The Hook Model. Source: Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products
"Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products" by Nir Eyal. It's a popular book that provides insights and guidance for building products that engage users and create habits. The book covers the psychological principles behind habit-forming products and provides practical advice for designers, product managers, and entrepreneurs on how to create products that people will use regularly and find hard to put down.
I broke up the book into certain parts with respect to some key concepts in main 5 chapters, “HOOK MODEL” in Nir Eyal's book "Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products":
- The Hook Model
- Trigger
- Action
- Variable Reward
- Investment
Chapter 1 introduces the Hook Model, which is the central concept of the book. The Hook Model is a framework for understanding how products can form habits in users and create engagement. The model consists of four key components:
- Trigger: An event or prompt that initiates a behavior.
- Action: The behavior itself, or the physical or mental action taken in response to a trigger.
- Variable Reward: A reward that is unpredictable and changes with each interaction.
- Investment: An action taken by the user that improves the product experience and increases the likelihood of future use.
Chapter 1 provides an overview of the Hook Model and how it can be used to build products that engage users and create habits. The chapter also highlights the importance of understanding the user's motivations and emotions when designing products that form habits.
Chapter 2 focuses on the first component of the Hook Model: Triggers. Triggers are external or internal stimuli that initiate a behavior. The chapter discusses two types of triggers:
- External Triggers: Triggers that come from the environment, such as an email notification or a billboard advertisement.
- Internal Triggers: Triggers that come from within the user, such as an emotion or a thought.
The chapter also covers how to design triggers that effectively prompt users to take action. This includes understanding the user's context and creating associations between the product and positive emotions. The chapter also discusses the importance of leveraging external triggers to drive internal triggers, and the role of association in creating habits.
In summary, Chapter 2 of "Hooked" provides an overview of triggers and the role they play in initiating user behavior and building habits. The chapter provides insights and guidance on how to design effective triggers that prompt users to take action.
Chapter 3 focuses on the second component of the Hook Model: Action. Action refers to the physical or mental action taken by the user in response to a trigger. The chapter discusses how to design actions that are easy and enjoyable for users. This includes reducing friction and creating motivation for the user to take action.
The chapter also covers the importance of understanding the user's internal motivations and emotional state when designing actions. It discusses how to design actions that align with the user's intrinsic motivations and emotional needs.
In summary, Chapter 3 of "Hooked" provides an overview of the Action component of the Hook Model and how it relates to the user's behavior. The chapter provides insights and guidance on how to design actions that are easy and enjoyable for users, align with their intrinsic motivations, and drive engagement and habit formation.
Chapter 4 focuses on the third component of the Hook Model: Variable Reward. Variable rewards are rewards that change with each interaction and are not predictable. The chapter discusses how variable rewards drive user engagement and habit formation by creating an element of unpredictability and excitement.
The chapter covers four types of variable rewards:
- Rewards of the Tribe: Social rewards, such as recognition and acceptance from a group.
- Rewards of the Hunt: Rewards that come from searching or seeking, such as finding new information or discovering new content.
- Rewards of the Self: Rewards that come from personal growth and self-expression, such as learning new skills or creating content.
- Rewards of the Game: Rewards that come from winning and competition, such as earning points and badges.
In summary, Chapter 4 of "Hooked" provides an overview of the Variable Reward component of the Hook Model and how it relates to user engagement and habit formation. The chapter provides insights and guidance on how to design variable rewards that create an element of unpredictability and excitement for users, drive engagement, and promote habit formation.
Chapter 5 focuses on the fourth component of the Hook Model: Investment. Investment refers to actions taken by the user that improve the product experience and increase the likelihood of future use. The chapter discusses how investments create habits by increasing the user's emotional attachment to the product and by making it easier for the user to repeat the behavior in the future.
The chapter covers different types of investments, including data and content investments, where the user provides information or creates content, and functional investments, where the user performs actions that improve the product experience. The chapter also discusses the role of design in creating investments that drive habit formation, including reducing friction and creating motivation for the user to invest in the product.
In summary, Chapter 5 of "Hooked" provides an overview of the Investment component of the Hook Model and how it relates to habit formation. The chapter provides insights and guidance on how to design investments that increase the user's emotional attachment to the product, create ease of use, and promote habit formation.