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Hooked
@nireyal
k

Products can profoundly
CHANGE OUR BEHAVIORS.

100’s of millions of
users…
…and 100’s of
millions of dollars.

?
NS
T
AT
P
R
E

I wrote this …
… more at:
NirAndFar.com

Vitamins OR
Pain Killers?

PAIN KILLERS address a
burning need.

VITAMINS are
“nice to have.”

Vitamins OR
Pain Killers?

With habit-­‐forming technology
PLEASURE SEEKING
behavior
becomes
PAIN ALLEVIATING
behavior

What do we mean by PAIN?

Close your eyes.

HOW DID YOU FEEL?

When we FEEL AN ITCH
we seek to SCRATCH IT.

The SOLUTION TO
OUR DISCOMFORT
is found in the product’s use.

We are not designing for addiction
Do not design for addiction.
NOT must be in graphic

hab·it
A BEHAVIOR DONE WITH
LITTLE OR NO
CONSCIOUS
THOUGHT

HEALTHTAP
LUMO
POCKET
REFRESH.IO
EMODT
Habits can be used for good.
REV
7 CUPS
BIA
PANTRY LABS

1. FREQUENCY
Source: Judah, G; Gardner, B; Aunger, R; 2013

2. ATTITUDE CHANGE
Source: Judah, G; Gardner, B; Aunger, R; 2013

Harnessing
HABITS
can be
VERY GOOD
FOR BUSINESS.

Creating consumer habits drives
HIGHER CUSTOMER
LIFETIME VALUE (CLTV).

Creating consumer habits gives companies
GREATER FLEXIBILITY
TO INCREASE PRICES.

Creating consumer habits
SUPERCHARGES
GROWTH.

Creating consumer habits
INCREASES DEFENSIBILITY.

HARD WORK
However, forming new habits is

AND EXCEPTIONALLY RARE.

But if your business requires
“unprompted user engagement,”

A design pattern to help
FORM BETTER PRODUCT
HYPOTHESES.

BUILDING IS
EXPENSIVE

INCREASE YOUR ODDS OF SUCCESS.

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The$HOOK$is$an$experience$designed$to$
connect$the$user’s$problem$to$your$solu7on.$

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with%enough%%
FREQUENCY%%
to%%
FORM+A+HABIT.+
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A"Hook"has"4"parts:"

A -­‐ A hook has 4 parts:
T -­‐ Trigger
A -­‐ Action
R -­‐ Reward
I -­‐ Investment

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HABITS ARE
BUILT UPON
like the layers of a
pearl.

Triggers come in two flavors:
EXTERNAL &
INTERNAL

EXTERNAL TRIGGERS
The information for what to do next
is within the trigger.
Billboards
SO
DA

Optimizing external triggers =
Growth Hacking

INTERNAL TRIGGERS
The information for what to do next is informed
through an association in the user’s memory.

Negative emotions are POWERFUL INTERNAL TRIGGERS.
lonesome
indecisive powerless
tense
dissatisfied
confused inferior
fatigued
discouraged fear of loss
bored
lost

People who are DEPRESSED CHECK EMAIL MORE OFTEN.
Source: Kotikalapudi et al 2012

When we feel LONELY we use

When we feel UNSURE we use

When we are BORED we use

Do you know your customer’s
INTERNAL TRIGGER?

What triggers make so habit-­‐forming?

external triggers

solves the pain
of losing the moment.

But is
also a social network.
Lonely
Stressed
Curious
Urge to
preserve
Bored
Insecurity

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The
SIMPLEST ACTION
in anticipation of a reward.

Scroll

Search

Play

According to BJ Fogg, for any behavior to occur, we
need MOTIVATION, ABILITY, and a TRIGGER
b=m+a+t

mo·ti·va·tion
“THE ENERGY FOR ACTION”
-­‐Edward Deci

THERE ARE SIX FACTORS
THAT CAN INCREASE
MOTIVATION.
Seeking Pleasure
Avoiding Pain
Seeking Hope
Avoiding Fear
Seeking Acceptance
Avoiding Rejection
Source: Dr. BJ Fogg, Stanford University

Seeking HOPE

Seeking PLEASURE

Avoiding FEAR

Seeking ACCEPTANCE

ABILITY
the capacity to do
a particular action

Time%
$
Money%
Physical%effort%
%
Six$factors$can$increase$or$decrease$ability.
Brain%cycles%
Social%deviance%
Non8rou:ne%
Source:%Dr.%BJ%Fogg,%Stanford%University%

Level of of motivation and ability
determines if action will occur.
MOTIVATION
TRIGGER
SUCCEEDS
TRIGGER
FAILS
Fogg Behavior Model
ABILITY
Source: Dr. BJ Fogg, Stanford University

Simplicity is a
function of your
scarcest resource at
that moment.
-­‐BJ Fogg

through the years
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013

through the years
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013

through the years
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013

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Source: Olds and Milner, 1945
It all starts with the
NUCLEUS
ACCUMBENS
studied by Olds & Milner.

