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Hooked, CH07 CASE STUDY: THE BIBLE APP

CH07 CASE STUDY: THE BIBLE APP

7. CASE STUDY: THE BIBLE APP

In the previous chapter, I urged you to be a facilitator and to use the tools in this book to improve the lives of others. I encouraged you to align your work with a purpose that provides you with meaning and helps cultivate meaning for others. This is not only a moral imperative, it's good business practice. The most highly regarded entrepreneurs are driven by meaning, a vision for greater good that drives them forward. Startups are grueling and only the most fortunate persevere before finding success. If you only build for fame or fortune, you will likely find neither. But build for meaning and you can't go wrong. The Hook Model is a framework based on human psychology and a close examination of today's most successful habit-forming products. Now that you have an understanding of the model and the psychology behind why we do the things we do, let's study how it all comes together in one of the world's most popular apps. Whether you agree with the mission of the app described below is not important. The lesson here is how a technology company created a user habit while staying true to the founder's moral calling. It's not often an app has the power to keep someone out of a strip club. But according to Bobby Gruenewald, CEO of YouVersion, that's exactly what his technology did. Gruenewald says a user of his Bible verse app walked into a business of ill repute when suddenly, seemingly out of the heavens, he received a notification on his phone. “God's trying to tell me something!,” Gruenewald recalled the user saying. “I just walked into a strip club — and man — the Bible just texted me!”

In July 2013, YouVersion announced a monumental milestone for the app, placing it in a rare strata of technology companies. The app, simply called “Bible,” has been downloaded to more than 100 million devices and growing.

[cxxv] Gruenewald says a new install occurs every 1.3 seconds.

On average, 66,000 people open the app every second — and sometimes the open rate is much higher. Every Sunday, Gruenewald says, preachers around the world tell congregants to “take out your Bibles or YouVersion app. And, we see a huge spike.”

The market for religious apps is fiercely competitive. Searching for “Bible” in the Apple App Store returns 5,185 results. But among all the choices, YouVersion's Bible seems to be the chosen one, ranking at the top of the list and boasting over 641,000 reviews. How did YouVersion come to dominate the digital, “word of God?” It turns out there is much more behind the app's success than missionary zeal. It's a case study in how technology can change behavior by marrying the principles of consumer psychology with the latest in big data analytics. According to industry insiders, the YouVersion Bible could be worth a bundle. Jules Maltz, General Partner at Institutional Venture Partners, told me, “As a rule of thumb, a company this size could be worth $200 million and up.”

Maltz should know. His firm announced an investment in another pre-revenue app, Snapchat, at an $800 million valuation in July 2013.

[cxxvi] Maltz justifies the price by pointing to the per-user valuations of other tech companies such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, each of which commanded astronomical investment sums well before turning a profit. Maltz was quick to add, “Of course, this assumes the company can monetize through advertising.”

In the Beginning

Gruenewald is a quick-thinking, fast-talking man. During our conversation, he pulled up statistics in real-time, stopping himself mid-sentence whenever relevant data flashed on his screen. As Gruenewald preaches on about mobile app development best practices, I need to occasionally interrupt him to ask clarifying questions. My words stumble over his enthusiasm as he bears witness to what he's learned building his app. He spouts user retention figures with the same gusto I'd imagine he might proclaim scripture. “Unlike other companies, when we started, we were not building a Bible reader for seminary students. YouVersion was designed to be used by everyone, every day,” Gruenewald says, attributing much of the app's success to a relentless focus on creating habitual Bible readers. The Bible app's success is broken down into the language of habit formation more commonly seen in psychology textbooks. The “cues,” “behaviors” and “rewards” of communing with the Lord are bullet-pointed and ready for our discussion.

“Bible study guides are nothing new,” Gruenewald says. “People have been using them with pen and paper long before we came along.” But I soon find out, the Bible app is much more than a mobile study guide.

In fact, the first version of YouVersion was not mobile at all. “We originally started as a desktop website, but that really didn't engage people in the Bible. It wasn't until we tried a mobile version that we noticed a difference in people, including ourselves, turning to the Bible more because it was on a device they always had with them.” This is not surprising. The Fogg Behavior Model (chapter three) notes that for an action to occur, users must receive a trigger and have sufficient motivation and ability to complete it. If any of these elements are missing or inadequate at the moment the trigger arises, the action will not occur.

