Nir Eyal Hook

Hooked
Nir Eyal
NIR EYAL NirAndFar.com @nireyal
When my boss tells me to increase engagement, Im like...

Source: runningastartup.tumblr.com
Why cant we do it like _______?

Patterns
NirAndFar.com
Vitamins or painkillers?
Selling painkillers
- Obvious need - stop pain - Quanti!able market - Monetizable
Selling vitamins
- Emotional need, not e"cacy - Makes me feel good knowing... - Unknown market
Vitamins or painkillers?
Habit is when not doing causes pain.

Habit-forming technology
Pleasure seeking Pain alleviation
Vitamin
Painkiller
Creating pain? (more of an itch)

hab it
/!habit/ Noun, Def: An behavior that occurs nearly or completely without cognition.
My goal
If your business model requires habits ... ... a pattern intended to help you form better product hypotheses ... ... to increase odds of success.
the hook
/T"H# ho$ok/ Noun, Def: An experience designed to connect a solution to the users problem with enough frequency to form a habit.
Hooks
Low engagement High engagement
The Hook
Remember: ATARI
A - A hook has 4 parts: T - Trigger A - Action R - Reward I - Investment
Triggers
The !rst step to connect a solution to the users problem

Habits arent created, they are built upon
Triggers
External Alarms Calls-to-action Emails Stores Authority
What to do next is in the trigger
Internal Emotions Routines Situations Places People

What to do next is in the users head NIR EYAL
NirAndFar.com @nireyal
External triggers in tech

Owned - Icons, emails, noti!cations..
(where given permission by user)
Retention
Paid - Search engine marketing, ads.. Earned - PR, free media.. Relationship - Word of mouth, a"nity
groups..
Acquisition
Emotions are frequent internal triggers

Dissatis!ed Indecisive Lost Tense Fatigued Inferior Fear of loss Bored Lonesome Confused Powerless Discouraged
People with depression check email more.

Source: Kotikalapudi et al 2012, Associating Depressive Symptoms in College Students with Internet Usage Using Real Internet Data
Internal triggers in tech

When I feel... Lonely Hungry Unsure Anxious Lost Mentally fatigued ... I use Facebook Yelp, GrubHub Google Email GPS ESPN, Glam NIR EYAL
NirAndFar.com @nireyal
Know your customers internal trigger.

Every time the user (internal trigger) they use (product).

Instagram triggers
Instagram triggers
External Internal
- FB and Twitter - Fear of loosing - App noti!cations the moment - App icon - Bored, lonesome, fear of missing out
In summary
Triggers are the !rst step of the hook. The designer informs what to do next
through external triggers. through internal triggers. triggers.
The user informs what to do next Emotions provide frequent internal

Actions
when doing < thinking = action

Fogg Behavior Model B = m.a.t.

motivation trigger (SUCCESS!) trigger (FAIL!) ability
Source: Dr. BJ Fogg, Stanford University
mo ti va tion
/m#t# v$SH#n/ Noun, Def: The energy for action - Edward Deci
Motivators of behavior motivation

Seek: Pleasure Hope Acceptance Avoid: Pain Fear Rejection
a bil i ty
/#!bilit%/ Noun, Def: The capacity to do.
How increase capacity to do something?
ability
Factors of ability
Time Money Physical e&ort Brain cycles Social deviance Non-routine
ability
Simple online actions in anticipation of reward

Log-In (Facebook, Wordpress) Search (Google, Expedia, Yelp) Open (Twitter, SMS, email) Scroll (Pinterest, Instagram) Play (YouTube, online games)
Twitter homepage
2009
Twitter homepage
2010
Twitter homepage
2013
Evolution of Twitter
2009 2010
2013
In summary

Action is the second step of the hook. The action is the simplest behavior the user can do before getting rewarded. To increase behavior:
Ensure a clear trigger is present. Increase ability by making it easier. Align with the right motivator.
Variable rewards
The brain and rewards
Source: Olds and Milner, 1945
Reward system stimulators
Were Olds and Milner stimulating pleasure? (not exactly)
The stress of desire

Dopamine system activated by anticipation of reward And dampened when reward achieved
Source: Knutson et al 2001
Supercharge the stress of desire... But how?

Exactly!
The unknown is fascinating

Our brains are prediction machines. We seek to understand cause and e&ect. Variability messes with our heads. Causes us to increase focus and
engagement.
...and oh yes, its habit forming.
The endless search

B.F. Skinner showed intermittent
rewards increase response rate.
Dopamine drives the search. Variability spikes dopamine.

Variable rewards
the Tribe the Hunt the Self
Search for social rewards

the Tribe
- Cooperation - Competition - Recognition - Acceptance - Sex - Empathetic joy
Source: Adapted from Malone and Lepper, 1987
Rewards of the tribe
Rewards of the tribe
Search for resources

the Hunt
- Food - Money - Information
Rewards of the hunt: search for resources
Rewards of the hunt: search for information
Dare you not to scroll
Search for sensation

- Mastery - Consistency - Competency - Completion
the Self
Rewards of the self: competency and mastery
Rewards of the self: competency and mastery
Some words of warning!
Must still solve pain

Variable rewards are not a free pass. You still need to give the user what
they came for.
(see internal trigger and motivation)

No engagement without autonomy

People resist being controlled. Autonomy is a pre-requisite. If lost, you fail.
Source: See Deci and Ryan on Self-Determination Theory
Finite rewards decay

