hooked: how to build habit-forming technologies | nir eyal, nirandfar.com

HookedNir Eyal

NIR EYALNirAndFar.com@nireyal


“When my boss tells me to increase

engagement, I’m like...”

QuickTime™ and aGIF decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Source: runningastartup.tumblr.com


“Why can’t we do it like _______?”


PatternsPatterns

Photo Credit: shaire productions


Vitamins or painkillers?


Selling painkillers

- Obvious need - stop pain- Quantifiable market- Monetizable


Selling vitamins

- Emotional need, not efficacy- “Makes me feel good knowing...”- Unknown market


Vitamins or painkillers?


Habit is when not doing

causes pain.


Habit-forming technology

VitaminPainkille

r

Pleasure seeking

Pain alleviation


Creating pain?(more of an itch)


hab· it/ˈhabit/

Noun, Def: A behavior that occurs nearly or completely without conscious thought.


My goal

If your business model requires habits ...

... a pattern intended to help you form better product hypotheses ...

... to increase odds of success.


the hook/T>Hə ho@ok/

Noun, Def: An experience designed to connect a solution to the user’s problem with enough frequency to form a habit.


Hooks

Low engagement

High engagement


The Hook


Remember: ATARI

A - A hook has 4 parts:

T - Trigger

A - Action

R - Reward

I - Investment


Triggers


The first step to “connect a solution to the user’s problem”


Habits aren’t created, they are built upon


TriggersExternal Internal

AlarmsCalls-to-action

EmailsStores

Authority

EmotionsRoutinesSituations

PlacesPeople

What to do next is in the trigger

What to do next is in the user’s head


DissatisfiedIndecisiveLostTenseFatiguedInferior

Fear of lossBored LonesomeConfusedPowerlessDiscouraged

Emotions are frequent internal triggers


People with depression check

email more.

Source: Kotikalapudi et al 2012,Associating Depressive Symptoms in College Students with Internet Usage Using Real Internet Data


When I feel... ... I use

LonelyHungryUnsureAnxious

LostMentally fatigued

FacebookYelp, GrubHub

GoogleEmailGPS

ESPN, Glam

Internal triggers in tech


Know your customer’s internal

trigger.


“Every time the user (internal

trigger)they use

(product).”


Instagram triggers


Instagram triggers

External Internal

- FB and Twitter- App notifications- App icon

- Fear of losing the moment- Bored, lonesome, fear of missing out


In summary•Triggers are the first step of the

hook.

•The designer informs what to do next through external triggers.

•The user informs what to do next through internal triggers.

•Emotions provide frequent internal triggers.


Actions


whendoing < thinking =

action


trigger(SUCCESS!)

trigger(FAIL!)

ability

moti

vati

on

Source: Dr. BJ Fogg, Stanford University

B = m.a.t.

Fogg Behavior Model


mo· ti· va· tion/mōtə vāSHən/

Noun, Def: “The energy for action”

- Edward Deci


moti

vati

onMotivators of

behaviorSeek:PleasureHopeAcceptance

Avoid:PainFear

Rejection



a· bil· i· ty/əˈbilitē/

Noun, Def: The capacity to do.

NIR EYALNirAndFar.com@nireyalability

How increase capacity to do something?


NIR EYALNirAndFar.com@nireyalability

Factors of ability• Time• Money• Physical effort• Brain cycles• Social deviance• Non-routine



Simple online actions in anticipation of

reward•Log-In (Facebook, Wordpress)

•Search (Google, Expedia, Yelp)

•Open (Twitter, SMS, email)

•Scroll (Pinterest, Instagram)

•Play (YouTube, online games)


Twitter homepage

2009

NIR EYALNirAndFar.com@nireyal2010

Twitter homepage

NIR EYALNirAndFar.com@nireyal2013

Twitter homepage


Evolution of Twitter2009 2010

2013


In summary

• Action is the second step of the hook.

• The action is the simplest behavior the user can do before getting rewarded.

• To increase behavior:

• Ensure a clear trigger is present.

• Increase ability by making it easier.

• Align with the right motivator.


Variable rewards


The brain and rewards

Source: Olds and Milner, 1945


Reward system stimulators


Were Olds and Milner stimulating pleasure?

