Joel Burgess, co-founder of Soft Rains and director at Capybara Games, alongside Dan Vader, Creative Director at Capybara, dive into the intricate world of game design. They discuss how onboarding can shape player retention and the role of strategic game mechanics in fostering engagement. The duo offers insights into pricing psychology and leaderboard dynamics, while sharing tips on balancing complexity in gameplay. Their innovative approach in designing Grindstone emphasizes character evolution and evolving game dynamics, making for a compelling conversation.

Cal Thompson, VP of Product Design & Research at Headspace, leads a team creating user-centered designs for meditation. He discusses key performance metrics for the app, revealing what drives user engagement and re-engagement. A small feature change boosted engagement significantly. Cal also shares insights on how pricing models impact user behavior and the importance of simplifying meditation practices. His expertise provides valuable strategies for anyone interested in habit formation and mindfulness.

Host Kristen Berman interviews Akhil Kuduvalli Ramesh, VP of Consumer Product at Yelp, about the power of Yelp reviews. They discuss the engineering behind reviews, why people write them, and how reviews promote human connection. They also explore Yelp's search processes, the benefits of being a responsive business owner, and Yelp's target diversification.

You’ve probably heard of Asana or maybe you already use it in your workplace. In this episode, Paige Costello, Core Product Leader at Asana, joins the show to explain the features that help codify and amplify some of the key components that make work to actually work. We talk about interesting concepts such as deadline visibility, social loafing, long-term planning and authentic acts of recognition. Let's take a look at what work actually is and which are the most important (and sometimes hidden) gears that create productive work environments!Jump straight into:(01:42) - The coordination layer: Asana's role in helping teams plan and achieve their work together.(05:45) - A visual connection: How Asana’s accurate deadline display turns procrastination into motivation.(10:05) - Is social loafing a real thing? Team productivity, accountability systems, being evaluated and why public tasks are so effective to overcome social loafing.(15:28) - Traction, focus and engagement drive: The tools that make it easier to break down big projects into small tasks.(21:41) - A manager’s best friend: Asana’s insights to make long-term planning and goal tracking easier.(25:37) - Setting the norm: Templates, updates and other features that help Asana work for every team structure and user.(31:03) - The power of compliments: Enabling specific and authentic acts of appreciation and the future of collaborative work management.Episode resourcesConnect with Paige Costello through LinkedInAsanaThank you for listening to The Science of Change podcast. Reach out to Kristen through LinkedIn and visit The Irrational Labs website for more information on behavioral science. This show is presented by SetSail (follow on LinkedIn)and produced by Kristen Berman and Studio Pod Media. The executive producer is Rachel Roberts. All episodes are written by Jack Bueher. Music and editing provided by nodalab.

Nupur Kantamneni, responsible for Consumer Product, discusses the behavioral strategies used by Affirm for their flexible buy now pay later model. Topics covered include understanding payment terms, mental models for onboarding experiences, the appeal of zero interest, revenue generation, and aligning incentives. The podcast also explores the compromise effect, surprises in user onboarding, missed payments handling, partnerships, and the pros and cons of buy-now-pay-later.

Product leaders at Match discuss the science behind creating successful profiles and improving user engagement. They cover topics such as profile engineering, onboarding process, common mistakes in dating, messaging features, and the future of dating apps.

Kira Wampler, a product launching expert, discusses her time at Lyft and the brand's philosophy of treating better. She shares insights on the successful Undercover Lyft program and the incentives that built trust with new drivers. The implementation of a tipping system and the complexity of Lyft's choice architecture are also discussed. Kira's current efforts in the healthcare sector and the work of Jasper, a smart planner for cancer care, are explored too.

Bert Lui, Co-founder & CPO at SetSail, discusses the trade-offs between extrinsic and intrinsic motivations in sales, the impact of charisma on sales, and the pros and cons of quotas. They also explore how SetSail motivates sales reps with incentives and visibility, reduces the fear of rejection, experiments with compensation and tracking behaviors, and looks into the future of sales with real-time feedback and different incentives.