The omnipresence of the Bible app makes it far more accessible than its website predecessor, giving users the ability to open the mobile app when triggered by the pastor's instructions or when feeling inspired at other moments throughout their day. Its users take it everywhere, reading the scripture in even the most unsanctified places. The company revealed that 18 percent of readers report using the Bible app in the bathroom.

[cxxvii]

How to Form a God Habit

Gruenewald acknowledges his Bible app enjoyed the good fortune of being among the first of its kind at the genesis of the App Store in 2008. To take advantage of the newly established App Store, Gruenewald quickly converted his website into a mobile app optimized for reading. The app caught the rising tide, but soon a wave of competition followed. If his app was to reign supreme, Gruenewald needed to get users hooked quickly.

That's when Gruenewald says he implemented a plan — actually, many plans. A signature of the Bible app is its selection of over 400 reading plans — a devotional iTunes of sorts, catering to an audience with diverse tastes, troubles, and tongues. Given my personal interest and research into habit-forming technology, I decided to start a Bible reading plan of my own. A plan titled “Addictions” seemed appropriate.

For those who have yet to form a routine around Biblical study, reading plans provide structure and guidance. “Certain sections of the Bible can be difficult for people to get through,” Gruenewald admits. “By offering reading plans with different small sections of the Bible each day, it helps keep [readers] from giving up.”

The app chunks out and sequences the text by separating it into bite-sized pieces. By parsing readings into digestible communion wafer-sized portions, the app focuses the reader's brain on the small task at hand while avoiding the intimidation of reading the entire book. Holy Triggers

Five years of testing and tinkering have helped Gruenewald's team discover what works best. Today, the Bible app's reading plans are tuned to immaculate perfection and Gruenewald has learned that frequency of use is paramount. “We've always focused on daily reading. Our entire structure for plans focuses on daily engagement.”

To get users to open the app every day, Gruenewald makes sure he sends effective cues — like the notification sent to the sinner in the strip club. But Gruenewald admits he stumbled upon the power of good triggers. “At first we were very worried about sending people notifications. We didn't want to bother them too much.” To test how much of a cross users were willing to bear, Gruenewald decided to run an experiment. “For Christmas, we sent people a message from the app. Just a ‘Merry Christmas’ in various languages.” The team was prepared to hear from disgruntled users annoyed by the message. “We were afraid people would uninstall the app,” Gruenewald says. “But just the opposite happened. People took pictures of the notification on their phones and started sharing them on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. They felt God was reaching out to them.” Today, Gruenewald says, triggers play an important role in every reading plan.

On my own plan, I receive a daily notification — an owned external trigger — on my phone. It simply says, “Don't forget to read your Addictions reading plan.” Ironically, the addiction I'm trying to cure is my dependency on digital gadgetry, but what the hell, I'll fall off the wagon just this once. In case I somehow avoid the first message, a red badge over a tiny Holy Bible icon on my phone cues me again. If I forget to start the first day of a plan, I'll receive a message suggesting that perhaps I should try a different, less-challenging plan. I also have the option of receiving verse through email. And if I slip up and miss a few days, another email reminds me to get back on track.

The Bible app also comes with a virtual congregation of sorts. Members of the site tend to send encouraging words to one another, delivering even more triggers. According to the company's publicist, “Community emails can serve as a nudge to open the app.” These relationship-based external triggers are everywhere in the Bible app and are one of the keys to keeping users engaged. Glory Be in the Data

Gruenewald's team sifts through behavioral data collected from millions of readers to better understand what users want from the app. “We just have so much data flowing through our system,” Gruenewald says. The data reveals important insights on what drives user retention. High on the list of learnings is the importance of “ease of use,” which came up throughout our conversation.

In line with the work of psychologists from early Gestalt psychologist Kurt Lewin to modern-day researchers, the app uses the principle that by making an intended action easier to do, people will do it more often.

The Bible app is designed to make absorbing the Word as frictionless as possible. For example, to make the Bible app habit easier to adopt, users who prefer listening over reading can simply tap a small icon to play an audio track read with the dramatic bravado of Charlton Heston himself.

