MVP Canvas

Plan your high-learning product experiment

Your Game Thinking product experiment starts with a clear idea about what you need to test, and who exactly you need to test your ideas on. Use the MVP Canvas to set up a high-learning, high-value product experiment that tests your most important assumptions.

Super-Fan Screener

Identify your passionate early customers.

Super-fans are those early, passionate customers who NEED what you’re creating, and can be instrumental in bringing your ideas to life. Use the Super-Fan Screener to find the right people to listen to—and decide who to tune out—as you design & build your MVP.

Speed Interviews

Surface relevant habits & unmet needs

You can learn a lot by asking potential customers a few well-chosen questions. Use Speed Interviews to surface relevant behavioral patterns more quickly than long-form conversations, and exactly the right Alpha Testers inform your MVP

Lifecycle Job Stories

Distill research insights into design-ready form

Getting research results into the design process is a ongoing challenge for many startups. Use Job Stories (which evolved from the Jobs-to-be-Done movement) to leapfrog traditional personas, and quickly distill important customer insights into design-ready form.

Player’s Journey

Design a skill-building journey over time.

It’s tough to turn your expansive vision into a stripped-down, high-learning MVP. The secret is to focus on the customer’s learning progression. Use the 4-stage Player’s Journey to sketch your customer’s end-to-end experience as a story that unfolds over time.

Core Learning Loop

Prototype a simple, compelling Day 21 experience

Successful game designers mobilize their super-fans to help bring early systems to life. Use the Core Learning Loop tool to design a repeatable, pleasurable activity that powers your system, and lays the foundation for deeper engagement.

Play-Test Script

Test your high-risk assumptions on your Super-fans

Use our 3-part script to run high-learning play-tests. You might conduct 1-hour interviews, a 2-week diary study, a 3-day Wizard-of-Oz mockup, a 3-month Alpha pilot, or tests featuring competitor’s products. Whatever the form, you’ll learn what you need to know.

Game Thinking Roadmap

Validate and update your product strategy

Once you’ve run your product experiment, use our Game Thinking Roadmap to validate your hypotheses and update your strategy. This roadmap gives you a streamlined way to focus your efforts and iterate your way towards success.

Learn The Basics of Game Thinking Through Hands-on Exercises, Compelling Case Studies, and Stories Direct from The Front Lines of Hit Games, Products and Services.