1. h kHooked
@nireyal

2. Products can profoundly
CHANGE OUR BEHAVIORS.

3. 100’s of millions of
users…
…and 100’s of
millions of dollars.

4. PA TT
E
SN
R
?

5. I wrote this …
… more at:
NirAndFar.com

6. Close your eyes.

7. HOWDIDYOUFEEL?

8. When we FEEL AN ITCH
we seek to SCRATCH IT.

9. The brain associates behaviors that
PROVIDE A SOLUTION
to whatever problem it encounters.

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

11. Images of chocolate bring both
pleasure and stress to “cravers.”
Source: Rodriguez et al 2005

12. STRESS is a precondition
for addiction.
Source: Heilig and Koob 2007

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

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

15. Habitscanbeusedforgood.

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

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

19. Harnessing
VERY GOOD
HABITS
can be
FOR BUSINESS.

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

21. Creating consumer habits gives companies
GREATER FLEXIBILITY
TO INCREASE PRICES.

22. Creating consumer habits
SUPERCHARGES
GROWTH.

23. Creating consumer habits
INCREASES DEFENSIBILITY.

24. However, forming new habits is HARD WORK

25. AND EXCEPTIONALLY RARE.

26. But if your business requires
“unprompted user engagement,”

27. A design pattern to help
FORM BETTER PRODUCT
HYPOTHESES.

28. BUILDING IS
EXPENSIVE

29. INCREASE YOUR ODDS OF SUCCESS.

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

31. h k
with%enough%%
FREQUENCY%%
to%%
FORM+A+HABIT.+

32. NOW IT IS
YOUR TURN

33. ❑ Get into groups of 2 or 3.
❑ Describe your product or
service.
❑ Pick one product with one
user.

34. ❑ Why does your business
require a habit?
❑ What problem are users
coming to solve?
❑ How do they currently
solve the problem and
why does it need a new
solution?

35. ❑ What action do you want
to make into a habit?
❑ How frequently do you
expect users to engage?

36. h kA"Hook"has"4"parts:"

37. h k

38. Triggers come in two flavors:
EXTERNAL &
INTERNAL

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

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

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

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

43. When we feel LONELY we use

44. When we feel UNSURE we use

45. When we are BORED we use

46. Do you know your customer’s
INTERNAL TRIGGER?

47. Jack Dorsey on Narratives

48. IT#ALL#STARTS#WITH#A#
NARRATIVE.!
“(If)!you!want!to!build!a!product!
that!is!relevant!to!folks,!you!need!
to!put!yourself!in!their!shoes!and!
you!need!to!write!a!story!from!
their!side.”!
.#Jack#Dorsey#

49. 1952
INSTANT CAKE MIX WAS
A MARKETING FAILURE.
Betty Crocker assumed that
customers wanted
convenience but “Just add
water” did not sell.
Source: “Finding Betty Crocker”, Susan Marks

50. WHY DO WE MAKE CAKE?
to give and receive love from people we care about.

51. DEPRECATED A FEATURE

52. What triggers make so habit-forming?

53. external triggers

54. of losing the moment.
solves the pain

55. But is
also a social network.
Urgeto
preserve
Stressed
Lonely
Curious
Insecurity
Bored

56. YOUR
TURN
TO
BUILD A
NARRATIVE

57. BUILD YOUR NARRATIVE
❑ Who is the user?
❑ What are they doing
immediately before your
intended habit?

58. INTERNAL TRIGGERS
❑ Come up with 3 internal
trigger hypotheses
(emotions, routines,
situations…)
❑ Which internal trigger
occurs most often?
❑ Every time _______ ,
the user ________.

59. EXTERNAL TRIGGERS
❑ Where and when can you
insert your external
triggers?
❑ How can you be in front
of the user when her
internal trigger fires?
❑ Think of 3 “rational ideas”
and 3 “crazy ideas.”

60. HYPOTHESIS HOMEWORK
❑ Are your assumptions
correct?
❑ Is your narrative really
happening?
❑ “Get out of the building.”
– Steve Blank
❑ Test your biggest
assumptions first and
cheaply.

61. Take a break
“Hook” by Blues Traveler

62. h k

63. The
SIMPLEST BEHAVIOR
in anticipation of a reward.

64. Scroll

65. Search

66. Play

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

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

69. THERE ARE SIX FACTORS
THAT CAN INCREASE
MOTIVATION.
SeekingPleasure
AvoidingPain
SeekingHope
AvoidingFear
SeekingAcceptance
AvoidingRejection
Source: Dr. BJ Fogg, Stanford University

70. Seeking HOPE

71. Seeking PLEASURE

72. Avoiding FEAR

73.
Seeking ACCEPTANCE

74. ABILITY
the capacity to do
a particular action

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

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

77. Should designers MOVE MOTIVATION OR ABILITY FIRST?

78. You can try to increase motivation…

79. …but you’ll often
get the same results.

