Hope Theory by Snyder: An S-Tier Behavioral Designer’s Guide
Snyder's Hope Theory breaks hope into goals, pathways, and agency: three measurable components that predict performance beyond IQ.…
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.
Booster Design: Why Some Rewards Force You to Keep Playing
Last month I sat with a client whose loyalty program was technically a triumph. Nine hundred thousand active…
Main Character Energy Is a Design Pattern, Not a Vibe
Main character energy isn't a personality trait. It's a 6-step identity design system. Here's the Octalysis-backed framework to…
Desired Actions: An S-Tier Behavioral Designer’s Guide
I’ve sat in maybe two hundred gamification briefings over the last fifteen years, and roughly one hundred and…
Moral Licensing: An S-Tier Behavioral Designer’s Guide
Monin & Miller's moral licensing finding explained: how virtue licenses subsequent deviation, the replication-crisis-corrected effect size, and Octalysis…
Why Does WoW’s Real Game Begin After You Reach Max Level?
WoW quietly swaps your progression bar at max level. Item level replaces character level. Why every product loses…
Why Do Most Wireframes Quietly Kill Engagement?
Most gamification projects don’t fail at the strategy stage. They fail in Step 5. The Strategy Dashboard is…