The Law of Small Numbers: Why Your Brain Fails at Statistics
I teach behavioral design for a living. I’ve spent two decades studying what makes people do things. And…
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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.
Graduated Achievement Design: Stars, Badges, and Collection Sets
Here’s the problem with most achievement systems: they exist on a single dimension. You either earned the badge…
The Plausibility Detector: How to Raise Critical Thinkers
Most parents are training their children to obey. They think they’re teaching critical thinking because they ask “Why…
The Startup Revenue Equation: How to Go from $0 to $1M
Most startup advice is either inspirational fluff (“follow your passion!”) or Silicon Valley mythology (“raise a seed round,…
Why Every Motivation Framework Is Missing Half the Picture
Every few years, a new motivation framework captures the business world’s imagination. Daniel Pink’s Drive. Ryan and Deci’s…
3 Types of Motivation That Explain All Human Behavior
I’ve spent twenty years mapping the types of motivation that drive every human decision. And for most of…
Why Virtual Rewards Beat Physical Prizes
A fired employee walked back into the office. Not to beg for his job back. Not to collect…