{"id":16071,"date":"2020-10-08T15:30:00","date_gmt":"2020-10-08T19:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=16071"},"modified":"2026-01-22T15:07:36","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T19:07:36","slug":"hooked-loop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/hooked-loop\/","title":{"rendered":"Hooked Loop: How Manipulative Can You Be?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is the Hooked <\/em>loop? Is manipulation using the Hooked <\/em>loop ethical or not?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hooked <\/em>loop is the cycle of trigger, action, reward, and investment that has the potential to addict customers. The Manipulation Matrix evaluates when the Hooked <\/em>loop is being used for good or evil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more about the Hooked <\/em>loop and the Manipulation Matrix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Manipulation Matrix Using the Hooked<\/em> Loop<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With great power comes great responsibility. You\u2019ve now learned how to build products that change people\u2019s behaviors, be persuasive, and manipulate people into doing things they might not naturally do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This can sound evil. Yet many successful products ranging in morality manipulate people\u2019s behavior. Why is Weight Watchers any better than slot machines? How do we distinguish good habit forming from bad?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hooked<\/em> provides the useful Manipulation Matrix, which can help you examine whether you should be attempting to hook your users. Depending on whether you believe your product improves the user\u2019s life<\/strong> and whether you use the product yourself<\/strong>, you fit into these profiles:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/td>Maker does not use it<\/strong><\/td>Maker uses it<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Materially improves the user\u2019s life<\/strong><\/td>Peddler<\/td>Facilitator<\/td><\/tr>
Does not improve the user\u2019s life<\/strong><\/td>Dealer<\/td>Entertainer<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

While your bin placement doesn\u2019t guarantee success, morality, or market size, they do affect your chances of success. Businesses in different bins have different properties in their use of the Hooked<\/em> loop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Facilitator<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

You create something you would use and earnestly believe makes the user\u2019s life better. These tend to be healthy habits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You cannot consider yourself a facilitator unless you\u2019ve experienced the problem yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because you have the problem yourself, you know the user well, and are often best positioned to solve the user\u2019s problems.<\/strong> This increases your chance of success<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If it\u2019s something you would have used earlier in life but wouldn\u2019t today, then the longer the time difference, the lower your odds of success. For instance, if you\u2019re building a product for apartment renting, but you\u2019ve owned a house for 10 years, you\u2019re likely out of touch with what users want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is still a risk of addiction for even the most healthy products, but luckily the rate is low (<1%), and the benefits likely outweigh the cons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peddler<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

You create something you don\u2019t use yourself, but you believe improves the user\u2019s life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n