Gruenewald says his data also revealed that changing the order of the Bible by placing the more interesting sections up-front and saving the boring bits for later increased completion rates. Furthermore, daily reading plans are kept to a simple inspirational thought and a few short verses for newcomers. The idea is to get neophytes into the ritual for a few minutes each day until the routine becomes a facet of their everyday lives.

Rewards from the Lord

Gruenewald says the connection people have with scripture taps into deep emotions that “we need to use responsibly.” Readers who form a habit of using the app turn to it not only when they see a notification on their phone, but also whenever they feel low and need a way to lift their spirits.

“We believe that the Bible is a way God speaks to us,” Gruenewald says. “When people see a verse, they see wisdom or truth they can apply to their lives or a situation they're going through.” Skeptics might call this “subjective validation,” and psychologists call it the “Forer Effect,” but to the faithful, it amounts to personally communicating with God. Upon opening the Bible app, I find a specially selected verse waiting for me on the topic of “Addictions.” With just two taps I'm reading 1 Thessalonians 5:11 — encouragement for the “children of the day,” imploring them with the words, “let us be sober.” It's easy to see how these comforting words could serve as a sort of prize wrapped inside the app, helping readers feel better. Gruenewald says his Bible app also offers an element of mystery and variability. “One woman would stay up until just past midnight to know what verse she had received for her next day,” Gruenewald says. The unknown — in this case, which verse will be chosen for the reader and how it relates to their personal struggle — becomes an important driver of the reading habit.

As for my own reward, after finishing my verse, I received affirmation from a satisfying ”Day Complete!” screen. A check mark appeared near the scripture I had read and another one was placed on my reading plan calendar. Skipping a day would mean breaking the chain of checked days, employing what psychologists call the “endowed progress effect” — a tactic also used by video game designers to encourage progression.

As habit-forming as the Bible app's reading plans can be, they are not for everyone. In fact, Gruenewald reports most users downloaded the app but never register for an account with YouVersion. Millions choose to not follow any plan, opting instead to use the app as a substitute for their paper Bibles. But to Gruenewald, using the app in this way suits him fine. Unregistered readers are still helping to grow the app. In fact, social media is abuzz with the 200,000 pieces of content shared from the app every 24-hours.

To help the app spread, a new verse greets the reader on the first page. Below the verse, a large blue button reads, “Share Verse of the Day.” One click and the daily scripture is blasted to Facebook or Twitter.

The drivers behind recently read scripture have not been widely studied. However, one reason may be the reward portraying oneself in a positive light, also known as the “humblebrag.”

[cxxviii] A Harvard meta-analysis entitled “Disclosing information about the self is intrinsically rewarding” found the act, “engages neural and cognitive mechanisms associated with reward.”

[cxxix] In fact, sharing feels so good that one study found “individuals were willing to forgo money to disclose about the self.”

There are many opportunities to share verse from within the Bible app, but one of Gruenewald's most effective distribution channels is not online but in-row — that is, in the pews where church-goers sit side by side every week. “People tell each other about the app because they use it surrounded by people who ask about it,” Gruenewald says. The app always sees a spike in new downloads on Sundays when people are most likely to share it through word of mouth.

However, nothing signals the reign of Gruenewald's Bible app quite like the way some preachers have come to depend upon it. YouVersion lets religious leaders input their sermons into the app so their congregants can follow along in real-time — book, verse, and passage — all without flipping a page. Once the head of the church is hooked, the congregation is sure to follow.

Using the Bible app at church not only has the benefit of driving growth, it also builds commitment. Every time users highlight a verse, add a comment, create a bookmark or share from the app, they invest in it.

As described in an earlier chapter, Dan Ariely and Michael Norton have shown the effect small amounts of work have on the way people value various products. This “IKEA effect” illustrates the connection between labor and perceived worth.

It is reasonable to think that the more readers put into the Bible app in the form of small investments, the more it becomes a repository of their history of worship. Like a dog-eared book, full of scribbled insights and wisdom, the app becomes a treasured asset that won't easily be discarded. The more readers use the Bible app, the more valuable it becomes to them. Switching to a different digital Bible — God forbid — becomes less likely with each new revelation users type into (or extract from) the app, further securing YouVersion's dominion. Gruenewald claims he is not in competition with anyone, but he does on occasion rattle off the App Store categories where his app holds a high ranking. His app's place at the top of the charts appears secure now that the Bible has crossed its 100 millionth install. But Gruenewald plans to continue sifting through the terabytes of data in search of new ways to increase the reach of his app and make his version of the Bible even more habit-forming. To its tens of millions of regular users, Gruenewald's app is a Godsend. *

Remember and Share

- The Bible app was far less engaging as a desktop website. The mobile interface increased accessibility and usage by providing frequent triggers.