As rewards become predictable, they
become less interesting
Finite Variability
- Single-player games - Consumption of media - Running a race to !nish it
Source: See hedonic treadmill
In!nite Variability
- Multi-player games - Creation of content - Communities - Running for pleasure or competition
In summary

Variable reward is the third step of the hook. Reward types:
Tribe Hunt Self
Maintain feeling of autonomy, !nd in!nite variability and alleviate user pain
Investments
Investment

Where user does a bit of work. Pays with something of value: time, money, social capital, e&ort, emotional commitment, personal data ...
Investment increase likelihood of next pass

Done in anticipation of future rewards Makes next pass through hook more likely by:
Loading the next trigger Storing value Creating preference

Loading the next trigger
Pinterest
T
Email noti!cation
A
Log-in
Collecting, lonesome, seeking connection ...
I
Pin, Re-Pin, Like, Comment
VR
Communication (Tribe)
Storing value
Content
Storing value
Data
Storing value
Followers
Storing value
Reputation
Creating preference
Ease of use
Labor increases value

People who pick
lottery numbers assign greater odds.
Source: Langer, 1975
Labor is love
Value own work almost as much as an experts. Even if others dont.

Source: Ariely, Mochon and Norton, 2012
As we invest ... we seek to be consistent with past behaviors...

Little investments, big results

Group 1: 17% accepted Group 2: 76% accepted
Source: Freedman & Fraser, 1966
...investments shape our tastes, preferences and identities.

In summary

Investment is the fourth step of the hook. Small amounts of work to increase the likelihood of the user returning by:
Loading the next trigger Storing value Creating preference

the hook
/T"H# ho$ok/ Noun, Def: An experience designed to connect a solution to the users problem with enough frequency to form a habit.
Remember: ATARI
A - A hook has 4 parts: T - Trigger A - Action R - Reward I - Investment
Hooks create associations
- External triggers - Low preference - Low engagement
- Internal triggers - High preference - High engagement

The hook canvas

Trigger
2. External trigger - What gets the user to the product?
Action
3. What is the simplest behavior in anticipation of reward?
1. Internal trigger - What does

the user really want?
Investment
5. What is the bit of work done to increase the likelihood of returning?
Variable Reward
4. Is the reward ful!lling, yet leaves the user wanting more?
What are you going to do with this?

Cultivate meaning
The world is full of problems to !x. Help others !nd meaning. Engage them in something important. Build the change you want to see in the
world.
Please raise your phones

I heart feedback. Please go here: www.OpinionTo.us Help make this presentation better
and ... get slides.
Thank you!

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Hooked

NIR EYAL NirAndFar.com @nireyal

When my boss tells me to increase engagement, Im like...

NIR EYAL NirAndFar.com @nireyal

Why cant we do it like _______?

NIR EYAL NirAndFar.com @nireyal

- Obvious need - stop pain - Quanti!able market - Monetizable

NIR EYAL NirAndFar.com @nireyal

NIR EYAL NirAndFar.com @nireyal

NIR EYAL NirAndFar.com @nireyal

Habit is when not doing causes pain.

Creating pain? (more of an itch)

NIR EYAL NirAndFar.com @nireyal

NIR EYAL NirAndFar.com @nireyal

NIR EYAL NirAndFar.com @nireyal

The !rst step to connect a solution to the users problem

Habits arent created, they are built upon

NIR EYAL NirAndFar.com @nireyal

Internal Emotions Routines Situations Places People

NIR EYAL NirAndFar.com @nireyal

External triggers in tech

Emotions are frequent internal triggers

People with depression check email more.

NIR EYAL NirAndFar.com @nireyal

Internal triggers in tech

Know your customers internal trigger.

Every time the user (internal trigger) they use (product).

NIR EYAL NirAndFar.com @nireyal

NIR EYAL NirAndFar.com @nireyal

The user informs what to do next Emotions provide frequent internal

NIR EYAL NirAndFar.com @nireyal

when doing < thinking = action

Fogg Behavior Model B = m.a.t.

Source: Dr. BJ Fogg, Stanford University

Motivators of behavior motivation

Source: Dr. BJ Fogg, Stanford University

NIR EYAL NirAndFar.com @nireyal

NIR EYAL NirAndFar.com @nireyal

NIR EYAL NirAndFar.com @nireyal

NIR EYAL NirAndFar.com @nireyal

NIR EYAL NirAndFar.com @nireyal

How increase capacity to do something?

Source: Dr. BJ Fogg, Stanford University

NIR EYAL NirAndFar.com @nireyal

Source: Dr. BJ Fogg, Stanford University

NIR EYAL NirAndFar.com @nireyal

Simple online actions in anticipation of reward

NIR EYAL NirAndFar.com @nireyal

NIR EYAL NirAndFar.com @nireyal

NIR EYAL NirAndFar.com @nireyal

NIR EYAL NirAndFar.com @nireyal

NIR EYAL NirAndFar.com @nireyal

The brain and rewards

Source: Olds and Milner, 1945

NIR EYAL NirAndFar.com @nireyal

Reward system stimulators

NIR EYAL NirAndFar.com @nireyal

Were Olds and Milner stimulating pleasure? (not exactly)

NIR EYAL NirAndFar.com @nireyal

The stress of desire

Source: Knutson et al 2001

NIR EYAL NirAndFar.com @nireyal

Supercharge the stress of desire... But how?

NIR EYAL NirAndFar.com @nireyal