Action Play
How to get started with GitHub as a designer
The developer ecosystem is a goldmine for designers. Here are six things you can do today to start using GitHub and open-source libraries in your workflow.
Understand what the user gives and what they get back. If the give/get scale isn't balanced, tip it in their favor.
Action play: Pick one key interaction in your product and draw a quick map showing what value the user gives and what they receive in return.
Start with the user's input: their time, data, attention, or money. Then note what they get in exchange - clarity, progress, motivation, or reward.
Connect both sides with arrows to visualize the trade.
Example: In a fitness app, the user gives time, effort, and personal data to stay on track - and receives expert guidance, motivation, and visible progress that keeps them coming back.
Why: Every product is a value exchange. When users feel they give more than they get, they drop off. When they feel they get more than they give, they return - and tell others.
Mapping this balance helps you design experiences that feel fair, motivating, and worth sticking with. Aim to make the exchange feel unfair - in the user's favor.
This action play is from the full article: 3 action plays for strategy and positioning
Written by
Björn Rutholm
Founder of PixelPappa
Technical cofounder for hire. Product designer and developer helping teams build digital products that work.
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