- The Bible app increases users' ability to take action by front-loading interesting content and providing an alternative audio version. - By separating the verses into small chunks, users find the Bible easier to read on a daily basis. Not knowing what the next verse will be adds a variable reward.

- Every annotation, bookmark and highlight stores data (and value) in the app, further committing users.

[end. 4:19:00 ]

CH07 CASE STUDY: THE BIBLE APP CH07 FALLSTUDIE: DIE BIBEL-APP CH07 ESTUDIO DE CASO: LA APLICACIÓN DE LA BIBLIA CH07 ÉTUDE DE CAS : L'APPLICATION BIBLIQUE CH07 CASO DI STUDIO: L'APP DELLA BIBBIA ch07ケーススタディ:聖書アプリ CH07 사례 연구: 성경 앱 CH07 ESTUDO DE CASO: A APLICAÇÃO DA BÍBLIA CH07 CASE STUDY: THE BIBLE APP CH07 VAKA ÇALIŞMASI: İNCİL UYGULAMASI CH07 ТЕМАТИЧНЕ ДОСЛІДЖЕННЯ: БІБЛІЙНИЙ ДОДАТОК 第 07 章 案例研究:圣经应用程序 CH07 案例研究:聖經應用程式

7\\. CASE STUDY: THE BIBLE APP

In the previous chapter, I urged you to be a facilitator and to use the tools in this book to improve the lives of others. I encouraged you to align your work with a purpose that provides you with meaning and helps cultivate meaning for others. This is not only a moral imperative, it’s good business practice. The most highly regarded entrepreneurs are driven by meaning, a vision for greater good that drives them forward. Startups are grueling and only the most fortunate persevere before finding success. If you only build for fame or fortune, you will likely find neither. But build for meaning and you can’t go wrong. The Hook Model is a framework based on human psychology and a close examination of today’s most successful habit-forming products. Now that you have an understanding of the model and the psychology behind why we do the things we do, let’s study how it all comes together in one of the world’s most popular apps. Whether you agree with the mission of the app described below is not important. The lesson here is how a technology company created a user habit while staying true to the founder’s moral calling. It’s not often an app has the power to keep someone out of a strip club. But according to Bobby Gruenewald, CEO of YouVersion, that’s exactly what his technology did. Gruenewald says a user of his Bible verse app walked into a business of ill repute when suddenly, seemingly out of the heavens, he received a notification on his phone. “God’s trying to tell me something!,” Gruenewald recalled the user saying. “I just walked into a strip club — and man — the Bible just texted me!”

In July 2013, YouVersion announced a monumental milestone for the app, placing it in a rare strata of technology companies. The app, simply called “Bible,” has been downloaded to more than 100 million devices and growing.

[cxxv] Gruenewald says a new install occurs every 1.3 seconds.

On average, 66,000 people open the app every second — and sometimes the open rate is much higher. Every Sunday, Gruenewald says, preachers around the world tell congregants to “take out your Bibles or YouVersion app. And, we see a huge spike.”

The market for religious apps is fiercely competitive. Searching for “Bible” in the Apple App Store returns 5,185 results. But among all the choices, YouVersion’s Bible seems to be the chosen one, ranking at the top of the list and boasting over 641,000 reviews. 但在所有选择中,YouVersion的《圣经》似乎是被选择的那一个,名列榜首,并拥有超过641,000条评论。 How did YouVersion come to dominate the digital, “word of God?” It turns out there is much more behind the app’s success than missionary zeal. YouVersion是如何主导数字化“上帝的话语”的呢?事实证明,这款应用成功背后有着更多的东西,而不仅仅是传教热情。 It’s a case study in how technology can change behavior by marrying the principles of consumer psychology with the latest in big data analytics. 这是一个科技如何通过将消费者心理原则与最新的大数据分析相结合,从而改变行为的案例研究。 According to industry insiders, the YouVersion Bible could be worth a bundle. Jules Maltz, General Partner at Institutional Venture Partners, told me, “As a rule of thumb, a company this size could be worth $200 million and up.”

