Hooked

Synopsis

'A must-read for everyone who cares about driving customer engagement' Eric Ries, author of The Lean Startup

'The most high bandwidth, high octane, and valuable presentation I have ever seen on this subject' Rory Sutherland, vice chairman, Ogilvy & Mather

Nir Eyal reveals how successful companies create products people can't put down - and how you can too

Why do some products capture our attention while others flop? What makes us engage with certain things out of sheer habit? Is there an underlying pattern to how technologies hook us?

Nir Eyal answers these questions (and many more) with the Hook Model - a four-step process that, when embedded into products, subtly encourages customer behaviour. Through consecutive "hook cycles," these products bring people back again and again without depending on costly advertising or aggressive messaging.

Hooked is based on Eyal's years of research, consulting, and practical experience. He wrote the book he wished had been available to him as a start-up founder - not abstract theory, but a how-to guide for building better products. Hooked is written for product managers, designers, marketers, start-up founders, and anyone who seeks to understand how products influence our behaviour.

Eyal provides readers with practical insights to create user habits that stick; actionable steps for building products people love; and riveting examples from the iPhone to Twitter, Pinterest and the Bible App.

Summary

Chapter 1: The Hook Model

* Introduces the Hook Model, a four-step framework for creating habit-forming products: trigger, action, reward, investment.
* Real example: The addictive game "Candy Crush Saga" uses a trigger (notifications), action (matching candies), reward (points and power-ups), and investment (leveling up).

Chapter 2: Triggers

* Explores different types of triggers, including external (e.g., notifications) and internal (e.g., emotions).
* Real example: The fitness app "Strava" uses internal triggers by creating a sense of competition and motivation through leaderboards and challenges.

Chapter 3: Actions

* Discusses the importance of designing actions that are easy, frictionless, and rewarding.
* Real example: The social media platform "Instagram" makes it easy to post photos and videos with a simple and intuitive interface.

Chapter 4: Rewards

* Explains that rewards must be variable, immediate, and relevant to be motivating.
* Real example: The payment app "Venmo" provides immediate and social rewards when payments are made with friends and family.

Chapter 5: Investments

* Describes different types of investments, including time, effort, and social connections.
* Real example: The language-learning app "Duolingo" encourages investments by tracking progress, gamifying the experience, and connecting learners with a community.

Chapter 6: The Habit Loop

* Explains how the Hook Model forms habits by creating a cycle of triggers, actions, rewards, and investments.
* Real example: The video streaming service "Netflix" creates a habit loop by providing triggers (autoplay), offering a variety of content (actions), providing immediate gratification (rewards), and encouraging investment (creating watchlists).

Chapter 7: The Hook Canvas

* Introduces a tool for designing and refining habits based on the Hook Model.
* Real example: A restaurant chain can use the Hook Canvas to create a habit-forming loyalty program that triggers visits with promotions, makes it easy to order through an app, provides rewards for repeat purchases, and encourages investments through personalized recommendations.

Chapter 8: Ethically Using the Hook Model

* Addresses concerns about the ethics of using the Hook Model to create habit-forming products.
* Real example: Social media companies can use the Hook Model responsibly by promoting positive behaviors, preventing excessive use, and respecting users' privacy.