The 3 Step Plan TO MARRYING YOUR USERS

8 min read

I said to myself as I tapped the big BATTLE button,

“Just one last time…”

And leaped into another 3 minute match at arena number three.

A sweet sensation spread across my body as my troops gained success...

And a stroke of dopamine kicked in when I knocked down my opponent’s tower...

when suddenly...

Phone goes BZZZZZZZzzzt, and dies.

At first I was furious, losing the match over technicalities…

then I looked at the time.

It was 2:15 AMand apparently I’d been playing for an hour and a half straight.

My name is Dori Adar.

I’m a game/product designer, and I have an unhealthy relationship

with a game that hastaken over my life.

www.doriadar.com

We all have relationships with our games and apps.

We share our lives with some.

We goof around with others.

We spend our most intimate moments with

certain games,

While others we prefer to play after a long day

at work…

And sometimes, we feel like we’ve found the love of our lives...

Only to completely deny it 3 weeks later.

How come we fall in love with some apps,And just don’t click with others?

While there’s no definite answer to this question -After analyzing many games and apps,

a clear pattern emerges.

The 3 Step Plan TO MARRYING YOUR USERs

Step 1THE FIRST DATE

The first encounter with the user is a true make or break.

Lose the user there and she’s gone forever.

That’s why ONBOARDINGis such a hot UX topic nowadays.

The problem is that onboarding new users to applications is becoming harder and harder.

Users’ attention spans are at an all time low.People are quick to judge and resent the slightest

learning curve.

(Give an Android to an iPhone userto see a perfect example of this...)

So how can we onboard new, impatient users?Show them MAGIC, as fast as you can.

Let’s see some magical examples.

This is the first page of MSQRD, a fun face-filter app.

1 second after launching the app,the user looks like a damn monkey.

Time to Magic: 1 second

Magic is all about experience. It can’t be explained.

But what if you are working on a slightly less silly app? Can you still be quick to “make magic”?

Yes.Here’s Duolingo:

Duolingo’s 1st screen

Duolingo’s 2nd screenChoose a language

Duolingo’s 3rd screenTeaching the ropes - how to use the app

Duolingo’s 4th screenThe first exercise.

Wow! I wrote my first sentence in German!

Time To Magic: 60 seconds

If indeed magic was experienced during the first date, the app would then shift to the next phase:

Step 2THE PURSUIT

After the first date, the app must call the user.

But it should never beg.

The smart app will have good excuses for calling users back. Here’s Duolingo again:

During the onboarding, the app will ask the

users to choose a daily goal.

This step is un-skippable.

When users get a notification the next day calling them back to the app,

The chances of return are higher. After all, they set a goal.

And if they do not comply after a few notifications,

Duolingo will literally break up with them.

Some apps, notably games, will persuade users to come back through curiosity.

I like to call this “The delayed feedback” method.Let’s take a look at Clash Royale.

Win a wooden chestWhen users win a match in Clash Royale, they get a treasure chest as a reward.

However when they try to open it, they discover that they must wait 15 seconds to discover what’s inside.

15 seconds is not a long time.

Just enough to make sure that when the user has left the app,

She immediately gets a notification, bringing her back to the game.

Everybody loves a surprising reward -Be it a message, friend request,

or chest full of goodies.

Later on, as the relationship shifts from the “Pursuit” to the “Going Steady” stage,

Time increments of the rewards change, adjusting themselves to the user’s routine.

Check in every 3 hours during the day.

Tap the 8 hours golden chest before going to sleep,and have it ready by morning.

Step 3GOING STEADY

During the “Going Steady” stage, the app will be incorporated in the user’s routine.

The user will check in every hour or so to see what rewards the app has in store for her.

The reward over time mechanic is known as the “Core Game Loop”

A typical session in Clash Royale begins with a surprising reward that was won hours ago,

and is only now available.

Users then proceed to the actual fighting, in which they will win some more treasures.

Remember, it takes time to open a chest, so the session will usually stop there...

Only to begin again when the chest is available.

Let’s see the same loop in action in the popular dating app, Tinder.

In Tinder, users browse through people's pictures, swiping left to pass on them, and right to like them.

If both parties like each other, it’s a match.

This is how a typical Tinder session begins. A match, a very surprising reward.

Users then proceed to swipe left or right on people’s pictures,

And those actions, in time, would yield more matches.

Notice how both loops always begin with a pleasant surprise right at the

start of the session.

This creates the notion that checking into the app is a good thing.

In case you were wondering why FB sessions now start

with reminding users of their photos from

years ago, now you know...

Facebook, too, wants its users to start off their sessions with a nice surprise.

SUMMING UP

Clash Royale, the game I was addicted to, executes these 3 steps very well.

First DateNothing short of magical. I quickly discovered how

much fun the game’s combat system is.

The PursuitPretty intense. “Come back” notifications follow

treasure chests that are now ready to be opened.

Going SteadyBacked by a solid core game loop that offers

surprising rewards every 3-8 hours.

I would recommend you to take this game for a spin and see if it works magic on you as well.

Just beware. You might fall in love.

For more insights on games and product design, check me out on www.doriadar.com

And don’t forget to spread the wordAND SHARE THIS DECK!