Maltz should know. His firm announced an investment in another pre-revenue app, Snapchat, at an $800 million valuation in July 2013. 他的公司于2013年7月宣布对另一个尚未盈利的应用程序Snapchat进行投资,估值为8亿美元。

[cxxvi] Maltz justifies the price by pointing to the per-user valuations of other tech companies such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, each of which commanded astronomical investment sums well before turning a profit. [cxxvi] 马尔兹通过指出其他科技公司的用户价值来证明这个价格,这些公司包括Facebook、Instagram和Twitter,这些公司在实现盈利之前就吸引了庞大的投资。 Maltz was quick to add, “Of course, this assumes the company can monetize through advertising.” 马尔兹迅速补充道:“当然,这是建立在公司能够通过广告实现盈利的前提下。”

In the Beginning

Gruenewald is a quick-thinking, fast-talking man. During our conversation, he pulled up statistics in real-time, stopping himself mid-sentence whenever relevant data flashed on his screen. 我们的对话中,他实时查看统计数据,每当屏幕上出现相关数据时,便会在句子中途停下来。 As Gruenewald preaches on about mobile app development best practices, I need to occasionally interrupt him to ask clarifying questions. 当Gruenewald在讲述移动应用开发的最佳实践时,我需要偶尔打断他来提出澄清问题。 My words stumble over his enthusiasm as he bears witness to what he’s learned building his app. 当他见证自己在构建应用程序过程中所学到的东西时,我的话语在他的热情中支支吾吾。 He spouts user retention figures with the same gusto I’d imagine he might proclaim scripture. 他滔滔不绝地宣称用户留存率数字,就像我想象他可能宣扬圣经一样。 “Unlike other companies, when we started, we were not building a Bible reader for seminary students. “与其他公司不同,当我们开始时,并不是为神学院学生打造一个圣经阅读器。 YouVersion was designed to be used by everyone, every day,” Gruenewald says, attributing much of the app’s success to a relentless focus on creating habitual Bible readers. YouVersion被设计为每个人每天使用,”Gruenewald说,将应用程序的成功归因于对创建习惯性圣经读者的不懈关注。 The Bible app’s success is broken down into the language of habit formation more commonly seen in psychology textbooks. The “cues,” “behaviors” and “rewards” of communing with the Lord are bullet-pointed and ready for our discussion.

“Bible study guides are nothing new,” Gruenewald says. “People have been using them with pen and paper long before we came along.” But I soon find out, the Bible app is much more than a mobile study guide.

In fact, the first version of YouVersion was not mobile at all. “We originally started as a desktop website, but that really didn’t engage people in the Bible. It wasn’t until we tried a mobile version that we noticed a difference in people, including ourselves, turning to the Bible more because it was on a device they always had with them.” This is not surprising. The Fogg Behavior Model (chapter three) notes that for an action to occur, users must receive a trigger and have sufficient motivation and ability to complete it. If any of these elements are missing or inadequate at the moment the trigger arises, the action will not occur.

The omnipresence of the Bible app makes it far more accessible than its website predecessor, giving users the ability to open the mobile app when triggered by the pastor’s instructions or when feeling inspired at other moments throughout their day. Its users take it everywhere, reading the scripture in even the most unsanctified places. The company revealed that 18 percent of readers report using the Bible app in the bathroom.

[cxxvii]

How to Form a God Habit

Gruenewald acknowledges his Bible app enjoyed the good fortune of being among the first of its kind at the genesis of the App Store in 2008. To take advantage of the newly established App Store, Gruenewald quickly converted his website into a mobile app optimized for reading. The app caught the rising tide, but soon a wave of competition followed. If his app was to reign supreme, Gruenewald needed to get users hooked quickly.

That’s when Gruenewald says he implemented a plan — actually, many plans. A signature of the Bible app is its selection of over 400 reading plans — a devotional iTunes of sorts, catering to an audience with diverse tastes, troubles, and tongues. Given my personal interest and research into habit-forming technology, I decided to start a Bible reading plan of my own. A plan titled “Addictions” seemed appropriate.

