The Science of Sticky Apps
The full scientific stack behind habit-forming mobile apps: the dopamine of anticipation, B.F. Skinner's variable rewards, Fogg's B=MAP and Eyal's Hook Model, loss aversion and the streak, gamification and Octalysis, network effects and viral K-factors, retention and the Aha moment, the design patterns — and the ethics of it all, from FarmVille to TikTok.
797 cards11 lessonsFree
STICKY APPS · FACT
It started with a dissertation
The lineage of sticky design starts not with a product manager but with a Stanford doctoral student. BJ Fogg's 1993 dissertation, Charismatic Computers, showed for the first time that computers could change human thoughts and behaviors in predictable ways.
Ten of its 797 cards, from the same pack file the app reads.
11 lessons.
Each lesson has a study guide to read and objectives you can test yourself on. Its cards and games show up in your feed.
- 01
How We Got Here
Captology & the persuasion roots · Social games & the mobile Skinner box · Hooked and the algorithm era
- 02
The Brain Chemistry of Engagement
Dopamine: wanting, not liking · The four neurochemicals · The Default Mode Network
- 03
The Psychological Frameworks
The Hook Model · Fogg's B=MAP & loss aversion · Flow, difficulty & open loops
- 04
Gamification Mechanics
PBL & Octalysis · The streak mechanic (Duolingo) · Goal gradient & reward schedules
- 05
Social Architecture & Network Effects
What network effects are · The social graph moat · Viral mechanics & FOMO · TikTok's interest graph
- 06
Engineering Viral Growth
The K-factor · The three growth loops · Shareable artifacts & referrals
- 07
Retention Architecture
Onboarding & the Aha Moment · Push notifications · Investment & cohort retention
- 08
Design Patterns & Ethics
Core loop & notifications · Social sequencing & onboarding · Ethical design guardrails · People, Places, Things, Events
- 09
Case Studies in Stickiness
Duolingo: the gamification benchmark · TikTok & Instagram · Snapchat & FarmVille
- 10
Who's Who & What's What of Stickiness
The people behind the playbook · The frameworks and effects · Right or Wrong: spot the mechanic
- 11
Essential Vocabulary & Quick Recall
Brain & behavior terms · Framework & gamification terms · Social & growth terms · Retention & metrics terms · Quick recall (mixed)
- Cards
- 797
- Lessons
- 11
- Version
- 1.0.2
- Language
- English
The whole pack is one file. Read the pack file ↗
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