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Playbook · Idea / prototype to Searching (pre-PMF)

Idea and Searching × Start

Give the few new users a real win in the first session: cut steps aimed at the scarcest resource, show value before asking for setup, and close the first session with a small investment after the win.

M0-M1 ×Start4 lead moves
M0 Idea / prototype
Is there a real itch, felt often enough?
M1 Searching (pre-PMF)
Who, if anyone, is it a must-have for?
Start
Do new users reach their first big win fast, and feel smart doing it?

M0-M1 × Start

The playbook

Goal. Every new user gets a real win fast and feels smart, so the few you have can tell you whether the value is there.

Moves. A first-use mini-hook: trigger, a simple action, a reward, then a small investment after the win HK-INV19 (Hooked Ch.5). Cut steps, aiming at the scarcest resource at each one HK-ACT03 (Hooked Ch.3). Value before registration HK-ACT40 (Hooked Ch.7). Templates instead of a blank canvas GT#43 (Actionable Gamification Ch.8, p.181) and a generous, personalized first result GT#23 (Actionable Gamification Ch.5, p.85). End the session on a success.

Test it. Five-user sessions and the four-second test on key screens (a practitioner heuristic, grade D); traffic is too small for step tests.

Lead with these moves

  • TechniqueEvidence grade D. Practitioner framework or anecdote: plausible, untested.

    First use as a complete mini-hook

    learn-by-doing first session

    Make the first session a full small loop: a clear instruction, an easy action, a real win with a moment of celebration, then one small investment that sets up the next visit, such as connecting a calendar or saving a first item.

  • TechniqueEvidence grade C. Limited evidence: few or small studies.

    Ability first: find the missing ingredient before redesigning

    behavior triage, ease first

    For each drop-off, decide what was missing at that moment: the prompt (never saw it), motivation (saw it, didn't care) or ability (started, couldn't finish). Fix the cheapest missing piece, and check ability first, because making something easier is cheaper and faster than making people want it more.

  • TechniqueEvidence grade B. Moderate evidence: solid studies with some limits.

    Value before sign-up: let people try the core

    try before registering

    Let visitors use the core of the product before creating an account, and ask for one only when it unlocks something they want to keep, such as saving, syncing or a plan. Landing pages show the product working instead of explaining it.

  • TechniqueEvidence grade D. Practitioner framework or anecdote: plausible, untested.

    Shorten the time to the First Major Win-State

    time to first real win

    Find the first moment new users feel the product is great, measure the minutes it takes to get there, and clear everything in front of it: invite walls, long profiles, tours. Chou's rule is that nothing, not even a satisfying build step, should delay it.

Also in season

Not now

  • Step-funnel A/B testsToo few sign-ups to read step tests yet.
  • Points and badges layerPoints bolted onto a weak loop don't hold people.
  • Streaks with freeze and repairStreaks reward coming back to something people don't value yet.
  • Hard paywall before the habitA paywall before the habit converts some and loses the rest.
  • Scale paid acquisitionPaid traffic into a product that doesn't keep people yet just fills a leaky bucket.

How to measure it

Questions to answer first

  1. What is the simplest thing users do in anticipation of a reward, and how could you make it simpler still?
  2. Where is the first big win for a new user, and how long does it take to get there (typical user and the slowest 10%)?
  3. Which steps before the first win could you remove entirely, or move to after it?
  4. At the step where most users drop, what is scarcest for them: time, money, physical effort, brain cycles, social acceptability, or a break from routine?
  5. Can people get real value from the product before they have to create an account?
  6. Does every ask for effort (setup, data, invites) come after the user got something valuable, or before?
  7. Does a new user create something early that they can finish successfully, starting from a template or example rather than a blank page?
  8. Does onboarding end on a success (a first result, a published item) or on a form to fill in?
  9. On each key screen (home, empty state, dashboard, checkout), can a new user tell what to do within about four seconds?

Limits

What we don’t claim

  • The Hook Model is a practical design tool, not a validated or complete theory of behavior.Hooked, Introduction
  • Octalysis is a practitioner framework built from observing games, not a validated scientific model.Actionable Gamification Ch.15, pp.399-400
  • This is a practitioner heuristic (grade D): test it in your own product before relying on it.
  • Seasons are defaults for the cell. Evidence from your own product can move a technique in or out of season.
  • A playbook names candidate moves; which one goes first depends on the binding constraint in your product.

Sources

  • Hooked · Nir Eyal

    Ch.3 · Ch.5 · Ch.7

  • Actionable Gamification · Yu-kai Chou

    Ch.8, p.181 · Ch.5, p.85

Source IDs: HK-INV19HK-ACT03HK-ACT40HK-INV01GT#43GT#23HK-T06HK-T07

Book content is paraphrased, never quoted at length. Last verified October 24, 2026.

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