For those who have yet to form a routine around Biblical study, reading plans provide structure and guidance. “Certain sections of the Bible can be difficult for people to get through,” Gruenewald admits. “By offering reading plans with different small sections of the Bible each day, it helps keep [readers] from giving up.”

The app chunks out and sequences the text by separating it into bite-sized pieces. 该应用程序通过将文本分成一小块的方式将其分块并排序。 By parsing readings into digestible communion wafer-sized portions, the app focuses the reader’s brain on the small task at hand while avoiding the intimidation of reading the entire book. 通过将阅读内容解析为易消化的圣餐饼干大小的部分,该应用程序将读者的注意力集中在手头的小任务上,同时避免阅读整本书的压力。 Holy Triggers 神圣的触发器

Five years of testing and tinkering have helped Gruenewald’s team discover what works best. 五年的测试和调整帮助Gruenewald的团队发现了最佳的工作方式。 Today, the Bible app’s reading plans are tuned to immaculate perfection and Gruenewald has learned that frequency of use is paramount. 今天,圣经应用的读经计划调整得非常完善,Gruenewald已经了解到使用频率至关重要。 “We’ve always focused on daily reading. “我们一直专注于每日阅读。 Our entire structure for plans focuses on daily engagement.” 我们所有计划的整体结构都专注于每天的参与。

To get users to open the app every day, Gruenewald makes sure he sends effective cues — like the notification sent to the sinner in the strip club. 为了让用户每天都打开应用程序,格鲁维纳尔德确保发送有效的线索——就像在脱衣舞俱乐部发送给罪人的通知一样。 But Gruenewald admits he stumbled upon the power of good triggers. 但格鲁维纳尔德承认他偶然发现了良好触发器的力量。 “At first we were very worried about sending people notifications. We didn’t want to bother them too much.” To test how much of a cross users were willing to bear, Gruenewald decided to run an experiment. “For Christmas, we sent people a message from the app. Just a ‘Merry Christmas’ in various languages.” The team was prepared to hear from disgruntled users annoyed by the message. 用各种语言说“圣诞快乐”。团队准备好听取受到消息困扰的不满用户的意见。 “We were afraid people would uninstall the app,” Gruenewald says. 格林瓦德说:“我们害怕人们会卸载应用程序。” “But just the opposite happened. “但事实正好相反。 People took pictures of the notification on their phones and started sharing them on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. They felt God was reaching out to them.” Today, Gruenewald says, triggers play an important role in every reading plan.

On my own plan, I receive a daily notification — an owned external trigger — on my phone. It simply says, “Don’t forget to read your Addictions reading plan.” Ironically, the addiction I’m trying to cure is my dependency on digital gadgetry, but what the hell, I’ll fall off the wagon just this once. 这只是简单地说:“不要忘记阅读您的成瘾阅读计划。” 讽刺的是,我试图治愈的瘾是对数字设备的依赖,但是管它呢,这次我打算放纵一次。 In case I somehow avoid the first message, a red badge over a tiny Holy Bible icon on my phone cues me again. 如果我不小心忽略了第一条信息,手机上微小的《圣经》图标上的红色徽章会再次提示我。 If I forget to start the first day of a plan, I’ll receive a message suggesting that perhaps I should try a different, less-challenging plan. 如果我忘记开始某个计划的第一天,我会收到一条消息建议我也许应该尝试一个不那么具有挑战性的计划。 I also have the option of receiving verse through email. 我还可以选择通过电子邮件接收诗歌。 And if I slip up and miss a few days, another email reminds me to get back on track. 如果我疏忽了几天,另一封电子邮件会提醒我重新回到正轨。

The Bible app also comes with a virtual congregation of sorts. 圣经应用还附带了一种虚拟的会众。 Members of the site tend to send encouraging words to one another, delivering even more triggers. According to the company’s publicist, “Community emails can serve as a nudge to open the app.” These relationship-based external triggers are everywhere in the Bible app and are one of the keys to keeping users engaged. 据公司的公关表示,“社区邮件可以作为打开应用程序的一个提示。”这些基于关系的外部触发器在《圣经》应用程序中随处可见,是保持用户参与的关键之一。 Glory Be in the Data 在数据中获得荣耀

