How to CREATE a strategy for your PRODUCT to develop HABIT?

Hi there,

If you are opening this blog then I am pretty sure you got the notification from LinkedIn in your email or Notification Tab.

And if you did not get your copy of “Zero To Everyone," I want you to get it now and cross the bridge of doubt to clarity.

Well, today we are going to discuss how habits are formed for a product and how you can do it too….

Back in the late '90s, a little company in Waterloo, Ontario, started by Michael Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie, was tinkering away on what would become the world's first smartphone.?

This device wasn't just a phone; it was a portable email terminal, complete with a full keyboard.?

The genius of BlackBerry was that it tapped into an untapped craving—constant connectivity.

Remember, this was way before the days of the iPhone or Android. People wanted to stay connected, and BlackBerry made it not only possible but also stylish.?

The device became a symbol of professional success and a must-have gadget for the elite. Figures like President Obama, Anna Wintour, and Katy Perry were often spotted with their BlackBerrys in hand, sending emails and messages on the go.

Now, here's where it gets interesting—the triggers.

BlackBerry was exceptional at finding those little hooks that turned their device from a useful tool into a daily necessity. It wasn't just about having a mobile phone; it was the seamless integration of all your communication needs into one place.?

Every buzz or ding from a BlackBerry was a potential new message, an urgent email, or an important update. It created a habit loop—cue, action, reward—that kept users coming back.

Crafting a Habit-Forming Strategy for Your Product

In today's competitive market, creating a product that users not only need but habitually use, can significantly determine its success.?

Here’s how you can develop a strategy that turns your product into a daily habit for users.

1. Minimize the Path to Value

One of the most effective strategies to build user habits is to shorten the distance between the user's initial interaction and the realization of value.?

For instance, allow users to experience the benefits of your product without barriers like mandatory sign-ups. This could mean providing a part of your service without requiring account creation. Think of it as letting them taste the food before buying the meal, ensuring they recognize its value upfront.

2. Increase Usage Frequency

Encourage daily or frequent use of your product. This can be achieved by integrating your service into platforms your customers use regularly.?

For example, Grammarly offers extensions for Chrome, Word, and Google Docs, which embeds its utility into everyday tasks, increasing the likelihood of habitual use. Additionally, implement strategies like triggered emails or personalized notifications that remind users to engage with your product.

3. Eliminate Friction

Continuously identify and remove barriers that may disrupt the user experience. This involves streamlining processes, enhancing user interface design, and ensuring that your product performs seamlessly across all user touchpoints. Regularly ask for feedback and use it to refine and simplify the user journey.

4. Enhance User Support

Offer robust in-app support, such as live chat, to assist users whenever they encounter issues. Immediate support not only solves user problems but also builds trust and reliability, encouraging continued use of the product.

5. Encourage Personal Investment

Get users to invest in your product personally. This could be through customizable features like adding personal vocabulary in a language learning app, or a profile image in a social media app. The more users personalize the product, the more invested they feel, and the more likely they are to keep coming back.

6. Leverage Positive Reinforcement

Integrate elements of positive reinforcement similar to those used in video games and gambling. This could include sending congratulatory messages for milestones or incorporating celebratory graphics when a user completes a task.?

For instance, Lemlist uses positive imagery and celebration notifications to create a rewarding and enjoyable user experience. These small doses of 'achievement' boost user satisfaction and encourage routine usage.

Thanks to Nir Eyal and his well known book “HOOKED” for figuring this out.

Well , whats next then.

I've created a spreadsheet that can help someone starting their business to evaluate different features that could turn their product into a habit-forming one.?

The spreadsheet includes columns for various inputs and a ranking system to prioritize features based on their potential impact and ease of implementation.

Spreadsheet Structure

• Feature: The specific functionality or aspect of the product.
• Market Research Input: Insights from market research that justify the need for this feature.
• Inputs from Similar Products: Observations from similar products in the market.
• Human Behavior Insights: Psychological or behavioral reasons why this feature might be effective.
• Ease of Implementation (1-5): How easy it is to implement this feature, with 1 being very difficult and 5 being very easy.
• Potential Impact on Habit Formation (1-5): The potential this feature has to encourage habitual use of the product, with 5 being the highest.
• Overall Priority Score (1-10): A combined score that takes into account all factors to help prioritize which features to implement first.

How to Use This Spreadsheet

• Fill in the Data: Based on your own market research, insights from similar products, and understanding of human behavior, fill in the rows with potential features for your product.
• Rank Each Feature: Assess each feature on 'Ease of Implementation' and 'Potential Impact on Habit Formation' based on your findings.
• Calculate Overall Priority: You can adjust the formula for 'Overall Priority Score' to weigh different factors according to your strategy. A simple way could be to average the 'Ease of Implementation' and 'Potential Impact' scores.
• Prioritize Implementation: Use the 'Overall Priority Score' to determine which features to implement first. Higher scores indicate a higher priority.

Building a habit-forming product is less about the product itself and more about how users interact with it. By ensuring that users find immediate value, facilitating frequent use, reducing friction, providing excellent support, encouraging personal investment, and using positive reinforcement, you can create a compelling user experience that naturally evolves into a habit.?

This strategic approach not only enhances user retention but also fosters a loyal customer base that sees your product as an essential part of their daily routine.

That's all I have for today… see you in the next post.