Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products with Nir Eyal

What makes some products so engaging while others flop? Nir Eyal explains the psychology behind the world's most habit-forming technologies and provides practical advice for increasing user engagement.

1. hooked
@nireyal

NirAndFar.com

2. Products can profoundly 

change our behaviors

3. P
A
T
T
E
S
N
R
?

4. 100’s of millions
of users…
…and 100’s of
millions of dollars.

6. An impulse to do a behavior with
little or no conscious thought
hab·it

7. Habits can be
used for good

8. The hook is an experience designed to
connect the user’s problem to your product

9. with enough frequency
to form a habit

12. External Triggers
The information for what to do
next is within the trigger.

13. Internal Triggers
The information for what to do next is informed 

through an association in the user’s memory.
People Places Emotions Situations Routines

14. Negative emotions are powerful

internal triggers
indecisive
tense
fatiguedinferior
bored
confused
fear of loss
dissatisfied
powerless
discouraged
lonesome

15. People who are depressed
check email more often
Source: Kotikalapudi et al 2012

16. When we feel lonely
we use .

17. When we feel unsure
we use

18. When we are bored
we use

19. Do you know your customer’s
internal trigger?

20. What triggers make 

so habit-forming?

21. external triggers

22. solves the pain of 

losing the moment.

23. Stressed
Lonely
Curious
Insecurity
Bored
But is also
a social network.
Urge to
preserve

25. The simplest behavior 

in anticipation of a reward.

26. Scroll

27. Search

28. Play

29. b=m+a+t
According to BJ Fogg, for any behavior to occur,
we need motivation, ability, and a trigger

30. mo·ti·va·tion
“The energy for action”
- Edward Deci

31. Source: Dr. BJ Fogg, Stanford University
Seeking Pleasure

Seeking Hope

Seeking Acceptance

Avoiding Pain

Avoiding Fear
Avoiding Rejection6
There are six factors that can
increase motivation

32. Ability
The capacity to do
a particular action

33. Time Money Physical
Effort
Brain
Cycles
Social
Deviance
Non-
routine
Six factors can increase or decrease ability

34. Level of motivation and ability
determines if action will occur
Source: Dr. BJ Fogg, Stanford University
Motivation
Trigger
fails
Trigger
succeeds
Ability

35. through the years
2009
2010
2011
2012
Today

36. through the years
2009
2010
2011
2012
Today

37. through the years
2009
2010
2011
2012
Today

39. It all starts with the
Nucleus Accumbens
studied by Olds & Milner.
Source: Olds and Milner, 1945

40. The Nucleus Accumbens 

is activated when we crave.

41. Were Olds & Milner
stimulating pleasure?
Not exactly.

42. They were stimulating

the stress of desire

43. Source: Knutson et al 2001
Our reward system activates 

with anticipation

44. Source: Knutson et al 2001
and calms when 

we get what we want.

45. That’s the itch
we seek to scratch.

46. There is a way to 

supercharge the
stress of desire.

48. The unknown
is fascinating
Variability causes us
to focus and engage

49. and increases behavior.

50. The nucleus accumbens is
stimulated by variability.
The nucleus accumbens
is stimulated by
variability.

51. tribe hunt self
3 types of variable rewards
Habit-forming tech uses 1 or more

52. Search for
social reward
tribe

53. partnershipempathetic joy competition

54. We like social rewards.

55. Search for
resources
hunt

56. Stems from the hunt for
food and resources

57. Hunt for variable
material rewards

58. Hunt for variable
information rewards.

59. Search for self-

achievement
self

60. Leveling-up reflects

mastery and competency.

61. Inbox or task management reflects 

consistency and completion.

62. WARNING
Variable rewards are not
a free pass.
Your product still
must address the itch.

63. Build variable rewards that satiate the users
itch, but leave them wanting more.

65. Users “invest” for future benefits.
TimePersonal Data Money
EffortSocial Capital
Emotional
Commitment

66. Investments increase the likelihood
of the next pass through the Hook 

in two ways.

67. Investments
load the next
trigger of the hook
1

68. Each new message posted on

69. is an open invitation for an
external trigger to be returned.

70. 2.
Investments store
value, improving the
product with use.
2

71. Content

72. Data

73. Followers

74. Reputation

75. The hook is an experience designed to
connect the user’s problem to your product

76. Each pass through the Hook helps 

shape user preferences and atitudes

77. 4. Is the reward
fulfilling, yet leaves
the user wanting
more?
3. What is the simplest
behavior in anticipation
of reward?
5. What “bit of work” is
done to increase the
likelihood of returning?
1. What internal trigger is

the product addressing?
2. What external trigger

gets the user to the product?
The Hooked Canvas

78. The morality of
manipulation

79. Designing habit-forming
products is a form of
manipulation.

80. Users take our technologies to bed.

81. They check our devices before saying
“good morning” to loved ones.

82. What responsibility

do we have when changing user behavior?

83. Help others find meaning. 

Engage them in something important.

84. Photo: 7CupsOfTea.com
We can design

healthy habits

85. Build the change you want to see in the world

86. OpinionTo.us
Take the survey, get the slides
@nireyal

NirAndFar.com