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THE PLAYSOne move, and
One move, and
the numbers behind it.
Paywalls, trials, onboarding, reminders, goals and stakes, from the apps that tested them. Each play leads with its strongest number and says what that number does not show.
START ANYWHEREPlays built on
Plays built on
human psychology & marketing science.
One move, the numbers behind it, and what those numbers do not show.
Researched across the apps that tried it, including where it failed.
No plays match yet. Clear the search or choose another category.
WHAT YOU GETOne move.
One move.
Everything behind it.
A real play, at a glance.
Return
Review each item just before it's forgotten
+16.5% recall
On an exam 28 days after the semester, over massed review (179 eighth graders, one Spanish course; points or relative not stated). At Duolingo, replacing the old Leitner system cut next-day practice return 7.3%.
STRONG
Doesn’t showOne teacher, one school, one course; students were not told the details of the manipulation.
The rest is on the play
- The move
One decision you can build, in plain words.
- The number
The strongest result, and exactly what it counts.
- How sure it is
Graded, with what the evidence doesn’t show.
- Making it yours
Where it fits and where it breaks. The copied record adds how to adapt it.
HOW SURE IS ITEvery number says
Every number says
how far it goes.
Each claim is marked, from strong research to untested.
The misses stay in, so you know when not to use a move.
- STRONG
Controlled experiments or peer-reviewed research.
- SUPPORTING
Credible research on a nearby question.
- COMPANY-REPORTED
A company’s own numbers, not checked by anyone else.
- UNTESTED
Plausible, with nothing controlled behind it yet.
- A number that went down−30% signupsPinterest's Google signups when a gender question sat between Google sign-in and registration, even as activation rose about 7%. Moved into onboarding with a stated reason, completion rose 11%. Company-reported; relative or absolute not stated.Onboarding question
- Replications that didn’t hold0 of 3Controlled replications that found a depression benefit beyond placebo or control (Mongrain 2012, Woodworth 2017, Gold 2023). The 2005 original reported six-month effects among the 71% who finished.Three good things
- Two changes at once2× install-to-trialFitnessAI moved the paywall before onboarding and added a product video in the same change; 50% more people saw it. A founder's before-and-after account, no control group.Paywall placement
WHERE THEY LIVESorted by the moment
Sorted by the moment
they change.
From the first time someone hears of you to the day they pay.
Discovery
1Reach people before they are users.
- Store page per keyword−25% CPA
First value
2Help someone experience why the product matters.
- Onboarding question−30% signups
- Placement test as a level check2× placement tests
Return
10Give people a useful reason to come back.
- Comeback bonus+0.40 visits/week
- Planning prompt+4.2 pts
- Weekly leagues+17%
Progress
5Make meaningful improvement visible.
- Adaptive daily goal+960 to +1,130 steps
- Personal trend feedback−6.55% vs −0.35%
- Negotiable sleep window38 of 74
Pay
8Connect the ask to value people understand.
- Trial timeline paywall+58% / −15.9%
- Trial length7 days beat 30 and beat 3
- Hard paywall or freemium
NO SETUP NEEDEDPut one to work
Put one to work
today.
Copy it into the agent you already use. That’s it.
- 01
Pick a play
Free to read, evidence included.
- 02
Copy it
One click. Five free a month.
ABOUT THE PLAYS
Questions, answered.
What is a play?
One product or growth move, the numbers behind it, and what those numbers do not show. A play stands on its own: use one for a single decision without adopting anything else.
How is a play different from a playbook?
A playbook groups plays into a path for one kind of product. A play is one move. See the playbooks.
Where do the numbers come from?
From results that were tested or reported: experiments, studies and companies’ own figures. Every one is cited on the play and marked for how far it goes.
Why keep the failures?
A move that worked in one app has usually failed, or cost something, in another. Keeping the misses is how a play tells you when not to use it.
Do the product screens prove the result?
No. A screen shows what the move looks like, with its source credited. The number comes from the evidence, not the picture.
My product is different. Can I still use a play?
Yes. Every play says where it fits and where it breaks, and its record says how to adapt it. Copy the record into your agent and it checks against your product before building anything.
How do I get a play into my agent?
Open the play and copy it: one click, ready to paste into any agent. Five copies a month are free, and reading never counts. Members copy without a limit. See pricing.
Do I need an account to read them?
No. Every play page is free to read without signing in. The full record, with the screen spec, every finding and the adaptations, copies into your agent: five a month are free.
Find the move
you’d have missed.
Free to read, evidence and all. No account needed.