Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products

A must read for all product marketers looking to increase customer engagement with products In today’s competitive, digital and AI landscape, creating a product that not only sells but becomes an integral part of customers daily routine is the holy grail for product marketers Nir Eyal, provides compelling roadmap to achieve just this. Here’s the breakdown that highlights key takeaways and their applications for marketing leaders Nir Eyal, ends the book with critical reflection on the 𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗰𝘀 of these techniques, it’s our responsibility to use these insights to enhance customer experience, not to exploit them. Nir Eyal’s wisdom is roadmap for creating products that stick. He says ”𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲” = 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 Product marketers can use knowledge responsibly and shape products that aren’t just part of the routine but improve everyday life. Happy Reading!

This book is practical. The way everything is explained has a great flow. I can apply to products with ease. Will be of great help in my product management journey. Definitely going to keep a short note of all the important points described and will refer in future for my products. Will post it on my LinkedIn so that everyone gets benefitted from this book, especially people who haven't read. Thank you so much for writing such a great book.

This book explores how companies design products to create internal triggers, turning them into habits. Through clear examples, it reveals the psychology behind why we keep coming back to certain products and how businesses tap into our emotions and routines. A must-read for marketers and anyone curious about how habits shape consumer behavior.

"This book offers invaluable insights into the psychology behind creating products that captivate and retain users. Highly recommended for anyone involved in product development. Whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting out, 'Hooked' provides practical strategies to build products that people not only use but also love. An essential read for anyone looking to create successful and engaging products."

Good

Very insightful, the author goes straight into strategies that can be applied.

Why do some products capture our attention while others don’t? What makes us return to one particular product over and over again? What does habit have to do with choice? Take smartphones, for example. The fact remains we are hooked to them such that we pick them up instinctively. The urge to check our social media feed for a few minutes only to realise we are still scrolling an hour later is how these platforms have engineered a habit in us. The products and services we use habitually alter our behaviour to ‘hook’ us to them so strongly that we tend to overlook its competitors, though they may be better. These hooks can be found in almost every experience that burrows into our mind and wallets. How can you create such a ‘habit-forming product to hook your customer? The author explains that the first step to understanding the Hooked Model is to understand the habit zone: Why are habits important and how do they benefit your product. As he then elaborates, there are four steps to the Hooked Model: 1. Trigger 2. Action 3. Variable Reward 4. Investment While the book demonstrates the model’s concept using examples from well know tech companies, the fundamentals are applicable to all product types. The idea is to use this model to ask the right questions pertaining to your product and its customer. The Hooked model will not only help the product creator generate a prototype for habit forming technology, it can also be used to uncover potential weaknesses in an existing product’s habit forming potential. All these, together, improve your product’s marketability and performance. As Nir Eyal says, “We often think the Internet enables you to do new things … But people just want to do the same things they’ve always done.

It's an amazing book. I wanted the hardcover for my display. Got this. Don't think this is a original book. Seems little off from the photos on amazon. Paper quality is the best I've seen. The only problem I have is with the pictures, images and figures in the book have very dark printing that it's almost illegible. It ruins the reading experience. Also there's no title below the dust cover. The one I got also seems it has been on the shelf or storage for a long time.

本を読む醍醐味は多くの人が知らない事を知れる事ですが、その観点においてもこの本は非常に優れています。 既にこういった人達が仕掛けた習慣はあまりに強力すぎる故、依存症とまで呼ばれるようになってきました。そこの是非はさておき、それだけ強力に脳を支配して人間の行動を変えてしまう技術、それを体系化した素晴らしい本です。比較的読みやすい英語で書かれていた為スムーズに読めました。

This is an excellent primer on the ‘value unit’, the individual nugget that fuels the network effect, and helps explain what makes some products world-beating. Eyal explains how products are addictive, with a simple four-step model: - Trigger -What internal trigger is the product addressing or what external trigger gets the user to the product? - Action – What is the simplest behaviour in anticipation of reward? - Reward – Is the reward fulfilling, yet leaves the user wanting more? - Investment – What ‘bit of work’ is done to increase the likelihood of returning? For each stage of the model, there is an explanation of the science behind with some real-world examples of how these are implemented in products we all know. The great news is that the science is simply explained, and not too academic – and at the end of the chapters there is a list of key takeaways coupled with some practical actions you can take to help the design of your product. Later in the book, there is a chapter that deals with the ethical concerns of building an addictive product and an excellent case study of how to apply the theory in a real-world situation. Hooked is concise enough that it can be read in a couple of days, but comprehensive enough that you can walk away with a clear understanding of how products become addictive, and how you can design products that people cannot put down. I’d highly recommend Hooked to anyone that is looking to increase customer engagement with their product.

This book lays out important information in simple language and conceptual models about why people do the things they do and how to leverage that information ethically to build and sustain strong customer-client relationships. Of course this book is great for anyone with a business. But I discovered it’s also helpful in therapeutic practices that serve clients as opposed to customers. Behaviour analysts and psychologists will appreciate the reader-friendly and insightful interpretation of key behavioural and psychological concepts and be inspired to use these concepts to improve issues in their work such as therapeutic program retention or drop out of clients.

Goed geschreven boek en praktisch toepasbaar! De duidelijke voorbeelden en casestudies geven diepgang op hetgeen de auteur aan de lezer wil overbrengen.

I am still reading the book, however so far I like this book as it opens up a unique thought process of focusing on products that build a habit in users. This will make the products successful. Techniques and case studies mentioned are quite valuable.