Game Thinking
By Amy Jo Kim
Game Thinking allows you to validate your ideas through prototypes by partnering with your ideal target users and planning a product lifecycle through a path to mastery. This step-by-step process is heavily inspired by game designers. It is designed to help you answer key questions as quickly as possible to help identify if you are building the right product that users will find engaging and valuable.
The first step involves identifying your superfans. These are the early customers who are desperate for your solution and will eagerly try it out and provide feedback. The next step is planning the path to mastery. You should be able to identify what and how your superfans will go from novice to expert using the product. The third step is to test the core learning loop. This is the key interaction that keeps your users interested and returning to the product. It is essential to have this in place while validating the solution.