Blog 24: User actions in anticipation of a reward (Hooked model)

• In continuation from blog 23…

• Action, the second step, is the simplest behaviour in anticipation of a reward.

• Excerpts from the book:

  • “To increase the desired behaviour (from user), ensure a clear trigger is present”

  • “Make the action easier to do”

• Every behaviour is driven by one of three core motivators (e.g., social media apps):

  • Seeking pleasure and avoiding pain

  • Seeking hope and avoiding fear

  • Seeking social acceptance while avoiding social rejection

  
  

• Product designers utilise many of the hundreds of heuristics to increase the likelihood of a user's desired action.

• Heuristics (mental shortcuts) are shortcuts adopted to help users make quick decisions.

• For example, one can refer to the 10 usability heuristics proposed by Jakob Nielsen.

The book has highlighted some key pointers with respect to user actions:

• Walk through the path your users would take to use your product from the time …

• … they feel their internal trigger to the point they receive their expected outcome.

• How many steps does it take before users obtain the reward they came for?

• How does this process compare with the simplicity of some of the best-in-class apps?

• Finally, dig deeper to understand what is limiting your users to accomplish the tasks that will become habits. Is it?

  • time or

  • brain cycles (i.e., too confusing) or

  • money or

  • social deviance outside the norm or

  • too much physical effort or

  • too new

• Once you identify the limiting factors, brainstorm three testable ways to make the intended tasks easier to accomplish.

• Also consider how you might apply heuristics (or mental shortcuts) to make habit forming actions more likely. For example, one can refer to the 10 usability heuristics proposed by Jakob Nielsen.

Continue reading about the Hooked Model by Nir Eyal (Blog 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)

Jump to blog 100 to refer to the overall product management mind map.

All the best!