Rather than deleting extras outright, you could collapse 'advanced' items into a hidden section, a softer reverse prototype that shows whether anyone expands them.

Dark-mode checklist UI titled "More Stuff" with rounded task cards, left empty check circles and right dot toggles. Orange hand-drawn circle/arrow highlights gray chevron-down button expanding "Advanced Stuff..."

Example from

Stuff

Once a reverse prototype defines your core free-tier value, you could let users at the limit swap an older selection for a new one, rather than only offering an upgrade.

Dark UI shows a streak tracker with Monday in green, "0 day streak" text, and a modal stating "limit reached" with options: blue "upgrade" and "switch app" buttons on dark background.

Example from

ClearSpace

After users delete something, you could show a tooltip on how to get it back, then track who does, a small-scale reverse prototype of what people really miss.

Revolut app UI shows two cards, an info icon, "All crypto" link, a tooltip "Reactivate your card - You can now reactivate a terminated card in-app," and a black "+ Add new" button.

Example from

Revolut

When users remove an extension, you could ask why they're removing it, treating the answers as reverse prototype data on which features people genuinely need.

Monica uninstall UI with yellow background, question on why uninstalling, categories with checkbox options; "The free queries are not enough for me" underlined in purple with red arrow.

Example from

Monica

Possible impacts

Stripping out unused features in a reverse prototype could reduce churn by easing frustration and confusion, though tipping too far may push some users away.

As seen in:

Ahead Reducing time-to-value

ClearSpace Reducing freemium churn

With fewer features competing for attention after a reverse prototype, the remaining core features could see a noticeable increase in usage.

As seen in:

Revolut Revolut's progressive onboarding

Removing unused functionality, e.g., clutter in a dashboard, might help users complete tasks more efficiently with what remains after a reverse prototype.

As seen in:

Fantastical Stripping out times

Lego Keeping track of your totals

A reverse prototype could make your product easier for users to understand, with fewer views, steps and options to learn before reaching its core value.

As seen in:

Ahead Reducing time-to-value

Stuff Hiding the advanced onboarding

Users may see more value when they aren't paying for features they never use. A reverse prototype could clarify what's core and what's a paid nice-to-have.

As seen in:

Ahead Reducing time-to-value

Written by Peter Ramsey

Consultant to 100+ companies

Published: 02/09/2023

How to utilise this in your designs

You could run a reverse prototype on your first screen, stripping it back to one easy daily question that feeds straight into a related lesson.

Example from

Ahead

Rather than deleting extras outright, you could collapse 'advanced' items into a hidden section, a softer reverse prototype that shows whether anyone expands them.

Example from

Stuff

Once a reverse prototype defines your core free-tier value, you could let users at the limit swap an older selection for a new one, rather than only offering an upgrade.

Example from

ClearSpace

After users delete something, you could show a tooltip on how to get it back, then track who does, a small-scale reverse prototype of what people really miss.

Example from

Revolut

When users remove an extension, you could ask why they're removing it, treating the answers as reverse prototype data on which features people genuinely need.

Example from

Monica

Possible impacts

Stripping out unused features in a reverse prototype could reduce churn by easing frustration and confusion, though tipping too far may push some users away.

As seen in:

Ahead Reducing time-to-value

ClearSpace Reducing freemium churn

With fewer features competing for attention after a reverse prototype, the remaining core features could see a noticeable increase in usage.

As seen in:

Revolut Revolut's progressive onboarding

Removing unused functionality, e.g., clutter in a dashboard, might help users complete tasks more efficiently with what remains after a reverse prototype.

As seen in:

Fantastical Stripping out times

Lego Keeping track of your totals

A reverse prototype could make your product easier for users to understand, with fewer views, steps and options to learn before reaching its core value.

As seen in:

Ahead Reducing time-to-value

Stuff Hiding the advanced onboarding

Users may see more value when they aren't paying for features they never use. A reverse prototype could clarify what's core and what's a paid nice-to-have.

As seen in:

Ahead Reducing time-to-value