Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products

Once a reader has taken action, it is essential that they experience some kind of reward. This will ensure that they are motivated to return to the product in the future. Eyal explains that the human brain is wired to crave pleasurable experiences; these cravings are a key motivator for most human behaviors. He cites a study which demonstrates that people act on their cravings to decrease the stress of craving, rather than receiving the reward itself. Eyal explains the three types of “variable rewards” which habit-forming products must employ in some way: “the tribe,” “the hunt,” and “the self” (99).

“Tribe” rewards make people feel included and socially accepted. This reward experience is common with social media sites that make users feel more connected to friends, family, and acquaintances.

“Hunt” rewards satisfy the human instinct to pursue some kind of valuable resource. Evolutionarily, people needed to regularly hunt wild game; people today retain this powerful instinct, which can be redirected to pursue information or money.

“Self” rewards are a “more personal form of gratification” (110). These vary depending on the individual and what they are interested in; for example, some people will spend hours on games or puzzles simply to feel the satisfaction of completing a project.

Eyal claims that reminding users of their freedom to choose certain features or products is a proven way to prompt people to action. This strategy reduces people’s “reactance,” or rebellion against being managed (121). Eyal points to the fitness app “Fitocracy” as a good example of a product which encourages users to maintain a fitness regimen while allowing for enough autonomy that it does not feel oppressive. He concludes: “To change behavior, products must ensure that users feel in control” (124).

It is important that rewards are variable; predictable experiences that lack mystery or tension tend to be less interesting to consumers. For example, the online game FarmVille was highly popular at first, but when the company capitalized on its success by making a series of similar games, users became bored by its predictability and the company soon declined. The most successful video games in the world, such as World of Warcraft, include collaborative teams, which keeps its rewards highly variable. Eyal invites the reader to think of a few ways their product could increase each type of variable reward.

In Chapter 5, Eyal explains the final step of his “Hook Model”: Investment. Eyal claims that “the more users invest time and effort into a product or service, the more they value it” (136). Researchers have found that people who invested time in making a simple craft tended to overvalue what they produced. Moreover, people tend to resist cognitive dissonance, the state of having inconsistent values or opinions, and try to create stability and predictability in their behaviors. Inherent biases toward investment and consistency contribute to “rationalization” in which people seek reasons to explain their actions (140). Eyal says that people can employ a “strange logic” to account for their choices. For instance, people may invest hours of time and hundreds of dollars playing video games, and then use these choices as evidence that the game is worth investing even more time and money. Eyal explains: “Players justify their purchases to help convince themselves of something they want to be true—namely, that they are not foolish” (142).

Eyal notes that companies should ask for some investment from the user after the user has already experienced a reward from the site. This requires some work on the part of the user. Eyal argues that this is also in keeping with human instincts; people expect to put in some work to develop reciprocal relationships, even if they are working with a machine and not another person. Stored data can be a powerful form of investment which incentivizes users to continue using the service. For instance, the more songs people purchase on iTunes the more likely they are to continue using it.

Another form of stored value is one’s “reputation,” such as being considered a reliable business on eBay or a trustworthy guest on Airbnb (151). Developing a skill is an additional form of stored value; if a user dedicates hours to learning how to use Adobe Photoshop they are unlikely to stop using the product and retrain themselves in another program.

Eyal reiterates that the investment stage functions best if the user’s investment prompts the next external trigger which will recapture their attention and incite them to reengage with the app. For example, when someone invests time and personal data by sending a Snapchat photo, the picture will prompt the recipient to send a reply. This possibly increases social pressure by including a time limit, thereby triggering more engagement with the app.

Eyal reminds the reader that this stage does not provide “instant gratification.” Instead, it asks the user to invest “tiny bits of work […] in anticipation of rewards in the future” (161). Eyal asks the reader to consider how they could ask their users to invest a small amount of work into using their product and add value “in the form of content, data, followers, reputation, or skill” (161).