Behavioral product strategist and gamification designer. This is my public hypertext notebook, sharing my thinking in motion at various stages of development.

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The user should learn enough of the app’s functionality to accomplish a goal

If you are able to accomplish one of your User GoalUser Goal
There are individual differences between new users in their initial user goals, which plays a crucial role in the Parameters of onboarding. Since Adoption requires a baseline of user involvement in order to overcome inertia, the user must see how the app relates to their ability to accomplish goals quickly.

Additionally, User goals change over time, so if we want Retention, we need continued User Involvement.

Goals that matter to the user are ones they were struggling to accomplish on their...
s within an app, then the app has done its first step towards gaining your RetentionRetention
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. One of the first steps to Satisfy the social contract between the user and the appSatisfy the social contract between the user and the app
This is about optimizing for User Involvement within the context of what the app can do. The user needs to exert effort into making the app work for their needs, and the app needs to reduce the effort required and make the effort worthwhile. The social contract between the user and the app tends to work best when the app is transparent about what user involvement is necessary so the user can make an informed choice that they internalize as self-motivated.

This is worthwhile to the app becaus...
is for the user to accomplish a goal.

This is the first step towards creating the virtuous cycle of User InvolvementUser Involvement
Imagine purchasing a gym membership in order to lose weight or grow more muscular. Having a gym membership is not enough on its own! In order to successfully accomplish that goal, you would need to work out regularly on the right muscle groups. You might have a higher likelihood of success if you participate in exercise classes or hire a personal trainer. Your outcomes are shaped by your own behavior in the gym.

User involvement is defined by the set of user behaviors that lead to experienci...
. Apps with continued user involvement enable the user to accomplish multiple goalsApps with continued user involvement enable the user to accomplish multiple goals
If an app enables the user to accomplish only one goal, then the user will be lost as soon as the one goal disappears or is accomplished better by using some other product. Accomplishing multiple goals makes for a sturdier foundation of usage that is more resilient to changing life circumstances, as User goals change over time.

Imagine if all LinkedIn was good for was finding a job. If this were the case, then people would stop using it as soon as they found a job. However, they can also be ...
, so over time the user will learn how they can accomplish more and more goals.

To support this, a product designer must Make an experience the user wants and make it clear to the user what goals they can satisfy because The user may have a lack of imagination as to what user goals they can accomplishThe user may have a lack of imagination as to what user goals they can accomplish
The user believes that the app will help them achieve a goal that they actually have, but New users do not yet have the vocabulary to understand the app. This means they'll often be painfully unaware of all of the goals that they are able to accomplish.

The app must communicate clearly to the user how the app relates to goals that the user already has. This is part of why I recommend products Use a badging system as a method of actionable user research, even if a badging system isn't ultimat...