Oxytocin vs Serotonin: Design Belonging, Not Dominance
Most “social” features in modern products fail because the team building them never decided which feeling they were…
Work with Yu-kai
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.
From Wanting to Protecting: The Ownership Lifecycle
Ownership is one of the most underestimated forces in product design. The moment a user feels something is…
Beyond Badges: Deep Accomplishment in Game Design
Core Drive 2, Development and Accomplishment, sits at the heart of what makes people feel satisfied with progress.…
Framework Creation Methodology: How I Build Models That Last
Over the past two decades, I’ve built a systematic approach to framework creation methodology that has enabled me…
Behavior Change Design: The Fish on the Beach Framework
Most people fail at behavior change design because they misunderstand the problem. You see someone struggling with a…
Streak Design: From Motivation to Burnout Prevention
Streak design has become one of the most powerful tools in gamification, and one of the most misused.…
Onboarding Design: The First 5 Minutes That Matter
I’ve spent over two decades studying what makes people stick with products, and I keep seeing the same…