Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products

By separating the verses into small chunks, users find the Bible easier to read on a daily basis; not knowing what the next verse will be adds a variable reward.

Like a book that is dog-eared and filled with scribbled insights and wisdom, the app becomes a treasured asset that won’t easily be discarded. The more readers use the Bible App, the more valuable it becomes to them. Switching to a different digital Bible—God forbid—becomes less likely with each new revelation users type into (or extract from) the

habit-forming

invest in their

“Share Verse of the Day.” One click and the daily scripture is blasted to Facebook or Twitter.

The Bible App increases users’ ability to take action by front-loading interesting content and providing an alternative audio version.

Sift through

The Bible App is designed to make absorbing the Word as frictionless as possible. For example, to make the Bible App habit easier to adopt, users who prefer listening over reading can simply tap a small icon to play an audio track read with the dramatic bravado of Charlton Heston himself.

triggers play an important role in every reading plan. On my own plan, I receive a daily notification—an owned external trigger—on my phone. It simply says, “Don’t forget to read your Addictions reading plan.” Ironically, the addiction I’m trying to cure is my dependency on digital gadgetry, but what the hell, I’ll fall off the wagon just this once