Hooked

1. The Hook Model: A Framework for Building Habit-Forming Products

Habit-forming technologies are the invisible engines that power our daily lives.

The Hook Model consists of four phases: trigger, action, variable reward, and investment. This cycle, when repeated, creates powerful user habits. Companies like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest have successfully implemented this model to create products that users engage with frequently and unprompted.

Key components:

• Trigger: The actuator of behavior
• Action: The simplest behavior in anticipation of reward
• Variable Reward: The satisfaction of user needs while leaving them wanting more
• Investment: Where users put something of value into the system, increasing their likelihood of returning

By understanding and implementing these phases, product designers can create experiences that align with users' problems and desires, ultimately leading to automatic behaviors and increased engagement.

2. Triggers: The Spark That Initiates User Behavior

External triggers are embedded with information, which tells the user what to do next.

Triggers come in two types: external and internal. External triggers are environmental cues, such as an email, app icon, or notification. Internal triggers manifest automatically in the mind and are often negative emotions like boredom, fear, or indecision.

Effective triggers:

• Are well-timed and actionable
• Spark both immediate and long-term engagement
• Transition users from external to internal triggers over time

To create habit-forming products, designers must understand their users' internal triggers and use external triggers to prompt initial engagement. As users repeatedly engage with the product, they form associations between the product and their internal needs, eventually leading to automatic behavior.

3. Action: Simplifying the Path to Reward

To increase the likelihood of a behavior occurring, Fogg instructs designers to focus on simplicity as a function of the user's scarcest resource at that moment.

Simplicity is key to driving user action. The easier an action is to perform, the more likely users are to do it. This phase draws on the Fogg Behavior Model, which states that for a behavior to occur, three elements must converge: motivation, ability, and a trigger.

To increase ability:

• Reduce time required
• Decrease monetary cost
• Minimize physical effort
• Lower cognitive load
• Align with social norms
• Make actions non-routine

Successful products like Google, Twitter, and Instagram have mastered the art of simplifying user actions. By removing obstacles and making desired behaviors easier to perform, these companies have increased user engagement and formed strong habits.

4. Variable Reward: The Unpredictable Thrill That Keeps Users Engaged

Variable rewards are one of the most powerful tools companies implement to hook users.

The power of variability lies in its ability to heighten users' engagement and motivation. When rewards are unpredictable, they create a focused state of mind, activating the brain's dopamine system and suppressing areas associated with judgment and reason.

Three types of variable rewards:

1. Tribe: Social rewards from other people
2. Hunt: Search for material resources or information
3. Self: Intrinsic rewards of mastery or completion

Companies like Facebook (tribe), Twitter (hunt), and Codecademy (self) effectively use these reward types to keep users coming back. By satisfying users' needs while leaving them wanting more, variable rewards create a powerful drive to return to the product.

5. Investment: How User Effort Increases Product Value

The big idea behind the Investment Phase is to leverage the user's understanding that the service will get better with use (and personal investment).

The Investment phase is crucial for creating long-term engagement. It involves users putting something of value into the system, which increases their likelihood of returning. This phase leverages several psychological principles, including the sunk cost fallacy and the endowment effect.

Forms of investment:

• Time
• Data
• Effort
• Social capital
• Money

Investments can improve the service for future use, invite users to "store value" in the platform, or prompt users to make further investments. Examples include LinkedIn's profile completion, Tinder's swiping mechanism, and Snapchat's streaks feature. By encouraging small investments, products become more valuable to users over time, increasing the likelihood of continued engagement.

6. Ethical Considerations in Designing Habit-Forming Technologies

The Hook Model is fundamentally about changing people's behaviors, but the power to build persuasive products should be used with caution.

The Manipulation Matrix is a tool for entrepreneurs to assess the ethics of their habit-forming products. It asks two key questions: "Would I use the product myself?" and "Will the product help users materially improve their lives?"

Four types of creators:

1. Facilitators: Create products they would use and believe improves users' lives
2. Peddlers: Believe their product improves lives but wouldn't use it themselves
3. Entertainers: Create products they would use but don't necessarily improve lives
4. Dealers: Create products they wouldn't use and don't believe improve lives

Product creators should strive to be Facilitators, creating products that genuinely improve users' lives while being mindful of potential negative impacts. This approach not only aligns with ethical considerations but also increases the likelihood of long-term success.

7. Identifying Opportunities for Habit-Forming Products

Wherever new technologies suddenly make a behavior easier, new possibilities are born.

Opportunities for innovation often arise from technological advancements, changes in user behavior, or shifts in interface design. By identifying these opportunities, entrepreneurs can create products that solve real user needs and form lasting habits.

Areas to explore:

• Nascent behaviors: Early adoption patterns that could become mainstream
• Enabling technologies: New infrastructures that make certain behaviors easier
• Interface changes: Shifts in how users interact with technology

Examples include the rise of smartphones enabling mobile-first products, social media platforms leveraging user-generated content, and wearable technologies creating new possibilities for health and fitness applications. By staying attuned to these shifts, entrepreneurs can identify unique opportunities to create habit-forming products.

8. The Habit Testing Process: Measuring and Improving User Engagement

Habit Testing helps uncover product devotees, discover which product elements are habit forming (if any), and why those aspects of your product change user behavior.

The Habit Testing process involves three steps: identify, codify, and modify. This iterative approach helps product designers measure and improve the habit-forming potential of their products.

Steps in Habit Testing:

1. Identify: Determine who your devoted users are
2. Codify: Understand what actions these devoted users take
3. Modify: Adapt your product to encourage more users to follow the same path

Key metrics to consider include frequency of use, percentage of devoted users, and specific behavioral patterns. By continuously testing and refining your product based on user data, you can increase its habit-forming potential and overall success.

Last updated: January 22, 2025