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UX Concepts
Variable Rewards
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Summary
Variability can be motivating.
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Introduction
Variable rewards (such as spinning a wheel to unlock a prize), often motivate users more than predictable ones.
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.
That’s theory, now learn about how to implement this.
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For product builders
- Impacts of Variable Rewards
- Product tips (i.e., what you should do now)
- Related UX bites for more examples