Nir Eyal's Blog, page 27

Your World is Full of Placebo Buttons (and That’s a Good Thing)

All products and services, everything we buy and use, have but one job—to modulate our mood. The fundamental reason we use technology of all sorts, from stone tools to the latest iPhone, is to make us feel better. To prove the point, consider how perception of relief is tantamount to actual relief. Consider the so-called placebo […]

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How to Build Technology that Feels Like a Friend

It’s impossible to ignore all the buzz about AI bots. Last month, Facebook’s David Marcus announced that over 30,000 bots have been built since the opening of its Messenger app to bot developers in April. Other companies like Google, Amazon, and Slack are welcoming bot-building developers to their platforms with open arms.

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This Weird Research-Backed Goal Setting Hack Actually Works

Nir’s Note: This article on goal setting was originally published in early 2016 but got such a great reader response that I decided to expand and update it along with adding the video below. Let me know what you think in the comments. There’s a saying that you should never trust a skinny chef. By […]

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3 Pillars of the Most Successful Tech Products

If you’ve started a tech company to make a lot of money, chances are you’re bad at math—or simply delusional. Statistically speaking, your odds of a big-time payday are somewhere between zero and almost zero. Ninety-two percent of startups fail within three years. Only one percent of apps in the Apple App Store are financially successful. […]

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Here’s How to Ethically Manipulate Other People

Are we using behavioral design (and ethical manipulation) for good? How do we know? Now that we have the power to profoundly change peoples’ habits through technology, how do change behavior ethically? Manipulation Matrix   In this short video, I talk to Amir Shevat, formerly at Google and now at Slack, about a simple test for […]

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Are You a Moral Manipulator?

Are we using behavioral design for good? How do we know? Now that we have the power to profoundly change peoples’ habits through technology, how do change behavior ethically? In this short video, I talk to Amir Shevat, formally at Google and now at Slack, about a simple test for moral persuasion. Let me know what […]

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The Science of Habit-Forming Products

When Nathan Bashaw, CEO of Hardbound, reached out about doing a presentation around my book Hooked, I jumped at the chance. Let me know what you think of the format below and please share with others. </iframe

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How Two Companies Hooked Customers On Products They Rarely Use

Larry Page, CEO of Alphabet (the company formerly known as Google), has a quirky way of deciding which companies he likes. It’s called “The Toothbrush Test.” According to the New York Times, when Page looks at a potential company to acquire, he wants to know if the product is, like a toothbrush, “something you will […]

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Don’t Let Friendships Starve to Death: Use This Happiness Hack to Keep People Close

Several months ago, I wrote an article sharing a happiness hack my wife and I use to maintain and nourish close friendships. Here’s a SlideShare summary of the article. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. You may also enjoy reading: Happiness Hack: This One Ritual Made Me Much Happier

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Conquer Distractions With This Simple Chart

Is the world more distracting? Sometimes it seems that way. With our digital devices buzzing, world events demanding our attention, and more things to entertain us than ever before, it certainly seems harder to focus on what’s really important. And yet, focus is exactly what it takes to get things done and get ahead. Distraction […]

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