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> The chief products of the tech industry are (in B2C) developing new habits among consumers This was a profound revelation I didn't realize until I read it ju

> The chief products of the tech industry are (in B2C) developing new habits among consumers This was a profound revelation I didn't realize until I read it just now. Facebook, Google, Amazon, etc. have all done so well by starting a habit for their users. ("Check Facebook daily to see what your friends are up to." "Google it whenever you need info." "Buy your stuff conveniently on Amazon when you don't want to go to the store.") I think this approach can work great for even non-tech industries. It definitely worked for Starbucks ("Gotta get my morning Starbucks"). I think lots of industries are ripe for "habit-ifying", and I'm going to pursue that further. Brilliant insight.

eponeponepon 9y ago
> I think lots of industries are ripe > for "habit-ifying", and I'm going > to pursue that further. Brilliant > insight. This is, of course, the same insight that the gambling and tobacco industries and cults thrive on. Not talking you down - just reminding you never to forget the moral angle.
- r00fus 9y ago
  Is it a moral issue if the habit a starts a virtuous cycle? Like my Apple Watch making me exercise more?
  - ZenoArrow 9y ago
    Yes, it can still be a moral issue (I'd prefer to use 'quality of life' rather than moral, as the term moral implies a certain level of judgement of the choices of others, and I'd rather be focused on making those judgements over my own choices). Use of technology can both help and hinder us. On the negative side, we can become dependent on it, and that dependency does not always enhance our lives. Even in the case of your Apple Watch making you exercise more, used in moderation you can get the benefits without too many downsides, but it can also become a device that distracts you from the world around you, disconnecting you from experiences that you could get by being more fully in the moment. To be clear, this isn't an issue solely limited to use of technology, but the more devices we have and use the more easily distracted we become. The ideal for companies is to have all our life's needs and wants fulfilled by companies. If they can do so by suggesting there's a hole you need to fill by buying their products, and you become unhappy if you don't have it, is this a healthy trend? What if you were generally happy before this marketing campaign started?
  - aalleavitch 9y ago
    It's pretty important to be constantly evaluating the ethical implications of what you're producing. I can't speak for larger companies, but I get the impression that ethics in software development is not nearly as emphasized as it should be. Even the tech guys/gals should be highly concerned with how their product affects their users' overall well-being (or the well-being of those around their users). In fact, they're a critical layer in protecting against unethical business practices given they're the ones actually implementing things and mediating the user's experience on a ground level. Small features in your product can have significant repercussions on the lives of many users given how these things scale. What could be a few lines of code to you could be something that millions of people end up being influenced by hundreds of times a day.
brucephillips 9y ago
It's not actually insightful. Every product trivially creates a habit amongst its users of "when <problem>, use <product>."
- claudiulodro 9y ago
  The insightful part for me is that you can get better or novel products in areas where the "when <problem>, use <product>" is the dominant habit by optimizing or changing the habit. Some more examples: - Keurig coffee makers fundamentally changed the coffee habit for many people. - Netflix fundamentally changed the "going to the video store" habit. Making coffee and watching movies were already habits for many people, but it was possible to change the habit and create something revolutionary. I'm sure there are other new untapped habits that can be developed around existing solved problems. It's a variant on "solve a problem people have". Make a solved problem better by optimizing the habit.
  - brucephillips 9y ago
    Is there any product that doesn't fit this pattern?
    - claudiulodro 9y ago
      I'm not sure. That's my whole point. If you can find a product that doesn't fit the pattern you can be successful by adapting it to fit the pattern. Alternately, if a product you develop doesn't fit the pattern it will probably not be successful. (Good questions, by the way! I don't want to accept business baloney as wisdom.)
    - analyst74 9y ago
      many of the failed ones
    - curun1r 9y ago
      There are some products that serve a need that doesn't occur often enough to become habit forming. For instance, there are apps/services that help you when your car breaks down. Marketing a product/service like that is a fundamentally different proposition from something that's intended to be used daily/weekly/monthly.
rayalez 9y ago
I've just finished reading "Hooked:How to build habit-forming products", a very good book that explores this subject in a lot of detail. If you're interested in learning more about this stuff, I highly recommend reading it.
hyperpallium 9y ago
Such "habits" are customary behaviours for getting a task done. The Innovator's Dilemma sees this as key feature of sustaining innovations, that might be technically revolutionary, but don't require any change in customer behaviour. It is an economic moat or enduring competitive advantage for them. But when an innovation requires a change in customer behaviour, no such advantage applies, and the gates are open to new entrant. The book calls this disruptive innovation (and is the source of that term). The companies listed all become successful due to such innovations.

