Why are these sites so addictive and what does their power mean for the future of the web? Why do these sites control users’ minds and what is their power for the web as a whole, and how can we stop them? Let’s examine why they are so addictive.
The Hook Model
Just amassing millions of users is no longer good enough.
What is the Hook Model?
The Hook Model is a way of describing a user’s interactions with a product as they pass through four phases: a trigger to begin using the product, an action to satisfy the trigger, a variable reward for the action, and some type of investment that, ultimately, makes the product more valuable to the user.
- A company that manufactures desire by guiding users through a series of experiences designed to create habits calls these experiences “Hooks.”
The cycle in the Hook Model is comprised of a Trigger, Action, Reward, and Investment.
Triggers come in two types: external and internal
- Habit-forming technologies start by alerting users with external triggers like an email, a link on a web site, or the app icon on a phone
- By cycling continuously through these hooks, users form associations with internal triggers, which become attached to existing behaviors and emotions
- To increase the odds of a user taking the intended action, the behavior designer makes the action as easy as possible, while simultaneously boosting the user’s motivation
- The last phase of the Hook is where the user is asked to do bit of work
- Companies leverage two pulleys of human behavior – motivation and ability – to ensure that the user acts the way the designer intends
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