Note: This is part one in a two-part series on verb scoring. Stay tuned for the follow-up <\/em>on<\/em> how verb scoring can support your product strategy (with examples). <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Verb scoring is the act of evaluating actions <\/strong>that users can take in your and your competitors\u2019 products and then scoring<\/strong> them based on the level user of entitlements (or the amount of friction) required to perform the action. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A verb scoring exercise allows you to evaluate your strategy. Then, you can produce an artifact that communicates it in a visual, shareable, and succinct feature matrix. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This at-a-glance accounting of your product features allows you to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The output of your Verb Scoring Matrix might look something like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the context of verb scoring, verbs are the core features of your product broken down into discrete actions. They are actions users can take within your product, such as creating a ticket, editing a transcript, or sharing a document with a friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While in other contexts it\u2019s advisable to stay focused on the core benefits<\/em> of your product, scoring a product via discrete verbs <\/em>is helpful in this context. It mirrors the ways users might talk about a product\u2019s limitations. For example, users might say, \u201cI love that I can create <\/strong>a poster, but it won\u2019t let me resize<\/strong> it.\u201d In this example, create<\/em> and resize<\/em> are the verbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Using verbs, rather than benefits or features, is a user-centered way to evaluate your product\u2019s functional limitations from the perspectives of users with varying entitlements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verb scoring is especially useful for any product in which acquiring paying customers relies on some combination of having both free and paid features. It\u2019s also useful for products with teams deciding whether or not to gate parts of the digital experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are six different verb scores that represent growing levels of \u201cfriction\u201d required to utilize them. Each serves a different purpose in your strategy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s look at each verb score in more detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The verb score with the least amount of friction is scored as Anonymous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anonymous verbs are those in which a user can take an action completely for free, without giving away any information about themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We call these verbs Anonymous because they don’t require any information (e.g., name or email address) to use them, so the user can remain \u201canonymous\u201d and make use of the features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Think of using an online PDF compression tool. If a user doesn\u2019t need to give anything away to take the action and can do it an unlimited number of times, then the verb is scored as Anonymous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Example:<\/strong> PandaDoc’s Online PDF compression tool allows users to compress a PDF document for free without requiring an email address.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anonymous verbs are the most frictionless ways users can take an action within your product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We add just a small amount of friction in the next verb score: Limited Anonymous Use (LAU).<\/p>\n\n\n\n With LAU verbs, users can take an action without providing information, but we impose limitations on its use in some way (or at some point).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Example: <\/strong>Adobe does this with their online PDF converter on the user\u2019s second use. The first time a user converts a file, he can do so without giving away any information. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, try to use the free online PDF converter again, and the user is required to share an email address to download their converted document.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Example 2: <\/strong>Many online media publications use LAU verbs when it comes to giving away content. New York Times<\/em> readers can read one article for free, but once they try to read a second article, they are asked to create a free account to enjoy more content. In this example, the verb \u201cRead Articles\u201d is scored as LAU because users can do it anonymously, but only a limited number of times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n LAU verbs might have limitations based on the number of uses, number of free uses per day, or other variables. Because the user is allowed to take the action anonymously, but there are eventually limitations on that use, we score verbs Limited Anonymous Use.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat is verb scoring?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What are the primary benefits of verb scoring?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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![\"verb](\"https:\/\/thegood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/image3-54.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhat do we mean when we say verb?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What products could benefit from verb scoring?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What are the various verb scores?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Model](\"https:\/\/thegood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Model-Verb-Scoring-Definitions-1024x588.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAnonymous<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"ad](\"https:\/\/thegood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/image6-40-1024x612.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nLimited Anonymous Use<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Gif](\"https:\/\/thegood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Limited-Anonymous-Use.gif\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"log](\"https:\/\/thegood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/image4-54-1024x614.png\")
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