Gruenewald’s team sifts through behavioral data collected from millions of readers to better understand what users want from the app. Gruenewald的团队从数百万读者收集的行为数据中筛选,以更好地了解用户对这款应用的需求。 “We just have so much data flowing through our system,” Gruenewald says. “我们系统中有太多数据流动,” Gruenewald说。 The data reveals important insights on what drives user retention. 数据揭示了用户保留的重要见解。 High on the list of learnings is the importance of “ease of use,” which came up throughout our conversation. 在学习的重要性清单上,"易用性"位居榜首,在我们的谈话中反复提到。

In line with the work of psychologists from early Gestalt psychologist Kurt Lewin to modern-day researchers, the app uses the principle that by making an intended action easier to do, people will do it more often. 与早期格式塔心理学家库尔特·勒文到现代研究人员的工作一致,该应用程序采用的原则是通过使预期行为更容易实现,人们会更经常这样做。

The Bible app is designed to make absorbing the Word as frictionless as possible. 圣经应用程序的设计目的是尽可能地使吸收上帝的话语变得无摩擦。 For example, to make the Bible app habit easier to adopt, users who prefer listening over reading can simply tap a small icon to play an audio track read with the dramatic bravado of Charlton Heston himself. 例如,为了使圣经应用程序的习惯更容易养成,喜欢听而不喜欢阅读的用户可以简单地点击一个小图标,播放一段由查尔顿·赫斯顿本人戏剧般英勇朗读的音频轨道。

Gruenewald says his data also revealed that changing the order of the Bible by placing the more interesting sections up-front and saving the boring bits for later increased completion rates. Gruenewald表示,他的数据还显示,通过将圣经的顺序改变为将更有趣的部分放在前面,将无趣的部分留到后面,可以提高完成率。 Furthermore, daily reading plans are kept to a simple inspirational thought and a few short verses for newcomers. 此外,每天的阅读计划保持简单的启发性思考和一些简短的经文,以吸引新手。 The idea is to get neophytes into the ritual for a few minutes each day until the routine becomes a facet of their everyday lives. 该想法是让新手每天花几分钟参与这种仪式,直到这种例行公事成为他们日常生活的一个方面。

Rewards from the Lord

Gruenewald says the connection people have with scripture taps into deep emotions that “we need to use responsibly.” Readers who form a habit of using the app turn to it not only when they see a notification on their phone, but also whenever they feel low and need a way to lift their spirits. Gruenewald表示,人们与圣经的联系触及深层情感,我们需要负责任地使用它。那些养成使用该应用的习惯的读者,不仅在手机上收到通知时会打开应用,也会在情绪低落时需要一种提升精神的方式时打开应用。

“We believe that the Bible is a way God speaks to us,” Gruenewald says. “我们相信圣经是上帝与我们交流的途径,”Gruenewald说。 “When people see a verse, they see wisdom or truth they can apply to their lives or a situation they’re going through.” Skeptics might call this “subjective validation,” and psychologists call it the “Forer Effect,” but to the faithful, it amounts to personally communicating with God. “当人们看到一节经文时,他们看到可以应用到生活中或正在经历的情况中的智慧或真理。”怀疑论者可能称之为“主观验证”,心理学家称之为“福尔效应”,但对于信徒来说,这等同于与上帝进行个人交流。 Upon opening the Bible app, I find a specially selected verse waiting for me on the topic of “Addictions.” With just two taps I’m reading 1 Thessalonians 5:11 — encouragement for the “children of the day,” imploring them with the words, “let us be sober.” It’s easy to see how these comforting words could serve as a sort of prize wrapped inside the app, helping readers feel better. 打开圣经应用后,我发现有一段特别挑选的经文在“瘾”这个主题上等待着我。只需轻点两下,我就可以阅读帖撒罗尼迦前书5:11 — 给“白昼之子”鼓励的话,用“让我们清醒”这句话来恳求他们。很容易看出这些令人安慰的话语如何可以作为应用内的一种奖励,帮助读者感觉更好。 Gruenewald says his Bible app also offers an element of mystery and variability. Gruenewald说他的圣经应用也提供了一种神秘和可变的元素。 “One woman would stay up until just past midnight to know what verse she had received for her next day,” Gruenewald says. “有一位女士会熬夜等到过了午夜,才知道她第二天会收到哪一段经文,” Gruenewald说。 The unknown — in this case, which verse will be chosen for the reader and how it relates to their personal struggle — becomes an important driver of the reading habit. 未知的因素——在这种情况下,读者将选择哪一节经文以及它如何与他们的个人挣扎相关——成为阅读习惯的重要驱动力。

