How to build a habit-forming product

Why do some products capture widespread attention while others flop? What makes us engage with certain products out of sheer habit? We have seen people breaking down on social media over the ban of tiktok and PUBG. Is there a pattern underlying how technologies hook us?

Companies that form strong user habits enjoy several benefits. These companies attach their product to an internal trigger just like Instagram stories which triggers their user to check stories now and then as these stories expire in 24hrs, this will intrigue users to visit Instagram frequently. By these internal triggers, companies create a habit around their product.

Nir Eyal answers these questions by explaining the Hook Model—a four-step process embedded into the products of many successful companies called Hooked Model

1. Trigger

A trigger is the actuator of behaviour just like a spark plug in the engine. Triggers come in two types: external and internal. An email, a web link or the notification from the app alerting users to start an action is called an external trigger. An internal trigger is something the user feels or thinks- I use Facebook when I feel lonely and want to connect with my friends and when users start to automatically cue their next behaviour.

2. Action

Following the trigger comes the action: the behaviour done in anticipation of a reward. The simple action of clicking on the interesting picture in the news feed or clicking on the Whatsapp notification on your mobile. With Google, that’s as simple as performing a search. As a product designer, your main goal is to make the CTA as quick and effortless as you possibly can.

3. Variable reward

Variable rewards create a dopamine rush we can’t resist- think of an Instagram reel or TikTok, every time you swipe up you are shown a random bit-sized video so intruding that we can't resist to swipe up again to check the next video. Think of multi-player video games like PUBG where players are playing against other players in real-time and each game is completely different from the previous game vs more deterministic single-player games.

4. Investment

The last phase of the hooked model is where the user does a bit of work. The investment occurs when the users put something into the product or services such as data, effort, time, social capital or money. Think of a music app like Spotify or jio savan where the users have invested their time and effort in creating a playlist, this investment increases the odd of switching to a new music platform where their playlist cannot be transferred. Inviting friends, stating preferences, reward points, bookmarks, building virtual assets and learning to use new features are all investments users make to improve their experience. These commitments can be leveraged to make the trigger more engaging.

What do you think? Hooks are all around us. This is short summary about Hooked - How to Build Habit-Forming Products by NIR EYAL. To learn more about the hooked model you can buy the book from the below link.

Buy this book on Amazon (Recommend)