The hidden pattern behind successful products | Mark Pincus (FarmVille, Words with Friends, & more)
Executive Summary
Lenny's Podcast episode in which Lenny Rachitsky talks with Mark Pincus, founder of Zynga, about his book Life at the Speed of Play and his Proven, Better, New framework for product ideas. Mark says to take the proven off the table by copying what already works, make it better in small increments that every existing user would say yes to, and only then add something new. He says his rule of thumb is that instincts are right most of the time while ideas on top of them are usually wrong, so you should test many ideas around your instinct and fail for the right reason. The description notes he also discusses raising kids and the episode closes on parenting. Sponsors named: WorkOS and Vanta. PARTIAL COVERAGE: the captions cover the conversation, but this summary highlights the framework and idea testing only, so the later segment on parenting is not summarized. All views and figures are the speakers' own and are not independently verified. Nothing here is financial, legal or investment advice.
Key Takeaways
The framework
Mark describes Proven, Better, New as the core philosophy behind product management at Zynga.
Instincts versus ideas
He says instincts are right most of the time and ideas laid on top of them are usually wrong.
Isolate your zone
He says to isolate the thing you have in your gut and test many ideas around it.
Fail for the right reason
He says the aim is to fail for the right reason, not the wrong one.
Master the proven
He says to earn the right to innovate by first becoming a PhD in what already exists.
Better means small
He says better is usually small increments and polish that every existing user would love.
New comes last
He says people are usually too ambitious on the new and should keep it smaller.
The Conversation Breakdown
The framework
⏱ Untimed topicMark describes Proven, Better, New as the core philosophy behind product management at Zynga.
Instincts versus ideas
⏱ Untimed topicHe says instincts are right most of the time and ideas laid on top of them are usually wrong.
Isolate your zone
⏱ Untimed topicHe says to isolate the thing you have in your gut and test many ideas around it.
Fail for the right reason
⏱ Untimed topicHe says the aim is to fail for the right reason, not the wrong one.
Master the proven
⏱ Untimed topicHe says to earn the right to innovate by first becoming a PhD in what already exists.
Better means small
⏱ Untimed topicHe says better is usually small increments and polish that every existing user would love.
New comes last
⏱ Untimed topicHe says people are usually too ambitious on the new and should keep it smaller.
Core Frameworks & Ideas
Proven, Better, New - Mark's framework
Copy what works, improve it modestly, then add one new thing.
Innovation zone - Mark's test setup
Fix the instinct and vary the ideas around it.
Better as every user says yes - Mark's bar
An improvement counts only if existing users would all say yes.
Actionable Next Steps
- ✓List what is already proven in your product category.
- ✓Define one small improvement that your current users would all like.
- ✓Limit yourself to one new bet on top of it.
- ✓Treat Mark's rules as his own experience, not business or financial advice.
Notable Quotes
“let's fail for the right reason not the wrong reason”
“Better is usually very small increments and innovations.”
“What we think is better is new.”
The One Thing to Remember
Mark Pincus says to copy what is proven, improve it in small ways every user would love, and only then add something new.