The nucleus accumbens
is activated when
we crave.

Were
Olds & Milner
stimulating
pleasure?
Not exactly.

They were stimulating the
STRESS OF DESIRE.

Our reward system activates
with anticipation
Source: Knutson et al 2001

… and calms when
we get what we want.
Source: Knutson et al 2001

That’s the ITCH
we seek to SCRATCH.

There is a way to supercharge the stress of desire.

THE UNKNOWN
IS FASCINATING.
Variability causes us to
focus and engagement

…and increases behavior.

The nucleus accumbens is
stimulated by variability.

3 types of VARIABLE REWARDS
TRIBE
HUNT
SELF
Habit-­‐forming tech uses 1 OR MORE

SEARCH FOR
SOCIAL REWARDS
TRIBE

empathetic joy
partnership
competition

We Like social rewards.

We LOVE our tribes.

We value recognition and cooperation

SEARCH FOR
RESOURCES
HUNT

Stems from the hunt for food and resources

Hunt for variable material rewards

Hunt for variable material rewards

Hunt
for variable
information
rewards.

Hunters on
scroll pages.

SEARCH FOR
SELF-­‐ACHIEVEMENT
SELF

Leveling-­‐up reflects MASTERY and COMPETENCY.

Inbox or task management reflects
CONSISTENCY and COMPLETION.

WARNING
Variable rewards are not a free pass.
Your product still must address the itch.

Build variable rewards that scratch the users itch,
but leave them wanting more.

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Users “invest” for future benefits.
Money
Social
Capital
Personal
Data
Time
Emotional
Commitment
Effort

Investments increase the
likelihood of the next pass
through the Hook in
TWO
ways.

1.
INVESTMENTS
LOAD THE
NEXT TRIGGER
OF THE HOOK.

Each new message posted on

is an open
invitation for an
external trigger to
be returned.

Loading the next trigger with Pin It button

The Hook
External Trigger:
Facebook, Twitter, WOM
Interesting objects (Hunt)
Re-­‐pin, follow,
comment
Scroll
(Early User – “Consumer” )

The Hook
External Trigger:
Emails and notifications
Internal Trigger:
Fear of losing content, boredom
What did friend post? (Tribe)
Interesting objects (Hunt)
Install Pin It button, Pin,
Re-­‐pin, follow,
comment
(Experienced User – “Curators”)
Log-­‐in

2.
INVESTMENTS STORE VALUE,
improving the product with use.

CONTENT

DATA

FOLLOWERS

REPUTATION
30

!
INVESTMENTS!
CREATES !
PREFERENCE.

We value things more when
put work in them.
3rd Party Bids
$0.05
Expert Origami
$0.27
Source: Ariely, Mochon, and Norton, 2012
Self-made Origami
$0.23

As we invest, we seek to be
consistent with our past behaviors.
Group 1
Group 2
Source: Freedman & Fraser, 1966
76%
17%

Changing attitude
and perception to
avoid COGNITIVE
DISSONANCE.
Source: Jon Esler, 1983

We change our
preferences,
tastes and
attitudes.

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k
The$HOOK$is$an$experience$designed$to$
connect$the$user’s$problem$to$your$solu7on.$

Each pass through the Hook helps
SHAPE USER PREFERENCES AND ATTITUDES.

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With%enough%frequency,%
A"HABIT"IS"FORMED."
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A -­‐ A hook has 4 parts:
T -­‐ Trigger
A -­‐ Action
R -­‐ Reward
I -­‐ Investment

The HOOK Canvas
1. What internal trigger is
the product addressing?
2. What external trigger
gets the user to the product?
4. Is the reward
fulfilling, yet leaves the
user wanting more?
5. What “bit of work” is done
to increase the likelihood of
returning?
3. What is the simplest
behavior in anticipation
of reward?

THE MORALITY
OF MANIPULATION

Designing
habit-­‐forming
products is a form
of manipulation.

Users take our technologies to bed.

They check our devices before saying “good
morning” to loved ones.

Quite possibly, the
“CIGARETTE OF
THIS CENTURY.”
-­‐ Ian Bogust

What
RESPONSIBILITY
do we have when
changing user behavior?

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.

Read this …
… more at:
NirAndFar.com

h
1. Take the survey.
k
www.OpinionTo.Us
!
2. Get the slides.
@nireyal
www.nirandfar.com