Variable Rewards: The Psychology Behind Addictive Apps

Mon, 29 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

I checked Twitter 47 times yesterday.

Not because I needed information. Not because I was expecting something important. Just… checking.

Pull down to refresh. Scan. Nothing interesting. Close app.

Five minutes later: Open app. Pull down to refresh. Scan. Find one mildly interesting tweet. Read. Close app.

Repeat. All day.

I wasn’t looking for something specific. I was looking for the possibility of something interesting.

And that’s exactly how Twitter (and every other addictive app) is designed to work.

Product-Design on Rafiul Alam