Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products

by Nir Eyal

Seventy-nine percent of smartphone owners check their device within fifteen minutes of waking up every morning.1 Perhaps more startling, fully one-third of Americans say they would rather give up sex than lose their cell phones.2

Habits cannot form outside the Habit Zone, where the behavior occurs with enough frequency and perceived utility.

HABITS ARE NOT CREATED, THEY ARE BUILT UPON

Similarly, new habits need a foundation upon which to build. Triggers provide the basis for sustained behavior change.

External Triggers Habit-forming technologies start changing behavior by first cueing users with a call to action. This sensory stimuli is delivered through any number of things in our environment.