Sunk Cost Prison: Why Users Can’t Leave Apps They Already Hate
The sunk cost fallacy is why smart people keep pouring money into projects they secretly wish had never…
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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.
How AI Is Already Transforming Games: 17 Examples Analyzed Through Octalysis (Part 2)
See 17 real games using AI, from adaptive enemies to generative worlds, analyzed through the Octalysis Framework to…
7 Ways to Improve Team Communication Using the Octalysis Framework
Team communication improves when leaders design for motivation, clarity, and trust instead of adding more meetings, more channels,…
Your Waist Knows More Than MyFitnessPal: What 7,853 Americans’ Health Data Actually Shows
I spent $1,500 on AI tools to analyze health data from 159 countries and 6,000 Americans. Sugar doesn't…
“You’ve Been Played” Book Review: Gamification’s Most Important Critic Is (Mostly) Right
Adrian Hon’s “You’ve Been Played” is one of the most credible attacks on gamification in print. But most…
Revolutionary Biology: Why a Caterpillar Dissolving Into Soup Challenges Everything We Think About Evolution
I believe in evolution. I just don't believe in revolution. And biology has both. Natural selection explains adaptation…
How the 8 Core Drives Interact: Cocktail Effects, Chains, and the Over-Justification Trap
Yu-kai Chou explains how Core Drives chain, combine, and sometimes cancel each other out, using Octalysis examples like…
The Octalysis Design Process: 5 Steps to Better Gamification Strategy
Yu-kai Chou breaks down the 5-step Octalysis design process, from Strategy Dashboard and brainstorming to prioritization, Battleplan planning,…
The Hidden 9th Core Drive: Why Sensation Sits Outside Octalysis
Yu-kai Chou explains Core Drive 9: Sensation, why it sits outside the Octalysis octagon, and when sensory design…