December 17, 2022 7 min to read

Hooked by Nir Eyal

Hooked, How to Build Habit Forming Products by Nir Eyal.

“Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products” is a book written by Nir Eyal that explores the psychology of habit formation and how it can be applied to design products that engage and retain users. The book is divided into four parts:

Part 1: The Hook Model

This part introduces the concept of the “hook model,” which is a framework for understanding how habit-forming products work. It consists of four steps: trigger, action, reward, and investment.

Part 2: The Hooked User

This part explores the psychology behind habit formation, including the role of emotions, triggers, and rewards in driving user behavior.

Part 3: The Hooked Company

This part discusses how companies can build habit-forming products, including strategies for creating triggers and rewards, measuring user engagement, and building a customer-centric culture.

Part 4: The Hooked Society

This part discusses the potential consequences of building habit-forming products, including the ethical considerations of manipulating user behavior and the potential impact on society. Overall, “Hooked” is a practical guide for product designers and entrepreneurs looking to build products that engage and retain users through the use of habit-forming techniques.

Here are some key points from “Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products” by Nir Eyal:

1. The “hook model” is a framework for understanding how habit-forming products work. It consists of four steps: trigger, action, reward, and investment.
2. Habit formation is driven by emotions, triggers, and rewards.
3. Companies can build habit-forming products by creating triggers and rewards that drive user behavior, measuring user engagement, and building a customer-centric culture.
4. Building habit-forming products involves ethical considerations, including the potential for manipulating user behavior and the impact on society.
5. In order to create a habit-forming product, it is important to focus on user needs and desires, and design the product to fit seamlessly into users’ lives.
6. Successful habit-forming products often involve some form of social interaction or connection with others, which can increase user engagement and retention.
7. It is important to carefully consider the potential consequences of building habit-forming products, including the impact on users and society.
8. Understanding the psychology of habit formation can help product designers and entrepreneurs create products that engage and retain users.
9. The “hook model” is a useful framework for understanding how habit-forming products work, and consists of four steps: trigger, action, reward, and investment.
10. Emotions, triggers, and rewards are key drivers of habit formation, and can be leveraged to create habit-forming products.

Few actionable lessons

• Habits are formed when we experience a trigger or cue, followed by a desired behavior or action, and then a reward. This process, known as the Hook Model, is the basis for creating habit-forming products.

• Triggers can be internal or external, and can be used to initiate a desired behavior or action. Internal triggers are based on emotions or psychological states, while external triggers are based on external stimuli or cues.

• Desired behaviors or actions are motivated by a desire to solve a problem or fulfill a need. By understanding the underlying needs or desires that drive a particular behavior, you can create products that are more likely to be habit-forming.

• Rewards are the positive outcomes or benefits that people experience as a result of engaging in a desired behavior or action. Rewards can be tangible or intangible, and can be used to reinforce a desired behavior or action and make it more likely to become a habit.

• The Hook Model can be used effectively to create habit-forming products by designing triggers, desired behaviors or actions, and rewards that work together to create a seamless and satisfying user experience.

• In order to create habit-forming products, it is important to understand the psychology behind habit formation and to design products that are engaging, satisfying, and rewarding. By doing so, you can create products that are more likely to be habit-forming and drive long-term user engagement.

• To create habit-forming products, it is important to design for users’ needs and desires, and to create products that are engaging, satisfying, and rewarding. By doing so, you can create products that are more likely to be habit-forming and drive long-term user engagement.

• It is important to understand the underlying motivations and desires that drive user behavior, and to design products that address these needs and desires in a meaningful and satisfying way.

• To create habit-forming products, it is important to design for user engagement and retention, and to create products that are engaging, satisfying, and rewarding enough to drive long-term user engagement.

• To create habit-forming products, it is important to understand the psychology behind habit formation and to design products that are engaging, satisfying, and rewarding. By doing so, you can create products that are more likely to be habit-forming and drive long-term user engagement.

• To create habit-forming products, it is important to design products that are engaging, satisfying, and rewarding, and to create products that are engaging, satisfying, and rewarding enough to drive long-term user engagement. By doing so, you can create products that are more likely to be habit-forming and drive long-term user engagement.

Here are a few quotes from “Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products” by Nir Eyal:

“A trigger is something that initiates a behavior. It’s the spark that gets the fire going. Triggers come in two types: external and internal.”

“The action is the simplest behavior in anticipation of a reward.”

“Rewards are the benefits we receive from taking an action. Rewards come in three types: tangible rewards, intangible rewards, and emotional rewards.”

“The investment phase is the final step in the hook model. It’s the ‘what’s next?’ question that occurs after the reward.

It’s the work users put into a product or service to increase the likelihood of using it again in the future.”

“The more users invest time and effort into a product or service, the more they value it. When we put something at stake, we tend to value it more.”

“The ability to create a sense of progression is the most powerful driver of long-term user engagement.”

“The ultimate goal of a habit-forming product is not to give users what they want, but to teach them what they want.”

“Habit-forming products start by making a change in users’ lives small and manageable, but over time, the changes can become profound.”

“The ultimate goal of a habit-forming product is not just to get users hooked, but to get them to stay hooked.”

“When building habit-forming products, it’s essential to have a deep understanding of the user’s needs and desires, and to design the product to fit seamlessly into their lives.”

Summary

“Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products” is a book written by Nir Eyal that explores the psychology of habit formation and how it can be applied to design products that engage and retain users. The book introduces the concept of the “hook model,” which is a framework for understanding how habit-forming products work, and discusses the role of emotions, triggers, and rewards in driving user behavior. It also provides practical advice for companies on how to build habit-forming products, including strategies for creating triggers and rewards, measuring user engagement, and building a customer-centric culture. The book also covers the ethical considerations of building habit-forming products, including the potential for manipulating user behavior and the impact on society. Overall, “Hooked” is a useful guide for product designers and entrepreneurs looking to build products that engage and retain users through the use of habit-forming techniques.

Overall, “Hooked” is a valuable resource for anyone interested in understanding the psychology behind habit formation and creating habit-forming products. The book offers practical insights and strategies for designing products that are engaging, satisfying, and rewarding, and is a valuable resource for anyone looking to create products that drive long-term user engagement.