eponeponepon 9y ago

> I think lots of industries are ripe > for "habit-ifying", and I'm going > to pursue that further. Brilliant > insight. This is, of course, the same insight that the gambling and tobacco industries and cults thrive on. Not talking you down - just reminding you never to forget the moral angle.

r00fus 9y ago
Is it a moral issue if the habit a starts a virtuous cycle? Like my Apple Watch making me exercise more?
- ZenoArrow 9y ago
  Yes, it can still be a moral issue (I'd prefer to use 'quality of life' rather than moral, as the term moral implies a certain level of judgement of the choices of others, and I'd rather be focused on making those judgements over my own choices). Use of technology can both help and hinder us. On the negative side, we can become dependent on it, and that dependency does not always enhance our lives. Even in the case of your Apple Watch making you exercise more, used in moderation you can get the benefits without too many downsides, but it can also become a device that distracts you from the world around you, disconnecting you from experiences that you could get by being more fully in the moment. To be clear, this isn't an issue solely limited to use of technology, but the more devices we have and use the more easily distracted we become. The ideal for companies is to have all our life's needs and wants fulfilled by companies. If they can do so by suggesting there's a hole you need to fill by buying their products, and you become unhappy if you don't have it, is this a healthy trend? What if you were generally happy before this marketing campaign started?
- aalleavitch 9y ago
  It's pretty important to be constantly evaluating the ethical implications of what you're producing. I can't speak for larger companies, but I get the impression that ethics in software development is not nearly as emphasized as it should be. Even the tech guys/gals should be highly concerned with how their product affects their users' overall well-being (or the well-being of those around their users). In fact, they're a critical layer in protecting against unethical business practices given they're the ones actually implementing things and mediating the user's experience on a ground level. Small features in your product can have significant repercussions on the lives of many users given how these things scale. What could be a few lines of code to you could be something that millions of people end up being influenced by hundreds of times a day.

brucephillips 9y ago

It's not actually insightful. Every product trivially creates a habit amongst its users of "when <problem>, use <product>."

claudiulodro 9y ago
The insightful part for me is that you can get better or novel products in areas where the "when <problem>, use <product>" is the dominant habit by optimizing or changing the habit. Some more examples: - Keurig coffee makers fundamentally changed the coffee habit for many people. - Netflix fundamentally changed the "going to the video store" habit. Making coffee and watching movies were already habits for many people, but it was possible to change the habit and create something revolutionary. I'm sure there are other new untapped habits that can be developed around existing solved problems. It's a variant on "solve a problem people have". Make a solved problem better by optimizing the habit.
- brucephillips 9y ago
  Is there any product that doesn't fit this pattern?
  - claudiulodro 9y ago
    I'm not sure. That's my whole point. If you can find a product that doesn't fit the pattern you can be successful by adapting it to fit the pattern. Alternately, if a product you develop doesn't fit the pattern it will probably not be successful. (Good questions, by the way! I don't want to accept business baloney as wisdom.)
  - analyst74 9y ago
    many of the failed ones
  - curun1r 9y ago
    There are some products that serve a need that doesn't occur often enough to become habit forming. For instance, there are apps/services that help you when your car breaks down. Marketing a product/service like that is a fundamentally different proposition from something that's intended to be used daily/weekly/monthly.

rayalez 9y ago

I've just finished reading "Hooked:How to build habit-forming products", a very good book that explores this subject in a lot of detail. If you're interested in learning more about this stuff, I highly recommend reading it.

hyperpallium 9y ago

Such "habits" are customary behaviours for getting a task done. The Innovator's Dilemma sees this as key feature of sustaining innovations, that might be technically revolutionary, but don't require any change in customer behaviour. It is an economic moat or enduring competitive advantage for them. But when an innovation requires a change in customer behaviour, no such advantage applies, and the gates are open to new entrant. The book calls this disruptive innovation (and is the source of that term). The companies listed all become successful due to such innovations.