Buy onceLifetime updatesSecure payment1,400+ buyers“68% → 87% activation”

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Trusted by 1.4k+
founders & product teams

Trigger the right emotions,
make your app features land

These 175+ cards show you the proven emotional design layer that makes users stick. From industry leading apps serving millions.

AirbnbUberHeadspaceRevolutPinterest
Buy the deck

“From 68% to 87% downloads-to-activation”Aidan, Founder Purchased playbook

“Scaled up to $100K MRR in a few months”Pontus, Head of Design Purchased playbook

Behind the data

These tactics have receipts

Independent A/B tests, run and published by the apps that mastered them. Every result maps to a card in the deck.

+143%

trial signups

Opal: Motivation-led onboarding

Card: Momentum Bias+6 others

Opal A/B test, version A next to version B

+104%

trial starts

Going: “Trial for free” CTA wording

Card: JTBD Copywriting+4 others

Going A/B test, version A next to version B

+83%

conversions

Busuu: Content locking

Card: Spark Curiosity+5 others

Busuu A/B test, version A next to version B

+44%

paid subscriptions

Runtastic: User reviews on the paywall

Card: The Paywall+7 others

Runtastic A/B test, version A next to version B

+40%

learners on a streak

Duolingo: Streaks decoupled from daily goals

Card: Gamified Progress+5 others

Duolingo A/B test, version A next to version B

+25%

creator enrollment

TikTok: Delayed bank account setup

Card: Perceived Effort Delay+3 others

TikTok A/B test, version A next to version B

+20%

yearly subscriptions

Mojo: Yearly plan as the default

Card: Setup Defaults+4 others

Mojo A/B test, version A next to version B

+20%

signups

Pinterest: Free exploration before signup

Card: Time to Value+6 others

Pinterest A/B test, version A next to version B

References to test results

Results curated by abtest.design

12345678

Card examples

Your app’s
activation fixed

Tap what's blocking yours and see the card that fixes it in action

Commitment Card next to the Duolingo screen that uses the tactic
Variable Reward Card next to the Bumble screen that uses the tactic
Perceived Effort Delay Card next to the Pinterest screen that uses the tactic
Intent Mirroring Card next to the Amazon Music screen that uses the tactic
ActivationStack of 66 cards
App icons from the real UI examples inside
100+ real UI examples
RetentionStack of 61 cards
App icons from the real UI examples inside
100+ real UI examples
OnboardingStack of 76 cards
App icons from the real UI examples inside
100+ real UI examples
EngagementStack of 56 cards
App icons from the real UI examples inside
100+ real UI examples

Join 1,400+ founders & product teams from the world's top companies

  • Cisco
  • Intuit
  • Credit Karma
  • Techstars
  • West Monroe
  • Incode
  • Edrolo
  • Tailwind
  • Mosh
  • Highbeam
  • Hotplate
  • storekit
  • Tinybeans
  • Qase
“We used many of these product strategy cards and scaled our start up to $100K mrr in a few months.”
Photo of Pontus WelgrafPontus WelgrafHead of Design, Roots
“I'm from the info world, not SaaS so having these cards has helped me reach results a lot faster without the trial and error I would have learnt the hard way.”
Photo of Zac HensenZac HensenFounder, Productised Coach
“Super impressive level of detail and instantly usable. The playbook is something I keep referencing to.”
Photo of Rico BeranRico BeranFounder, Uptown Studio

Plain English

What exactly is this?

What you're buying
175+ tactic cards, sorted into 12 stacks. Each card is one proven tactic and why it works.
What it looks like
A PDF deck you flick through like cards, plus a Figma file with every card laid out on one board. Every play is five cards: the tactic, a prompt to make it yours, and three real apps doing it well.
How you get it
Pay once, $97, download it straight away. No subscription. Updates are free forever.
How you use it
Find the stack that matches your problem. Pull a card. Build what it shows you. Or hand the deck to your AI agent and let it do the building.
What it isn't
Not a course. Not videos. Not templates. Nothing to study, just cards you act on.

How it works

From stuck feature to shipped result, in three steps.

  1. Pick a stack by priority. Onboarding, activation, retention, monetisation and more.

    The Onboarding, Retention and Monetisation stack cardsSee all stacks

  2. Pull a card. Each one is a proven emotionally charged tactic. Cards are the building blocks for each stack.

    The Commitment card showing the full play breakdown

  3. Ship it this week. Practical, easy to implement. Each card has custom pairings so the deck adapts to any app.

    The Variable Reward card next to the app screen it inspired

See where you can start today Get started

Playbook + AI agents

Teach your AI the human design touch

Armed with the playbook, your agent designs the aha moment, anticipates friction, builds sharing loops in, and turns users into advocates.

Users sign up, poke around, then leave before the aha moment.

Product-Design-Playbook.pdf
ClaudeCodexCursorReplitLovableBase44
“I exported all of the playbook to seed it… It's been working insanely well, shipping extremely fast and getting many more users much faster now”
Photo of Gary PerelbergGary PerelbergCo-Founder, WatchTrack

The Figma swipe file

Every card on one board, with 99+ real app screens

The playbook also comes as a Figma swipe file: all 175+ cards laid out at a bird’s-eye view, each backed by real screens from the best apps in the market. Get their strategy & see their execution

Get real app examples
Overview grid of the full playbook: strategies, plays and over 100 annotated app screens

Emotional lens

Good products solve the task. The best products shape the feeling around it.

