#9 How to Build Habit-Forming Products: Lessons from Hooked by Nir Eyal 🚀
If you’ve ever found yourself endlessly scrolling through social media, binge-watching shows, or frequently using an app, you’ve experienced the power of habit-forming products. But how do companies build these addictive experiences? 🤔
Nir Eyal’s Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products offers a step-by-step guide to creating products that people can’t resist. It’s not just about making something useful — it’s about designing it so that it becomes a natural part of users’ daily lives.
Here’s a summary of the key concepts and the Hooked Model 📘.
The Hooked Model 🎣
Eyal outlines a simple framework for understanding how products turn into habits. It’s called the Hooked Model, and it consists of four key stages:
- Trigger 🔔
- Action 🏃
- Variable Reward 🎁
- Investment 💼
Each stage builds on the last, reinforcing user behavior and making the product stick in the user’s mind.
Stage 1: Trigger 🔔
Everything starts with a trigger. Triggers are cues that prompt the user to take action. These can be external or internal.
- External triggers come from the outside world: a notification, a text, or an email alert.
- Internal triggers are emotions or thoughts: boredom, loneliness, or anxiety. These are more powerful because they happen within the user.
🔑 Key takeaway: Internal triggers often come from negative emotions. A successful product solves these emotions effectively.
For example, why do we open Instagram when we’re bored? Because it promises a quick hit of entertainment to solve that boredom! 📱
Stage 2: Action 🏃
Once the user is triggered, they need to take action. This is the simplest behavior in anticipation of a reward.
Eyal draws on BJ Fogg’s Behavior Model, which says behavior is driven by:
- Motivation: How badly do you want it? 🔥
- Ability: How easy is it to do? 🖱️
- Trigger: What prompts you to act? 🕰️
The action should be as easy as possible. Think of the “Like” button on Facebook or a one-click purchase on Amazon. These actions take no more than a second, yet they’re extremely effective at keeping users engaged.
🔑 Key takeaway: Reduce friction. Make it effortless for users to take the desired action.
Stage 3: Variable Reward 🎁
Now that the user has taken action, they expect a reward. But here’s where things get interesting: the reward needs to be variable.
Humans love unpredictability. This concept is rooted in psychology, specifically B.F. Skinner’s research on variable rewards. Skinner showed that when animals were given unpredictable rewards, they were more likely to keep performing a behavior.
Think of scrolling through a newsfeed. You never know what post is coming next, but you’re always hoping the next one will be amazing! That sense of anticipation is what keeps you hooked.
Eyal identifies three types of variable rewards:
- Rewards of the Tribe 👥: Social rewards, such as likes, comments, or approval from others.
- Rewards of the Hunt 🎯: The search for information or material resources, like finding a deal or new content.
- Rewards of the Self 🏅: Personal satisfaction from mastering a challenge or completing a task.
🔑 Key takeaway: Introduce variability into your product to keep users coming back for more.
Stage 4: Investment 💼
The final stage in the Hooked Model is the investment. Users must put in some work, either time, effort, or data, that makes them more likely to return.
This is where users store value. By investing something into the product, they set the stage for future triggers. It could be personalizing a profile, creating a playlist, or building a following. This investment increases the likelihood of continued use.
For example, once you’ve spent hours building your Spotify playlists, it’s much harder to switch to a new music app, right? 🎧
🔑 Key takeaway: Make users invest in your product, so they have a reason to stick around.
Building a Habit-Forming Product 🧠
So how do you apply this to your product? Here’s a quick checklist to get you started:
- Identify Internal Triggers: What emotions or problems are driving your users to seek your product? 🤔
- Simplify the Action: Make it as easy as possible for users to take the next step. 🏃
- Offer Variable Rewards: Keep them coming back by mixing up the rewards they receive. 🎉
- Encourage Investment: Ask users to invest time or effort in a way that adds value over time. 💪
Ethical Considerations 🤝
It’s important to note that creating habit-forming products comes with responsibility. Eyal emphasizes the ethical implications of building products that can be addictive. He suggests using these principles only to build products that genuinely benefit users.
Think of products like Duolingo, which uses these tactics to help people learn new languages, or fitness apps that encourage healthier habits. These are great examples of how habit-forming products can improve lives rather than simply distract or exploit.
🔑 Key takeaway: Use these tools wisely. Aim to create value, not just grab attention.
Final Thoughts 💬
Nir Eyal’s Hooked is an eye-opening guide for anyone interested in creating products that users can’t put down. The Hooked Model offers a practical roadmap, whether you’re designing the next social media platform, a new mobile game, or a tool that helps people manage their work better.
But remember, with great power comes great responsibility. Use this knowledge to build products that improve people’s lives, not just waste their time.
Thanks for reading! Now go forth and build something habit-forming — but make sure it’s for the greater good! 😉