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…
Work with Yu-kai
The Blog
Gamification Analysis
Articles on Gamification Analysis — from Yu-kai Chou, creator of the Octalysis Framework.
VIA Character Strengths: An S-Tier Behavioral Designer’s Guide
Implementing a rewards program is only half the battle – the most important part is getting your customer…
Savoring: An S-Tier Behavioral Designer’s Guide to Bryant & Veroff
Most “positive psychology” advice tells you to feel more good things. Savoring is the only research program that…
Gratitude Interventions: An S-Tier Behavioral Designer’s Guide
I’ve spent over two decades watching wellness apps copy each other’s gratitude features without naming the research underneath…
Why Does VR Engagement Always Die Right After the Wow?
Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest 3 dazzle for thirty minutes, then sit in drawers. Yu-kai Chou explains…
Why Does Meaningful Work Always Lose to Urgent Work?
Yu-kai Chou on why meaningful work loses to urgent work, and the two-method playbook for fixing it: wrap…
Did Mark Rober Misname the Super Mario Effect?
Mark Rober’s TEDxPenn talk on the Super Mario Effect has done something rare for a piece of motivation…
Implementation Intentions: An S-Tier Behavioral Designer’s Guide to If-Then Planning
Short answer: An implementation intention is a plan of the form “If situation X happens, then I will…
McClelland’s Theory of Needs: An S-Tier Behavioral Designer’s Guide
Harvard psychologist David McClelland's Theory of Needs says adult motivation sorts into three learned drives — achievement, affiliation,…