MENTAL MODEL · M6657

Hook Model

CreatemediumDesign Thinking

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Updated 2026-08-09

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INTRODUCTION

English translation pending.

CORE DEFINITION

The Hook Model is a four-stage cycle for designing habit-forming products, developed by Nir Eyal and published in his 2014 book Hooked. A trigger prompts the behavior, either externally through notifications or icons, or internally through an emotion the product has come to relieve. An action is the simplest behavior taken in anticipation of a reward. A variable reward delivers an outcome that varies, which sustains interest where a fixed reward would not. Investment is a user action that improves the product for future use, such as adding data or connections, and that loads the next trigger. The model assumes repeated cycles, since one pass produces use rather than a habit.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

- Use trigger mapping: list today's external cues and the internal feeling the product should eventually relieve. - Use friction removal: identify the single action that matters and cut every step before it. - Use investment design: add a step where user effort improves the next session and raises switching cost.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

Habits form when a behavior is repeated in response to a consistent cue and is followed by a reward. External triggers initiate the cycle, but the loop only becomes self-sustaining once an internal trigger, usually a negative emotion, substitutes for them. Variable rewards maintain the behavior because unpredictable outcomes sustain anticipation better than predictable ones. Investment closes the loop by making the product more valuable with use, so the user's own past effort becomes the cue for the next cycle and the reason not to leave.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Practice this model in one real situation:

Identify the external trigger that currently brings users back. 2. Name the internal emotional state the product should eventually relieve. 3. Reduce the core action to the fewest possible steps. 4. Design a reward that varies rather than one that is fixed. 5. Add an investment step whose output improves the next use.

Check to track your progress (stored locally)

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Source support: Explicit

link
en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nir_EyalZH · Explicit
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