10 Lessons from the Book Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal
# 1. Understand the Hook Model
The Hook Model consists of four stages: Trigger, Action, Variable Reward, and Investment. By understanding and applying these stages, companies can create habit-forming products that keep users coming back.
#2. Focus on Internal and External Triggers
Triggers are the stimuli that prompt users to take action. They can be external, like notifications, or internal, like emotional needs. Identifying and using the right triggers helps create a stronger connection with users.
#3. Simplify the Action
The action phase is the simplest behavior performed in anticipation of a reward, like scrolling or clicking. Reducing friction and making actions easy encourages users to participate without resistance.
#4. Offer Variable Rewards
Variable rewards satisfy users’ craving for unpredictability and surprise. These can be social (approval from others), material (points or incentives), or intrinsic (feelings of accomplishment).
#5. Encourage User Investment
The investment phase involves users putting something of value into the product, like personal data or preferences. This investment makes them more likely to return because they have a stake in the product.
# 6. Use Frequency and Familiarity to Build Habits
For a product to become habit-forming, it needs to be used frequently. Products that people use daily or multiple times a day have a higher chance of forming habits than those used occasionally.
#7. Leverage Emotional Triggers
Products that address specific emotional needs, like boredom or loneliness, are more likely to be used repeatedly. Emotional triggers can drive users to seek comfort or distraction through habitual use.
#8. Build Products That Improve with Use
Products should become more valuable as people use them. The more personal investment a user makes, the harder it is to leave. Social networks, for example, become more valuable as people add friends and content.
# 9. Create a Sense of Progress
Progress and milestones can reinforce usage by making users feel like they’re moving forward. Whether through levels, achievements, or other metrics, creating visible progress can motivate users to continue.
#10. Ethical Responsibility in Product Design
While creating habit-forming products is powerful, Eyal emphasizes that companies should use these techniques responsibly and ethically. Design should serve users’ best interests rather than exploiting them.
# 1. Understand the Hook Model
The Hook Model consists of four stages: Trigger, Action, Variable Reward, and Investment. By understanding and applying these stages, companies can create habit-forming products that keep users coming back.
#2. Focus on Internal and External Triggers
Triggers are the stimuli that prompt users to take action. They can be external, like notifications, or internal, like emotional needs. Identifying and using the right triggers helps create a stronger connection with users.
#3. Simplify the Action
The action phase is the simplest behavior performed in anticipation of a reward, like scrolling or clicking. Reducing friction and making actions easy encourages users to participate without resistance.
#4. Offer Variable Rewards
Variable rewards satisfy users’ craving for unpredictability and surprise. These can be social (approval from others), material (points or incentives), or intrinsic (feelings of accomplishment).
#5. Encourage User Investment
The investment phase involves users putting something of value into the product, like personal data or preferences. This investment makes them more likely to return because they have a stake in the product.
# 6. Use Frequency and Familiarity to Build Habits
For a product to become habit-forming, it needs to be used frequently. Products that people use daily or multiple times a day have a higher chance of forming habits than those used occasionally.
#7. Leverage Emotional Triggers
Products that address specific emotional needs, like boredom or loneliness, are more likely to be used repeatedly. Emotional triggers can drive users to seek comfort or distraction through habitual use.
#8. Build Products That Improve with Use
Products should become more valuable as people use them. The more personal investment a user makes, the harder it is to leave. Social networks, for example, become more valuable as people add friends and content.
# 9. Create a Sense of Progress
Progress and milestones can reinforce usage by making users feel like they’re moving forward. Whether through levels, achievements, or other metrics, creating visible progress can motivate users to continue.
#10. Ethical Responsibility in Product Design
While creating habit-forming products is powerful, Eyal emphasizes that companies should use these techniques responsibly and ethically. Design should serve users’ best interests rather than exploiting them.