NSF I-Corps

Customer discovery that shaped In Other Words

$20,000

NSF I-Corps Supplement to SBIR Phase I (#2304423)

2023 · Lean Startup customer discovery program

250+
interviews

100+
required minimum

1
game initiated

The Team

  • Michael Douma — Entrepreneurial Lead, Creative Director
  • Michael Young — Technical Lead, AI/ML Strategist
  • Hilary Longo — Industry Mentor

What is I-Corps?

NSF I-Corps teaches Lean Startup methodology: test your assumptions through customer interviews before you build. The program requires at least 100 face-to-face interviews. Our I-Corps was a supplement to the SBIR Phase I grant.

The Market

Gaming is a ~$200 billion global industry—larger than film and music combined. Mobile accounts for roughly half. Within mobile, puzzle games generate an estimated $10–15 billion annually. Word games are a substantial segment—likely $2–4 billion, though precise figures are elusive since most revenue comes from advertising rather than app store purchases, and major players (NYT Games, Zynga’s Words With Friends) don’t disclose word-game-specific revenue.

Word games occupy a distinct niche: smaller than mega-categories like RPGs or match-3, but characterized by exceptional user engagement and stable retention. Players return daily.

(Market figures are ballpark estimates consistent with industry indicators, not any single definitive source.)

Our niche within this: word association games—mechanics based on meaning, not letter arrangement. Different from Scrabble or Wordle.

Why NSF Funds a Game Studio

Word games connect to NSF’s educational mission:

  • Literacy — Players engage with vocabulary, definitions, and word relationships
  • Lateral thinking — Navigating semantic space builds cognitive flexibility
  • Machine learning research — Constructing puzzles at scale requires new NLP approaches
  • Cultural appropriateness — Auditing content for diverse audiences requires new algorithms

Inclusivity

Word games have historically been made for a narrow audience. We build for everyone—including the 1.5 billion English learners worldwide.

The Discovery Process

We conducted 250+ face-to-face interviews, testing hypotheses about how people think about word games, what they value in daily puzzles, where current offerings fall short, and whether meaning-based challenges appeal more than spelling-based ones.

Key Findings

The interviews revealed persistent gaps in the word game market:

Meaning neglected — Most games focus on spelling. Players wanted games about what words mean, not just how they’re spelled.
Narrow difficulty — Games serve one vocabulary level. Players with different levels felt excluded or bored.
Superficial content — Word games shy away from substantive topics. Players wanted content that respected their intelligence.
Neurotypical assumptions — Current games overlook diverse cognitive needs. Different thinking styles are underserved.

Outcome: In Other Words

Customer discovery shaped In Other Words:

  • Meaning over spelling — Players navigate semantic space rather than rearranging letters
  • 1M+ solutions per puzzle — Different vocabulary levels find different valid paths
  • Cross-generational — A 9-year-old and grandparent solve the same puzzle differently, both validly
  • Daily ritual — The format fits the structured routines players described wanting

The game launched with free puzzles Monday and Thursday—a pricing model shaped by interview insights.

Grant Details

Program NSF I-Corps (supplement)
Amount $20,000
Year 2023
Parent Grant SBIR Phase I #2304423
Interviews 250+ face-to-face
Entrepreneurial Lead Michael Douma
Technical Lead Michael Young
Mentor Hilary Longo

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