Indie Dev Skills

Quick Start

1. Assumptions
2. Recommended Onboarding Flow
3. Paywall Structure
4. Pricing And Trial Setup
5. Copy Variants
6. Risks And Tradeoffs
7. Next 7 Days Plan

## Assumptions
- Region: US
- Category: Mobile app

## Recommended Onboarding Flow
- Screen 1: Problem framing
- Screen 2: Personalization
- Screen 3: Value reveal

## Paywall Structure
- Value -> proof -> trial -> pricing

## Pricing And Trial Setup
- Default: annual plan with trial
- Second option: weekly plan
- Optional third option: monthly plan

## Copy Variants
- Headline A, Headline B

## Risks And Tradeoffs
- Potential annual friction in price-sensitive users

## Next 7 Days Plan
- Day 1-2: Ship onboarding + paywall
- Day 3-4: Refine copy and visuals
- Day 5-7: Iterate based on qualitative feedback

Overview

Scope And Assumptions

• Primary scope: mobile apps with subscription-led growth
• Primary user: solo developers and small indie teams with limited time and analytics depth
• If region is missing, assume US and label that assumption explicitly
• If platform is missing, provide platform-agnostic guidance
• Treat all numeric benchmarks as optional context; avoid numeric targets when no prior data exists
• Utility-app benchmark references are directional; adapt recommendations by category

Indie Execution Mode

• Prioritize the smallest shippable onboarding + paywall flow over complex optimization plans
• Focus on a single primary conversion rate (paywall view -> trial or purchase)
• Include a 1-week shipping plan with concrete steps

Onboarding Placement Rule

• Require at least one meaningful user interaction before the paywall (input, selection, quiz, scan, or setup step)
• Show the paywall at the end of onboarding, not before the user interacts
• Ensure onboarding demonstrates user-specific value before pricing exposure

Onboarding UX Rules

• Prefer no dedicated onboarding when the core flow is already obvious
• Use dedicated onboarding only when user data, personalization, or novel workflow explanation is required
• Keep onboarding short (typically 3-5 screens) with one concept per step
• Keep onboarding skippable with visible

  Skip

  and a clear progress indicator
• Avoid feature-promo carousels at first launch unless the feature is truly unfamiliar
• Prefer contextual help and in-flow guidance over long tutorial slides
• Defer visual theme customization until after users understand core app value

Paywall Interaction Rules

• Use a close button only in the top-left corner

Input Checklist

• Region and currency
• App category and target user
• Current plans and price points
• Trial setup (length, plan attachment, timing)
• Funnel metrics only if available (use them to pick a single primary conversion rate)
• Constraints (brand, legal copy requirements, launch timing)

• Region: US
• Currency: USD
• Category: Mobile app
• Trial: 7-14 days attached to annual
• Team context: indie/solo, low analytics maturity

Disallowed Outputs

• Legal, tax, or compliance advice
• Backend billing architecture or server implementation plans
• SDK-specific setup instructions or tool walkthroughs
• App architecture mandates (MVVM/MVC or project-structure prescriptions)
• Guaranteed outcome claims from benchmark data

Workflow Decision Tree

1) Clarify context

• App category, user problem, target regions
• Current pricing, trial setup, and metrics (if available)
• If data is missing, state assumptions before making recommendations

2) Build onboarding flow

• Identify user problem
• Personalize quickly (scan, quiz, or setup)
• Demonstrate value before pricing
• Include at least one interaction step before presenting the paywall
• Keep each step focused on one job and ensure skip/progress affordances are visible

3) Design paywall

• Multi-screen value -> proof -> trial -> pricing
• Annual plan highlighted and preselected
• Equivalent monthly cost shown for annual

4) Validate against defaults

• Trial attached to annual plan, 7–14 days
• “Cancel anytime” visible
• Paywall appears at the end of onboarding after interaction

5) Plan a simple iteration loop

• Ship, observe qualitative feedback, and iterate on copy and layout

Decision Policy (Conflict Arbitration)

• Start with Annual Default when:
• No strong evidence of high price sensitivity
• Category supports longer commitment (productivity, health, education, pro utility)
• Use Weekly Entry then Upsell when:
• Early data shows annual trial-start friction
• Audience is high-churn, low-commitment, or highly price-sensitive
• Resolution rule:
• If guidance conflicts, prioritize current product metrics over static defaults
• If metrics are unavailable, provide both variants and mark one as primary with rationale

Starter Defaults (US Mobile Apps, unless user overrides)

• Currency scope: USD only; localize prices before applying outside US
• Primary default: Annual $29.99 with 7-14 day trial ("Best Value", default selected, "Cancel anytime" visible)
• Second option: Weekly $4.99
• Do not include a monthly plan as the default or primary option
• Recommended first test variant: weekly-first entry with annual upsell

Conflict Matrix

• Annual + trial default

  : best for conversion when users value longer commitment and trust the product

• Weekly second option

  : best for conversion when price sensitivity or commitment friction is high

• Tie-breaker

  : pick the option most likely to improve paywall conversion rate based on user context

Deliverables

• Onboarding screen sequence with goals
• Interaction checkpoint before paywall
• Paywall flow outline (screen-by-screen)
• UI design tips for onboarding and paywall layout
• Pricing table and selection hierarchy
• Copy blocks (headline, subhead, benefits, CTA, disclaimers)
• Loss-aversion messaging variants
• Lightweight implementation plan (what to ship this week)

Minimum Event List (Optional)

• onboarding_started

• onboarding_completed

• paywall_viewed

• trial_started

• subscription_purchased

• trial_canceled

Required Response Template

1. Assumptions
2. Recommended Onboarding Flow
3. Paywall Structure
4. Pricing And Trial Setup
5. Copy Variants
6. Risks And Tradeoffs
7. Next 7 Days Plan

References

• references/onboarding-playbook.md

  - Onboarding rules, benchmarks, and tests

• references/paywall-playbook.md

  - Pricing rules, trial strategy, benchmarks, and tests

• references/subscription-apps-highlights.md

  - Report highlights on trial timing, conversion, and paywall placement

• references/mobile-onboarding-usability-guidance.md

  - Usability-first guidance on when onboarding is justified and how to keep it minimal

• references/mobile-onboarding-paywall-design-tips.md

  - Practical mobile UI design tips for onboarding and paywall presentation

• references/in-app-subscriptions-highlights.md

  - Pricing mix, regional trends, and paywall tactics

• references/metric-definitions.md

  - Funnel metric definitions and calculation boundaries

Philosophy

• The decision to subscribe happens before the paywall
• Optimize for Day-0 trial starts and annual adoption
• Prefer clarity and value-first messaging over gimmicks