The Lineup · app · the sequence, end to end · June 12, 2026

The first three visits — everything, in order

We designed each timed surface in isolation — onboarding, tips, asks, the Thursday push. This board lays them on one timeline and applies the rules literally, so collisions and contradictions show themselves rather than getting smoothed over. Labeled assumption (open to challenge): a “visit” = a distinct day the app is opened — because our triggers (review on the 3rd day, invite on the 2nd) are day-based. Multiple sessions can happen inside one visit. Whether that’s the right unit is one of the things the fresh-eyes pass should test.

Onboarding Just using it In-context (they reached for it) Tip Earned ask Rhythm push
Visit 1 · install day
They arrive
First open. The job is value + a little setup — nothing earned-yet should interrupt.
Onboarding first-run · 8 beats
Brand → mode → area → interests → float showcase → set your name → notification permission → becomes Today.
Onboarding
Notification permission ask
Fires inside onboarding (beat 7), after areas + interests are set.
Ask · in onboarding
Lands in Today · browses · saves 1–2
Pure use. No tips yet, no review yet, no invite nudge.
Just using it
IF they tap “Float it” → invite prompt
“You haven’t added anyone yet — bring someone in.” Only if THEY initiate. The one ask that can fire on day 1.
In-context
…and if install day IS a Thursday?
The Thursday push is calendar-anchored, so it’s “due” — but they’re mid-onboarding / brand new.
⚠ calendar clock vs install clock
Visit 2 · first return
They come back
A new day. The earned surfaces start unlocking — and start competing for the same moment.
Opens app → Today
Returning is itself the signal that things can be earned now.
Just using it
Tip 1 · the float
“You can turn any of these into a plan.” Fires if they’ve saved 2+.
⚠ same feature shown 3× (onboarding hero · day-1 in-context · this tip)
Invite nudge · “bring your people in”
Rule says: 2nd+ day, after they’ve saved a few. That’s… now.
⚠ collides with Tip 1 — both are about the float, same visit
IF they tap “Float it” → invite prompt
Still available on pull. Now potentially the THIRD float-related surface this visit.
In-context
…and if this day IS a Thursday?
Push lands on top of the tip + the invite nudge.
⚠ up to 3 surfaces in one open
Visit 3 · third distinct day
The review threshold
By our rule, the review ask unlocks here — whether or not anything meaningful has happened yet.
Opens app → Today
Third distinct day.
Just using it
Review ask
Rule: 3rd distinct day. But a brand-new user almost certainly hasn’t completed a plan yet (that needs invited people who installed).
⚠ fires on day-count alone — “after value” may not be true yet
Tip 2 · watch-a-weekend
Next tip in the drip.
⚠ collides with the review ask, same visit
…and if this day IS a Thursday?
Review + tip + push could all want this one open.
⚠ pile-up risk

Two clocks that don’t agree

Almost everything is timed relative to install (visit 1, 2, 3). The Thursday push is timed to the absolute calendar. They don’t know about each other — so where Thursday falls is pure luck of the install day, and it can crash into onboarding or the early earned surfaces.

Install WednesdayThursday push lands on visit 2 — on top of Tip 1 + the invite nudge.
Install ThursdayThe push is “due” the same day they install — mid-onboarding.
Install FridayNo push for 6 days — visits 1–3 happen with no rhythm at all.

Fresh-eyes review — done

An overnight team of six activation/engagement specialists (+ a completeness critic) reviewed the model cold. They converged hard on four problems — each flagged by 5–6 of six reviewers, so they’re real, not taste. Headline: stop letting the calendar decide when the app speaks; let earned value decide. Full write-up + new ideas + gaps: docs/scratch/tlu-onboarding-review-MORNING-BRIEF-2026-06-13.md.

1 · The “aha” can’t happen in session 1 — it needs a friend who hasn’t installed
The float is the hero, but a brand-new user has zero people, so the showcased magic is undeliverable on day 1. Fix: add a real solo value moment (a personalized “your actual Saturday” payoff), and make the float answerable without the friend installing.
2 · Two clocks collide — install-day luck decides the first week
Everything is relative-to-install except the calendar-anchored Thursday push. Fix: a maturity floor — the first Thursday push never fires until onboarding’s done + 48h have passed + the app isn’t open.
3 · The day-3 review fires before it’s earned
Most users won’t have made a plan by day 3, so we’d ask for 5 stars un-wowed and pollute store reviews. Fix: make the review event-gated (after a real plan), not day-gated.
4 · No global interruption budget — 3 surfaces can stack in one open
Each surface is restrained alone; nothing arbitrates between them. Fix: one interruption per open, fixed priority (plan-serving ask > one tip > rhythm push); user-initiated “Float it” always allowed and never counts. This one rule clears most of the pile-ups above.

Plus mediums (the float is taught 3–4×; notification permission asked before its payoff; “visit = day” is the wrong trigger unit), 13 new ideas (the strongest: context-carrying invite links, a solo payoff card, single-seed invites), and real gaps (the permanent soloist, the 2-night visitor, the empty weekend, and whether plan_completed is even measurable honestly — a dependency to settle with APP/Systems first). All in the morning brief.