Duolingo streak animation

Duolingo teaches Spanish.
Users return to feel:

Productive
Disciplined
Intelligent

Strava run tracking screen

Strava tracks runs.
Users return to feel:

Accomplished
Admired
Athletic

Airbnb services quality seal animation

Airbnb finds places to stay.
Users return to feel:

Adventurous
Spontaneous
Freedom

Build the emotional pull that makes users feel a version of themselves they want more of.

Get the Playbook

Design the emotional pull

Nail the emotional momentum and set your app into motion

Confidence at onboarding. The 'aha' that makes activation click. The motivation that turns a session into a habit.

Chart comparing user emotions with and without playbook cards across onboarding, activation, engagement and retention

The playbook

Turn features into an emotional experience that makes users stick

The Product Design Playbook: black deck cover reading 'Ditch guesswork. Get product-market fit.'

  • 175+ cards

    Each tactic covers what to do, why it works, and when to use it

  • For apps at any stage

    Use to build converting features in any app at any stage

  • Covers every user journey

    Onboarding, activation, retention, monetisation, +8 more stacks

  • Digital resource

    Download it, open it, and start using it in minutes

Buy the Playbook

Secure Stripe payment

One time payment. No subscription

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What makes the playbook different

What others say

There's so much advanced product insight. It's quickly obvious that this is experienced-level knowledge. Kinda don't want others to find it.
ChristineUX Lead
Refreshing using a resource that is this actually practical and not full of nothing
DaneshaCo-Founder
The way the cards connect together is probably my favourite part. I started spotting quick wins in my own app really quickly. It's been great!
YungFounder
I pull this out at the start of every new project engagement. It's helped me think beyond screens and that's helped me charge more for my work
IgorDesigner
We used the onboarding plays to redesign our first-run experience. Downloads-to-activation jumped from 68% to 87% in a couple of weeks
AidanFounder
Most design resources are written around visuals. This one actually ties in metrics and outcomes which is what I need when I'm selling decisions upward.
JaredProduct Manager
Super easy to skim, but there's a surprising amount of depth once you slow down and connect the ideas
MiaCo-founder & Designer

Holistic system that works for you

Not another boring, theoretical ebook. Advanced product depth

Every card has pairing cards. Investigating one will show you how a single moment can influence the entire app.

Buy the Playbook
Tactic cards pinned to a corkboard, connected with red string to show how plays pair together

Top consumer apps understood this and it made them successful

Apps charged with emotions feel different. They anticipate, solve and reward action that makes interaction with them a pleasure.

Emotional intelligence is the edge in consumer apps. The best products don't just work; they guide emotions, shape habits, and build momentum by design.

You've felt it: Duolingo makes you feel productive, TikTok keeps you in flow, Headspace helps you exhale. That's not luck, it's engineered.

I've spent the last seven years shaping product experiences. Along the way, I realised that triggering emotions is what made apps land.

This playbook shows you how.

Get the Playbook
Polaroid photo of Bartek working on the playbook

Fix library

What's broken in your app? Start from the symptom

Each link is one common problem: how to spot it in your funnel, why it happens, and the fix the best apps use.

Onboarding

From download to first win, before they lose interest.

Activation

The gap between signing up and actually using it.

Retention

Why users come back, or quietly stop.

Monetisation

The moment you ask for money, and how it lands.

Engagement

What sessions feel like while they're happening.

Habit Formation

Turning visits into a routine they keep.

Growth & Viral

How today's users bring tomorrow's.

Conversion Optimisation

The steps where your funnel leaks.

Trust Building

The confidence to tap without fear.

Experience Refinement

The polish that separates fine from loved.

Intent Shaping

Getting users to tell you what they want, and using it.

Premium Positioning

Feeling worth the price, before the price appears.

Questions?

Who is the playbook for?

Founders, developers, product managers, and marketers. They all use the playbook to weave in the emotional triggers that make up winning app experiences.

What's inside?

Plays: individual tactics. There are 33 of them, and each play is five cards: the tactic card, a Make It Yours prompt card, and three real example cards.
Stacks: groups of plays that focus on a single area like onboarding, activation, or retention.

There are 12 stacks in total:

  • Onboarding 76 cards
  • Activation 66 cards
  • Retention 61 cards
  • Monetisation 61 cards
  • Engagement 56 cards
  • Habit Formation 56 cards
  • Growth & Viral 51 cards
  • Conversion Optimisation 51 cards
  • Trust Building 51 cards
  • Experience Refinement 46 cards
  • Intent Shaping 46 cards
  • Premium Positioning 46 cards
Why a deck of cards?

It's an active working tool to be shuffled, combined and remixed. There isn't a linear path to follow.

The playbook is a digital download only.

Do I need design experience?

No. You don't need to know how to design visually. Each of the 33 tactic cards comes with 3 sourced examples from real apps, 99 visual examples in total, showing you exactly how the strategy looks when it's done well.

Will this work for the app in my niche?

Yes. The emotional layer applies to all apps, web or mobile. The “Make it Yours” cards help you tailor to your specific scenario.

Use this before or after the launch?

Both. Before launch, it helps you build the right flows from day one so you're not patching problems later. After launch, it helps you diagnose what's not working and fix it with something proven instead of guessing.

Ask your own question

Find your stack + unlock a discount?