Mouse to Horse: Iterative Game Loop Design
Most teams launch a horse leg. Then an eye. Then a tail. Then they wonder why nothing works.…
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The Blog
Ideas on motivation, behavior & design.
Deep dives on the psychology behind why people do what they do — from Yu-kai Chou, creator of the Octalysis Framework. Pick the topic that matters to you.
Minimal Threshold Personalization: The Personal Touch Framework
Minimal Threshold Personalization: Why Almost Any Personal Touch Works (Until It Doesn’t) By Yu-kai Chou The core question…
Recovery-First Streak Design: Bringing Back Lost Users
It’s not about how long you keep going. It’s about how often you recover from a setback. I…
Narrative as a Gamification Engine: Story-Driven Design
I’ve spent the last twenty years studying what makes people care. Not superficially care, the kind of “I’ll…
The Octalysis Scoring Method: Diagnose Any Experience
You want to understand what makes a product addictive. What keeps people coming back. What drives them away.…
Frequency-Based Strategy: Why Booking.com Tactics Kill Amazon
By Yu-kai Chou | Behavioral Design Insights Every day I see companies making the same mistake. They see…
Endgame Dead-Ends: Why Your Best Users Leave
There’s a moment in every habit-building product where your most engaged users suddenly disappear. Not because they hated…