Reviews

Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal

heysunbee's review against another edition

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informative fast-paced

3.25

ladyars's review against another edition

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3.0

Good book. A great intro to some of the research behind forming habits and psychology (borrows heavily from the work by B.J. Fogg) and some interesting insights about applying the findings to a real project. However, it's not exhaustive. Think of it as an 101 class on habit forming.

annguyen98789's review against another edition

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3.0

The things talked about in this book run your life and fuel your technological addictions and you're not even aware of it

elizabacelar's review against another edition

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4.0

A very interesting read if you're hooked to anything, but particularly to technology in any way, shape or form. I've heard of this book as 'the Bible of any tech start-up' on how to build a strong audience and client base for your app, and it's true, but I chose to read as the other side of the coin - i.e. the one hooked - to better understand the mechanisms and engineering that is put into changing behaviors, building strong triggers, how they use everyday cues and what rewards are the most explored on a conscious or, most often, unconscious level. In some ways, I did get my answer, especially in the first half because Nir truly breaks down all the elements present intrinsically in our everyday since ever; and how those pesky apps are solving these deep-set cravings all too well. I want to investigate even further on the subject (perhaps re-reading Duhiggs' Power of the Habit?) and change my own destructive and non -productive behaviors and habits from the root. If that's you too, another fantastic read is James Clear's Atomic Habits.

ichbinkreativ's review against another edition

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informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

rozeeta_kumar's review against another edition

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informative medium-paced

3.5

apfelahmed's review against another edition

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4.0

I read a lot of articles about how some clever people design and implement addicted products and services.

What this book add to my knowledge, is the the tighten workflow of how to initiate this addiction relationship with the customer and how to maintain it.

This is very recommended for you in case you are in the process of designing a new product or service.

skylit's review against another edition

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4.0

(E-Book) good insight on how people can hook users into their products. It helped me reflect on some of my behaviors and how I utilize technology today as well as more awareness in identifying potential problem points in my daily life that I wish someone would solve for me. Instructional yet interesting, great for anyone starting a business or designing a product in hopes of future monetary success.

levininja's review against another edition

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5.0

Really excellent short read about how to make habit forming digital products. Loved this hook cycle and all the examples.

The ethical implications of having this knowledge is profound. He has a chapter about how you need to consider the ethics, including a really interesting four quadrants chart about the ethics of manipulation. Clearly one quadrant is definitely ethical and ideally we would always develop products this way, and one is definitely not. The other two are problematic in different ways which he explains.

But my question is: did Nir consider the ethics of making this book? How many of his readers are going to make ethical vs non ethical products? If the negative results outweigh the positive, wouldn’t it have been better for him to have never published this book to begin with? Normally I’m all about publishing information but my perception is that the vast majority of apps are not being developed altruistically. The vast majority of social media, video games, and certain other categories of apps definitely have a much more negative effect on society than positive. There are some categories that are more positive and many that are neutral. I don’t know. As a software engineer myself, this whole question has had me in a quandary for a while.

changdrew's review against another edition

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3.0

i did not cry