80. through the years
2009 2010 2011 2012 TODAY

81. 2009
2010 2011 2012
through the years
TODAY

82. 2009 2010 2011 2012
TODAY
through the years

83. YOUR
TURN
TO
SIMPLIFY
THE ACTION

84. Users are on a path to solving a problem.
Internal Trigger
Product Interface
Reward/Pain Alleviation

85. users take action to alleviate pain.
Internal Trigger
Product Interface
1. Open App
2. Log-in (sometimes)
3. Scroll & Read
Reward/Pain Alleviation

86. Map the path
users take to
scratch their itch.

87. Find the “scarcest resource”
❑ Review your flow. Where is
the action most difficult?
❑ Which resource is lacking?
❑ What are 3 testable ways to
make the action easier?
•Time
•Money
•Physical effort
•Brain cycles (too confusing)
•Social deviance (outside norm)
•Non-routine (too new)

88. h k

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

90. The nucleus accumbens
is activated when
we crave.

91. Olds & Milner
Notexactly.
stimulating
pleasure?
Were

92. They were stimulating the
STRESS OF DESIRE.

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

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

95. That’s the ITCH
we seek to SCRATCH.

96. There is a way to supercharge the stress of desire.

98. IS FASCINATING.
THE UNKNOWN
Variability causes us to
focus and engage

99. …and increases behavior.

100. The nucleus accumbens is
stimulated by variability.

101. 3 types of VARIABLE REWARDS
TRIBE HUNT SELF
Habit-forming tech uses 1 OR MORE

102. TRIBE
SEARCH FOR
SOCIAL REWARDS

103. partnershipempatheticjoy competition

104. We Like social rewards.

105. Fast variable rewards

106. We value recognition and cooperation

107. HUNT
SEARCH FOR
RESOURCES

108. Stems from the hunt for food and resources

109. Hunt for variable material rewards

110. Hunt for variable material rewards

111. Hunt
for variable
information
rewards.

112. Hunters on
scroll pages.

113. SELF
SELF-ACHIEVEMENT
SEARCH FOR

114. Leveling-up reflects MASTERY and COMPETENCY.

115. Inbox or task management reflects
CONSISTENCY and COMPLETION.

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

117. Do your users feel in control?
AUTONOMY IS
A PRE-REQUISITE.
Source: Deci and Ryan on Self-Determination Theory

118. Beware of FINITE VARIABILITY.

119. INFINITE VARIABILITY sustains interest longer.

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

121. YOUR
TURN
TO
REWARD
YOUR USERS

122. ❑ Review your flow. Is the
reward fulfilling, yet leaves
the user wanting more?
❑ Brainstorm 3 ways users
search for variable reward.
•Rewards of the Tribe - gratification
from others.
•Rewards of the Hunt - things,
money or information.
•Rewards of the Self - mastery,
completion, competency,
consistency.

123. h k

124. Users “invest” for future benefits.
Social
Capital
Money
Time
Effort
Emotional
CommitmentPersonal
Data

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

126. 1.INVESTMENTS
LOAD THE
NEXT TRIGGER
OF THE HOOK.

127. Each new message posted on

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

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

130. CONTENT

131. DATA

132. FOLLOWERS

133. REPUTATION

134. YOUR
TURN
TO
GET USERS
TO INVEST

135. ❑ Review your flow. What
“bit of work” are your users
doing to increase the
likelihood of returning?
❑ Brainstorm 3 ways to add
small investments into your
user experience to:
•Load the Next Trigger
•Store Value
•Content, Data, Followers,
Reputation
5 min

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

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

138. h k
With%enough%frequency,%
A"HABIT"IS"FORMED."

139. 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?
3. What is the simplest
behavior in anticipation
of reward?
5. What “bit of work” is done
to increase the likelihood of
returning?

140. THE MORALITY
OF MANIPULATION

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

142. Users take our technologies to bed.

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

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

145. What
RESPONSIBILITY
do we have when
changing user behavior?

146. THE WORLD IS FULL OF PROBLEMS TO FIX.
Help others find meaning. Engage them in
something important.

147. Build the
THE WORLD.
you want to see in
CHANGE