Letting a person into your home involves a careful evaluation process, but with the right behavioral principles, it can become a task that you can easily perform from your smartphone. In this episode, the talented Product Leader Jiaona Zhang shares the most significant lessons learned while being part of the Product Development team in Airbnb, such as the importance of progress trackers, real time feedback and host measurement beyond the guest reviews. Listen and learn how to build experiences that delight and bring the best out of each user!Jump straight into:(01:10) - Today’s guest Jiaona Zhang introduction.(02:30) - Consider using progress trackers: Insights from the onboarding flow design for hosts at Airbnb.(09:03) - Trying to hit the mark: The science that makes uploading photos to Airbnb a less daunting experience.(10:59) - Rapid and relevant feedback: How Airbnb achieves small incremental changes in hosts' behavior and deals with bad experiences.(17:00) - Enabling more honest reviews: The secret sauce behind the rating system development in Airbnb.(23:07) - Measurement beyond the ratings: How response time impacts the way in which the app measures each host (and how that measurement improves the host behavior).(27:47) - Carrots and sticks: The value of public recognition and enhancing the communication between guests and hosts.(32:36) - Micro learnings from setting new norms: The link between interaction and comfort (and providing guests the choice to interact).(35:38) - Everyone wants to be delighted: Lessons from Jiaona’s early gaming experience that have impacted her PM skills.(40:11) - A spirit of optimization: What change has Airbnb established over the last 10 years?Episode resourcesConnect with JZ through LinkedIn and TwitterThank you for listening to The Science of Change. Reach out to Kristen through LinkedIn and visit The Irrational Labs website for more information on behavioral science. This show is presented by SetSail (follow on LinkedIn) and produced by Irrational Labs and Studio Pod Media. Our executive producer is Rachael Roberts, all episodes are written by Kristen Berman and Ying Lin with expert script editing by Jack Buehrer. Special thanks Lydia Trupe for fact checking and citations.

It’s well known that Netflix has made history by revolutionizing the way we consume and interact with TV series and movies. This process has required considerable experimentation and result testing, leading to the invention of a past time we now know and love: binge-watching. In this episode, Gibson Biddle, one of the leaders who established the fundamentals for Netflix success joins the show to have an insightful conversation from what predicts our movie preferences to conversion rates of free trials. We also get into a light chat on the ethics of autoplay and deep dive into the theory of revealed preferences. Ready for some Netflix and chill with Gibson and host Kristen Berman? Click the play button and enjoy this new episode of The Science of Change!Jump straight into:(01:10) - Introducing Gibson Biddle: A product leader who helped pave the way to success at Netflix.(02:46) - Early test results focused on retention improvement: Why waiting and anticipating may be the key to maximizing happiness from an experience.(09:45) - Non-intuitive preferences, enjoyment, and prediction errors: Is movie rating actually helping Netflix improve retention?(15:23) - Past behavior makes future choices: The essential data behind movie taste prediction.(17:33) - Revealed preferences and the effects of highlighting movies and shows: How much of my taste is determined by the algorithm?(23:43) - The radical binge-watch invention: A conscious perspective on the efficiency of episodic TV formats.(27:42) - Rapid-fire questions: Adapting the algorithm, the value of new members, free trial reminders, and Gibson’s career on A/B testing for consumer behavior research.(37:07) - Positive actions payback: Explaining reciprocity principles and quitting brand benefits to grow trust in consumers.(39:49) - The balancing act between discipline and chaos: Gibson’s career advice on constant experimentation. Episode resourcesConnect with Gibson through Twitter and LinkedInGibson Biddle: Product Leadership & StrategyThank you for listening to The Science of Change. Reach out to Kristen through LinkedIn and visit The Irrational Labs website for more information on behavioral science. This show is presented by SetSail (follow on LinkedIn) and produced by Kristen Berman and Studio Pod Media. The executive producer is Rachael Roberts. All episodes are written by Jack Bueher. Music and editing provided by nodalab.