In order to be liked by users in the process of product design, we must consider four aspects: trigger mechanism, action mechanism, reward mechanism and input mechanism. These four parts just form a cycle, so that users of our products can deepen their contact with the products in this cycle, and finally turn using the products into daily habits. When this habit is formed, even if similar competing products appear in the market, users will not be lost because of the high sunk cost.
I. Trigger mechanism
How to let users try our products for the first time? If users are allowed to reuse our products? These two issues are of great concern to all PM. In fact, these two problems correspond to two different types of trigger mechanisms: external trigger and internal trigger.
? External trigger mechanism refers to various types of means such as payment trigger, feedback trigger, interpersonal trigger and self-occupation trigger. Because of the high cost, payment trigger can only be used as a way to quickly accumulate seed users in the cold start stage if it only relies on this means. Feedback trigger means that when the product is in the center of public opinion or news reports, it will naturally bring spotlight to the product and attract a large number of users to try, but this way is also uncontrollable. Interpersonal trigger is an external trigger mode that PM wants to produce products most, which is what we call viral spread, fission growth and finally self-occupation trigger. The first three trigger mechanisms are all aimed at winning new users, while the self-occupation trigger focuses on prompting users to form repetitive behaviors after registering and using products, with the aim of making users gradually form habits. Self-occupation trigger is very important, because if there is no self-occupation trigger, it is difficult for the product to penetrate into the user's usage habits with a high enough penetration frequency.
Internal trigger mechanism is relative to external trigger mechanism. The purpose of external trigger is to let users enter the addiction model and complete the remaining cycle steps of action, reward and investment. When the user is driven to complete this cycle, the external trigger will no longer work, but will be replaced by the internal trigger. Compared with external trigger, internal trigger is not an event that stimulates users' senses, such as a picture, a slogan or a button, but an invisible, inaudible and intangible mechanism. Embedding internal triggers in products is the key to product success!
Emotion, especially negative emotion, is a powerful internal trigger mechanism. We need to establish a relationship between products and users. When users are stimulated by internal triggers, they will turn to the product for comfort. External triggers can cultivate new habits, while internal triggers can build emotional bonds. Take ins as an example. When a user records and shares her life moments at any time for a long time, she naturally establishes an emotional bond with Ins. When there are interesting things worth sharing in daily life, she will involuntarily open Ins.
The first thing a product should do is not to rack one's brains to think about the uniqueness of its own product. Function is essential, but it is more important to find out what weaknesses and troubles users have from the emotional level. The best starting point of this problem is to study the existing successful habits to develop products. See how they solve users' problems. Such learning can help us understand consumers' psychology more deeply and remind you to pay attention to the most basic needs and desires of human beings.
1. What does the user achieve with your product?
2. When and where will they use the product?
3. What kind of emotions will prompt them to use products and trigger actions?
? When developing new products, the most important task is to clearly capture users' thoughts and emotions and understand their use of products. In addition to the user situation experience mentioned above, such as empathy map and customer development plan are all effective tools.
To sum up, when we develop the habit of developing products, product designers need to ponder the user's psychology, understand all kinds of emotions that may become internal triggers, and know how to use external triggers to urge users to take action.