Hooked
by Nir Eyal · first published 2014
46% recommend43% neutral11% critical
Why HN recommends it
Accessible, actionable look at the psychology of habit-forming products: triggers, actions, and variable rewards. Suits product managers, founders, and programmers wanting a behavioral view of engagement.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Why do some products capture widespread attention while others flop? What makes us engage with certain products out of sheer habit? Is there a pattern unlying how technologies hook us? Nir Eyal answers these questions (and many more) by explaining the Hook Model - a four-step process embedded into the products of many successful companies to subtly encourage customer behavior. Through consecutive "hook cycles," these products reach their ultimate goal of bringing users back again and again without depending on costly advertising or aggressive messaging. Hooked is based on Eyal's years of resea
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Mentions per year
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…visits) and underperformance of boys in the real world (e.g. low college enrollment). If you are trying to make an addictive app, this is a good reference to understand the science: https://www.amazon.com/Hooked-How-Build-Habit-Forming-Produc... BJ Fogg is a good reference too: https://www.bjfogg.com
on “Meta Designed Products to Capitalize on Teen Vulnerabilities, States Allege” ↗"Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products" by Nir Eyal and Ryan Hoover is a really interesting read on this subject. For me it was eye-opening to think about app development from a behavioral and psychological…
on “Why your favorite apps are designed to addict you” ↗Upvoted just for the idea. It's definitely something I need. I'll give it a try! I highly recommend reading Nir Eyal's book Hooked, which may provide some additional insight into making this product work.
on “Show HN: BookBuddy helps you maintain a steady reading habit” ↗The Classic "HOWTO" for software: Hooked by Nir Eyal (2009) https://amzn.com/dp/B00LMGLXTS A New "History": Irresistible by Adam Alter (2017) https://amzn.com/dp/1594206643/ Your Recommendation: Addiction by Design by Natasha Dow Schüll (2014)…
on “Big brother is here, and his name is Facebook” ↗I´ve read a book recently called "Hooked" by Nir Eyal. https://www.amazon.de/Hooked-How-Build-Habit-Forming-Product... It´s exactly about this topic. He also gives quite a few examples of the achievements of Apple and so on. Really interesting.
on “Manipulating Human Psychology To Turn Users Into Addicts” ↗The Sun Also Rises - Hemingway ( great book ) Hooked How to Build Habit-Forming Products - Nir Eyal ( great book very insightful ) The Power of Habit - Charles Duhigg ( interesting topic, long book ) Bandit Algorithms - John White ( great book, very short…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?” ↗"Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products" by Nir Eyal - I'm reading it myself. I think it's really useful for those doing product development/management and building user engagement. http://www.amazon.com/Hooked-How-Build-Habit-Forming-Product...
on “Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?” ↗…Facebook is highly optimized for being addictive. They A/B test the addiction out of it! There's a GREAT book that I am careful recommending as indeed I think it explores ideas that can be abused easily: Hooked, how to build habit-forming products ( https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hooked-How-Build-Habit-Forming-Prod... )
on “Removing Home Internet Is the Most Productive Thing I've Done” ↗…mental state though and if they've anything else going on. Lack of friends in 'real' life etc might lead people to over compensate on platforms like this. A good read on what makes a product addictive is Hooked: A Guide to Building Habit-Forming Products ( https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hooked-Guide-Building-Habit-Forming... )
on “Ask HN: How can HN be more addictive than Reddit?” ↗Hooked by Nir Eyal is pretty good as a basis and 7 powers by Helmer breaks it down in a more technical sense. Found those books pretty insightful but each business will probably have unique problems in their…
on “Ask HN: Best books for developing a business strategy specifically for startups?” ↗…PRD, just copy the process and simplfy it. Don't use them how they use like. Why? Because you don't need that complicated process w/ 6 people) In terms of books, there are only few great ones like; - Hooked by Nir Eyal - Inspired by Marty Cagan - Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman (Not a PM book but you should read as a PM)
on “Ask HN: Product management tips and book recommendations for startups” ↗Looking back my too three are: Hooked by Nir Eyal Viral Loop by Adam L. Penenberg Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
on “Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?” ↗I have every intention of encouraging my daughter to read books like Hooked[1] to understand why these experiences are designed the way they are. I have every intention of helping her develop a personal philosophy that helps her navigate through the world in the face of easy…
on “Marc Andreessen's AI manifesto hurts his own cause” ↗…many novel endless handkerchiefs. You mount them on your profile page like boar heads on a hunters wall. This pride is tied to happiness and you know how to hunt for more. I highly recommend the book Hooked by Nir Eyal[0]. It is the book that effortlessly detailed how to build short form video networks (as well as other addicting software over the last 10+ years). The people who built this stuff read it…
on “Smartphones and being present” ↗Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products Book by Nir Eyal
on “Ask HN: What are some interesting books you read in 2017?” ↗