Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products

Начало книги

Note: Some sections of this book have appeared in articles previously published by the author.

INTRODUCTION

79 percent of smartphone owners check their device within 15 minutes of waking up every morning.[i] Perhaps more startling, fully one-third of Americans say they would rather give up sex than lose their cell phones.[ii]

A 2011 university study suggested people check their phones 34 times per day.[iii] However, industry insiders believe that number is closer to an astounding 150 daily sessions.[iv]

Face it, we’re hooked.

The technologies we use have turned into compulsions, if not full-fledged addictions. It’s the impulse to check a message notification. It’s the pull to visit YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter for just a few minutes, only to find yourself still tapping and scrolling an hour later. It’s the urge you likely feel throughout your day but hardly notice.

Cognitive psychologists define habits as, “automatic behaviors triggered by situational cues:” things we do with little or no conscious thought.[v] The products and services we use habitually alter our everyday behavior, just as their designers intended.[vi] Our actions have been engineered.

Читать дальше →