Product patterns
Recurring moves in onboarding, pricing and growth, what the evidence says about each, and where they turn against the user.
16 product patterns most used in the teardowns first
Reduce friction
Remove the steps, typing, decisions and waits that stand between a user and the thing they came to do.
Trust signals
Cues that answer a user's unspoken worry (spam, surprise charges, security, accuracy) at the moment the worry arises.
Personalization
Adapting content, examples or offers to what you know about the user, so the product feels built for their situation.
Time to value
Shorten the time between signup and the first moment the product does something useful for this user.
Contextual timing
Show an offer, request or prompt when the user's current task makes it relevant, not on a fixed schedule.
Risk reversal
Lower the cost of saying yes by moving the risk off the user: free trials, no card required, refunds, easy cancellation.
Informed consent
Ask for data, permissions and marketing opt-ins in a way users understand, with a real choice and no preselected yes.
Network effects
A product becomes more valuable to each user as more people use it, so inviting, sharing and joining teammates drive both value and growth.
Specificity
Concrete numbers, names and examples persuade and inform better than vague claims like "improved" or "some".
Value metric pricing
Charging along the unit that grows with the value a customer gets, such as subscribers, campaigns or tenants, rather than a flat fee.
Human in the loop
Keep a person able to review, correct or hand off work at the points where automation or a single user can get stuck.
Message match
The screen people land on should repeat the promise of the ad, link or promo that brought them there.
Voice and personality
Write interface copy in a consistent, recognizable voice that fits the brand, and adjust its tone to the user's situation.
Dark patterns
Interface designs that trick, pressure or obstruct users into choices that benefit the company and that they would not otherwise make.
Fake door test
Show an entry point for a feature that does not exist yet and measure how many people try it, to test demand before building.
Positive friction
A small, deliberate pause or extra step placed where a fast, automatic choice would hurt the user or the product.