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1646: Hooking Users In 3 Steps: An Intro to Habit Testing by Nir Eyal of NirAndFar

Apr 3, 2025

Nir Eyal reveals how to hook users using a simple three-step framework: trigger, action, and reward. He emphasizes the importance of understanding user psychology in product design. By analyzing user habits, companies can create products that keep users engaged and coming back for more. The discussion also touches on how investing time into a product increases its perceived value. Eyal highlights the power of habit formation in tech giants like Apple and Google, encouraging entrepreneurs to apply behavior engineering.

11:51

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Quick takeaways

Nir Eyal emphasizes that understanding user behavior patterns is crucial for identifying habitual users and their engagement triggers.

The three-step Hook model—trigger, action, reward—provides a framework for entrepreneurs to create habit-forming products that enhance user loyalty.

Deep dives

Understanding Habit Testing

Habit testing is a method used by consumer web companies to build products that not only attract users but also keep them engaged. This approach aligns with the build, measure, learn framework of lean startups, offering a way to make data actionable. It clarifies who the devoted users are, identifies what aspects of a product are habit-forming, and explains why those elements resonate with users. By defining user behavior realistically, entrepreneurs can craft strategies tailored to their audience, thus enhancing user engagement.

Intro

2min

Harnessing Habit Testing for User Engagement

6min

Creating Habit-Forming Products for User Engagement

3min

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Episode 1646:

Nir Eyal breaks down the psychology behind user engagement through a simple three-step framework: trigger, action, and reward. He explains how companies can design products that create lasting habits by tapping into users’ internal motivations and building feedback loops that keep them coming back.

Read along with the original article(s) here: https://www.nirandfar.com/2012/04/hooking-users-in-3-steps.html

Quotes to ponder:

"Habits are defined as behaviors done with little or no conscious thought."

"The more users invest time and effort into a product, the more they value it."

"The Hook model has three steps: a trigger, an action, and a variable reward."

Episode references:

BJ Fogg's Behavior Model: https://www.behaviormodel.org/

Skinner’s Variable Rewards Study: https://psychology.fandom.com/wiki/B._F._Skinner

Hooked: https://www.amazon.com/Hooked-How-Build-Habit-Forming-Products/dp/1591847788

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