The hottest User Behavior Substack posts right now

A great premise gives context and comfort for users to engage in actions they might otherwise find challenging
Great premises are the foundation of successful products and brands, normalizing behaviors or beliefs that were previously not accepted or considered mainstream
Powerful premises lead to strong identities for products and businesses, shaping brand decisions and marketing strategies

Threads faces challenges in attracting users away from established platforms due to oversaturation and user fatigue.
The lack of financial incentives for users on Threads puts it at a disadvantage in a landscape where users value their time and content.
Privacy concerns, trust issues, and the risk of censorship could deter users from joining Threads, impacting its success.

Root cause analysis is essential for understanding unexpected changes in user behavior or metric decline.
Tools like Root Cause Analysis (RCA) can pinpoint anomalies quickly, but additional work is needed to truly understand why something is happening.
Analyzing the 'what' and 'why' behind metrics decline or user behavior change requires a comprehensive framework.

Traditional UX research methods focus on qualitative data from interviews, surveys, and tests, but new approaches like eye tracking and mouse tracking offer deeper insights into unconscious user behaviors.
Eye tracking technology maps users' gaze on screens, providing insights into attention, distractions, and navigation patterns, although it can be costly and requires specialized equipment.
Mouse tracking records hand movements and decision-making processes, complementing eye tracking data to reveal user interactions and uncover hidden pain points in interfaces.

Points in crypto apps can distort user behavior with extrinsic motivations.
Having a points system can attract different types of users to your app.
Keeping the value of points ambiguous can offer flexibility for managing costs and user engagement.

Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

Achieving product/market fit is crucial for the success of a startup or new product as it means the product meets the needs and preferences of the target market, leading to customer satisfaction and retention.
Iterating on a handcrafted approach at the start can help find product/market fit before scaling to avoid unwanted tech debt and ensure the product evolves to meet client outcomes.
To determine product/market fit, look for signs like user retention, surveys showing strong customer preference, and organic growth, then iterate quickly based on critical feedback to ensure the product is indispensable to users.

Behavioral frameworks play a crucial role in product development by focusing on influencing user behavior and decision-making.
Frameworks like EAST, Hooked, and Influence offer practical guidelines for improving products by making actions easy, attractive, and timely.
Models like COM-B and Fogg's Behavior Model help product teams consider the wider environment and factors influencing user behavior.

Participants in research studies often change their natural behavior to match what they think the researcher expects.
Demand characteristics, the Hawthorne effect, and social desirability bias are related but have subtle differences in how they impact participant behavior.
To mitigate the impact of demand characteristics in UX research, strategies like using a double-blind approach, being mindful of participant cues, recruiting diverse participants, and employing methodological triangulation can be effective.

Product analytics and instrumentation are crucial for Product Managers to make effective decisions and understand user behavior.
Product Managers should have a strong grasp of product analytics, identifying what to instrument, and performing basic analysis themselves.
Knowing who is using the product, what actions they are taking, and the context of their actions is essential for effective product analysis.

Webinar with Nir Eyal, author of 'Hooked' book, about building habit-forming products
Event organized by Axilor Ventures filled up fast after announcement on Twitter
This post is exclusively for paid subscribers