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Variable Rewards
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Variable rewards (such as spinning a wheel to unlock a prize), often motivate users more than predictable ones.
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Introduction
The unpredictability of not knowing what you'll get next, is exciting, and allows the user to imagine all the many things that it could be.
That moment of 'opening' your reward becomes addictive.
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Deeper dive
This theory was popularised by Nir Eyal, in his book Hooked.
It explains why the TikTok feed is so addictive—because you never know what the next scroll will show you.
"The next video might be really good".
It turns TikTok into a variable-reward slot machine.
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Potential impacts
Feature usage
Habits
- Variable rewards are incredibly useful in creating habits—they're addictive.
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"An exceptional resource for learning how to build habit-forming products that people love."
"I’d never met anybody who looks at usability and UX the way I do until I met Peter. Only he’s smarter."
"The completest view of the psychological underpinnings of human behaviour that I’ve ever seen."
"What a nice idea! Christopher Alexander would be proud to see patterns collected like this."
Unlock this article instantly with Built for Mars Premium
Subscribe to BFM+
If features can be coded in minutes, thoughtful design is what wins
- Unlock the entire library
- Create custom UX courses
- Access our AI tools
£12 per monthbilled annually
or, wait for the free stuff
Join the free newsletter
Get the free content when it's released, straight to your inbox, no account required
"An exceptional resource for learning how to build habit-forming products that people love."
"I’d never met anybody who looks at usability and UX the way I do until I met Peter. Only he’s smarter."
"The completest view of the psychological underpinnings of human behaviour that I’ve ever seen."
"What a nice idea! Christopher Alexander would be proud to see patterns collected like this."
Written by Peter Ramsey
Published
Last edited
