Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products Hardcover – Illustrated, November 4, 2014

Behavior and technology have a tenuous relationship with one another; however, one has always tried to inform the other. Hooked by Nir Eyal presents a very interesting approach to how understanding habit formation (and behavior in general) can be helpful in reaching business-oriented goals for all professional levels. The simple truth is that majority of observable human behavior is primarily an instance of behavior elicited by an antecedent, and then rewarded (or punished). This behavioral relationship, when reinforced over time, becomes a habit. Sounds modest enough. Eyal’s explanation is elegant and easy to understand, centered around four events:Trigger BehaviorPerform ActionVariable Reward for ActionCommitment to ProductHe manages to be both simple and accurate, and still only come in at a little over two hundred pages. It is in the unified and consistent approach to this behavior methodology and how it forms a habit where his content really shines. It should come as no surprise that the behavior model itself harkens back to an operant model of conditioning, but this in no way diminishes Eyal’s approach. His addition is commitment, which is the holy grail for behavior psychologists, as program adherence is difficult to maintain.Eyal sees this fourth step as an answer to a nebulous question.Let’s walk through his process. A potential customer is alerted to your service or product by a trigger; the behavior proceeds in short order. This feels firmly rooted in the antecedent-behavior relationship. Then comes the most important part: rewarding the behavior. Behavior psychologists (enthusiasts like myself) always err on the side of intermittent schedules of reinforcements, which is a fancy way of saying you don’t always get the reward, but it is offered frequently enough that the reward is constantly being chased. It is the variability in the reward that gives it real value, as it demonstrates both engagement and authenticity in the process, which then feeds future instances––and on and on it goes.Habit formation is the key to both delegation and hacking business growth. Learning what behavior relationships are not well formed allows you to free up time accordingly by having an assistant step in with a well-designed process for accomplishing those troublesome behaviors. Eyal offers both a time-saving technique, but also a more nuanced approach to nurturing leads and client relationships in general. The true strong suit of the book is its accessibility, making it a wonderful portal into applied behavior analysis for business. It is truly a well-written resource that both offers useful, actionable information and a contemplative experience for everyday readers on behavior engineering. If you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend that you do.This was originally posted on: [...]

This book was generally fun to read, went by fast, and is relatively informative regarding the psychology behind habit-forming products.It tells you how/why people get hooked on certain games and apps.However, I don’t think it delivers on its promise of telling you “how to build habit-forming products.”Instead, he reveals the mind games involved and then gives you homework to figure out the building part for yourself, with no specific guidance.And that’s fine, I guess, but this book should probably be marketed as more of an introduction to habit-forming products. It’s great for that!In fact, it may be a good introduction to Wesley Bush’s “Product-Led Growth” book. Let Eyal break down the psychology for you, then let Bush give you specific ideas about how to apply it.

For December 2023 I chose "Hooked" by Nir Eyal (2014/2019).I found this book on Amazon and it was highly rated and referred. I loved the context of this book and speaking to the psychological aspect of 'viral' videos/products/etc. It was a little out of date but I thought it was a good read to sharpen my viral marketing skills.~~~~~~~💡Here are my favorite quotes💡:"companies must learn not only what compels users to click but also what makes them tick.""predictable [feedback loops] don't create desire.""the exciting juxtaposition of relevant and irrelevant, tantalizing and plain, beautiful and common, sets [the] brain's dopamine system aflutter.""Many entrepreneurs fall into the trap of building products that are only marginally better than existing solutions.""Your product must ultimately be useful.""relationship triggers drive growth because people love to tell one another about a wonderful offer.""Looking for discrepancies exposes opportunities.""To initiate action, doing must be easier than thinking.""How many steps does it take before users obtain the reward they come from?""the wave of habit-forming technologies [are] the 'cigarette of this century'..."~~~~💭 That last quote reminds me of the Netflix documentary - "The Social Dilemma" https://lnkd.in/gqPJYX6d - which is a must watch.Nir did a great job explaining the parts of viral/addictive content and apps.An excellent read and perfect for that FOUNDATIONAL understanding of building a new app/tool/anything.

Hooked is perfectly structured and easy to read. A ton of valuable information for anybody designing a product and wants to figure our the technical aspect of how to keep them coming back for more.