brainer.
Ofer Leidner
President, Happify
This program
was invaluable in
helping us
connect ideas &
prototypes to the
needs of a real
audience.
Ori Ratner
Co-founder, Pedago
We created and
tested our MVP
in record time.
An invaluable
investment that’s
still paying off.
Ranan Lachman
CEO, Pley
Testimonials
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