Notes

• @2 "By mastering habit-forming product design, the companies make thir goods indespensable"
  • e.g. the emergence of the verb 'to google something'
• @6 The hook model:
  • internal/external trigger -> action -> variable reward -> investment
• @13 habits are behaviors done with little or no conscious thought
• @25 habits are last-in first-out - the longer you have them, the longer they stick around
• Amazon embedding price comparison with competitors inside their platform makes it look trustworthy even despite the potential of one-off customer loss
• @33 A habit is when not doing an action causes a bit of discomfort
• trigger can be
  • external
    • accompanied with the information telling what to do next
  • internal
    • manifests automaticall in your mind
• habits are like pearls - form one layer at a time
• @52 to recognize which habits I want my users to form I first need to know what pains are they trying to relieve
• @52 habit forming products aim at creating the bond between feeling the pain and soothing it
• @55 5 whys is a good technique to understand deep motivations / user needs
• @63 human core motivations
  • seek pleasure an avoid pain
  • seek hope and avoid fear
  • seek social accceptance and avoid rejection
• @67 actions must be easy to perform - any technology that reduces the steps to complete a task will enjoy high adoption rates
  • e.g. early internet or blogger.com
• @87 The framing effect - cognitive bias - top notch performer/star is not gonna get enough props while busking in U-bahn stop
• @95 variable reword - reward users by solving a problem, reinforcing their motivation for a previously taken action
• @97 we're drawn to action not by the sensation itself but by the need to alleviate the craving for the reward
• @98 variability is what keeps us hooked/awaiting what comes next and is the key concept of the hook model
• @99 variability increases activity in the nucleus accumbens
• @100 reward types
  • the tribe
    • social proof rewards
    • likes
  • the hunt
    • the need to acquire physical objects
  • the self
    • intristic motivation to overcome obstacles
• @119 "but you are free to accept or refuse" phrase to gain compliance
  • e.g. when asking for charity donations
• @120 reactance - the hair-trigger response to threats to your autonomy
  • e.g. when failing micromanagement
• @127 experiences with finite variability become less engaging because they eventually become predictable
• @131 variable reward is a powerful inducement to make users repeat their actions
• @136 the escalation of commitment - the more people invest time & effort into a product/service - the more they value it
• @138 - the IKEA effect - you value more the furniture you assembled rather than store-bought
• @143 - the investment phase requires a bit of work from the user but the reward is the self-assurance
  • e.g. following a user on Twitter does not yield an immediate benefit but makes the user more prone to open Twitter again
• @144 - humans evolved to reciprocate kindness as it is a win-win strategy
• @165 - Ian Bogost: "Habit-forming technologies are the cigarettes of this century"
• @192 - "overindulgent and underactive modern lifestyles" :)
• @214 - "What triggered me to use this product? Was I prompted internally or externally?" is a good question to ask about a service/product you're using
• @208 - Newsweek: The Internet? Bah!
• @210 - "The creation of a new infrastructure often opens up unforseen ways to make other actions simpler or more rewarding"
  • e.g. internet thanks to the infrastructure comissioned by the US government during the cold ward, Google thanks to Yahoo, GUI thanks to terminal interfaces, Instagram thanks to embedded camera, ...