(not exactly)


The stress of desire• Dopamine system activated by

anticipation of reward

• And dampened when reward achieved

Source: Knutson et al 2001


Supercharge the “stress of desire”...

But how?


Exactly!


The unknown is fascinating

•Our brains are prediction machines.

•We seek to understand cause and effect.

•Variability messes with our heads.

•Causes us to increase focus and engagement.

•...and oh yes, it’s habit forming.


The endless search

•B.F. Skinner showed intermittent rewards increase response rate.

•Dopamine drives the search.

•Variability spikes dopamine.


Variable rewards

the the HuntHunt

the the TribeTribe

the the SelfSelf


Search for social rewards

thetheTribeTribe

- Cooperation- Competition- Recognition- Acceptance- Sex- Empathetic joy

Source: Adapted from Malone and Lepper, 1987


Rewards of the tribe


Search for resources

thetheHuntHunt

- Food- Money- Information


Rewards of the hunt: search for

resources


Rewards of the hunt: search for information


Dare you not to scroll


Search for sensation

thetheSelfSelf

- Mastery- Consistency- Competency- Completion


Rewards of the self:competency and

mastery


Some words of warning!


Must still solve pain

•Variable rewards are not a free pass.

•You still need to give the user what they came for.

•(see internal trigger and motivation)


No engagement without autonomy

•People resist being controlled.

•Autonomy is a pre-requisite.

•If lost, you fail.

Source: See Deci and Ryan on Self-Determination Theory


Finite rewards decay

•As rewards become predictable, they become less interesting

Finite VariabilityInfinite

Variability- Single-player games

- Consumption of media

- Multi-player games

- Creation of content

- Communities

Source: See “hedonic treadmill”


In summary• Variable reward is the third step of the

hook.

• Reward types:

• Tribe

• Hunt

• Self

• Maintain feeling of autonomy, find infinite variability and alleviate user pain


Investments


Investment•Where user does a

bit of “work.”

• “Pays” with something of value: time, money, social capital, effort, emotional commitment, personal data ...


• Done in anticipation of future rewards

• Makes next pass through hook more likely by:

• Loading the next trigger

• Storing value

• Creating preference

Investment increase likelihood of next pass


Loading the next trigger


PinterestT A

VRI

Email notification

Log-in

Communication (Tribe)Collecting (Hunt)

Pin, Re-Pin, Like, Comment

Collecting, lonesome, seeking connection ...


Storing valueStoring value

ContentContent



Data



FollowersFollowers



Reputation


Creatingpreference


Ease of use

Source: Langer, 1975

•People who pick lottery numbers assign greater odds.

Labor increases value


Labor is love

•Value own work almost as much as an expert’s.

•Even if others don’t.Source: Ariely, Mochon and Norton, 2012


As we invest ...we seek to be

consistent with past behaviors...


Little investments, big results

Group 1: 17% accepted

Group 2: 76% accepted

Source: Freedman & Fraser, 1966


...investments shape our tastes, preferences and

identities.


In summary

• Investment is the fourth step of the hook.

• Small amounts of work to increase the likelihood of the user returning by:

• Loading the next trigger

• Storing value

• Creating preference


the hook/T>Hə ho@ok/

Noun, Def: An experience designed to connect a solution to the user’s problem with enough frequency to form a habit.


Remember: ATARIA - A hook has 4 parts:

T - Trigger

A - Action

R - Reward

I - Investment


Hooks create associations

- External triggers- Low preference- Low engagement

- Internal triggers- High preference

- High engagement


Hook model canvas

Trigger Action

Variable RewardInvestment

3. What is the simplest behavior in anticipation of reward?

1. Internal trigger - What does the user really want?

2. External trigger - What gets the user to the product?

4. Is the reward fulfilling, yet leaves the user wanting more?

5. What is the ‘bit of work’ done to increase the likelihood of returning?


What are you going to do with

this?


Cultivate meaning

•The world is full of problems to fix.

•Help others find meaning.

•Engage them in something important.

•Build the change you want to see in the world.


Please raise your phones

•I love feedback.

•Please go here: www.OpinionTo.us

•Help make this presentation better and ... get slides.

•Thank you!

hooked: how to build habit-forming technologies | nir eyal, nirandfar.com

Technology

nir eyal nirandfar

nireyal storing valuestoring

internal triggers

trigger storing

hook noun

external triggers

internal trigger

experience designed