As for my own reward, after finishing my verse, I received affirmation from a satisfying ”Day Complete!” screen. 至于我自己的奖励,在完成我的经文后,我收到了令人满意的“已完成一天!”屏幕的肯定。 A check mark appeared near the scripture I had read and another one was placed on my reading plan calendar. 在我阅读过的经文旁边出现了一个勾号,另一个勾号被放到了我的阅读计划日历上。 Skipping a day would mean breaking the chain of checked days, employing what psychologists call the “endowed progress effect” — a tactic also used by video game designers to encourage progression. 跳过一天意味着打破已经打卡天数的连续性,利用心理学家所称的“禀赋进展效应”——这也是视频游戏设计师用来鼓励进步的策略。

As habit-forming as the Bible app’s reading plans can be, they are not for everyone. 虽然《圣经》应用的阅读计划容易养成习惯,但并不适合每个人。 In fact, Gruenewald reports most users downloaded the app but never register for an account with YouVersion. 事实上,格吕纳瓦尔德报告称,大多数用户下载了该应用,但从未注册 YouVersion 账户。 Millions choose to not follow any plan, opting instead to use the app as a substitute for their paper Bibles. But to Gruenewald, using the app in this way suits him fine. Unregistered readers are still helping to grow the app. In fact, social media is abuzz with the 200,000 pieces of content shared from the app every 24-hours. 实际上,社交媒体上每 24 小时有 20 万条来自这个应用的内容被分享。

To help the app spread, a new verse greets the reader on the first page. 为了帮助应用传播,新的诗句出现在第一页迎接读者。 Below the verse, a large blue button reads, “Share Verse of the Day.” One click and the daily scripture is blasted to Facebook or Twitter. 在诗句下面,一个大蓝色按钮上写着:“分享今日经文。” 点击一下,每日经文就会被发布到 Facebook 或 Twitter 上。

The drivers behind recently read scripture have not been widely studied. However, one reason may be the reward portraying oneself in a positive light, also known as the “humblebrag.” 然而,一个原因可能是奖励自己展现积极形象,也被称为“虚伪谦虚”。

[cxxviii] A Harvard meta-analysis entitled “Disclosing information about the self is intrinsically rewarding” found the act, “engages neural and cognitive mechanisms associated with reward.” [cxxviii] 一项哈佛大学的荟萃分析标题为“自我披露是本质上有奖励的”发现此行为“引发了与奖励相关的神经和认知机制。”

[cxxix] In fact, sharing feels so good that one study found “individuals were willing to forgo money to disclose about the self.” [cxxix] 实际上,分享感觉如此美好,以至于一项研究发现“个体愿意放弃金钱来披露关于自己的信息。”

There are many opportunities to share verse from within the Bible app, but one of Gruenewald’s most effective distribution channels is not online but in-row — that is, in the pews where church-goers sit side by side every week. 在《圣经》应用程序内分享诗句的机会很多,但格鲁内瓦尔德最有效的分发渠道之一不是在线上,而是在线下——也就是在每周教会聚会时教会众人并排坐在长椅上的地方。 “People tell each other about the app because they use it surrounded by people who ask about it,” Gruenewald says. “人们会彼此告诉关于这个应用程序,因为他们在周围使用它时,总会有人询问它,”格鲁内瓦尔德说。 The app always sees a spike in new downloads on Sundays when people are most likely to share it through word of mouth. 在周日(人们最有可能通过口口相传分享它的时候),该应用程序总是会看到新下载量激增。

However, nothing signals the reign of Gruenewald’s Bible app quite like the way some preachers have come to depend upon it. 然而,没有什么能像一些传教士开始依赖 Gruenewald 的圣经应用程序那样,来表明它的统治地位。 YouVersion lets religious leaders input their sermons into the app so their congregants can follow along in real-time — book, verse, and passage — all without flipping a page. YouVersion 让宗教领袖可以将他们的布道输入到应用程序中,这样他们的信徒可以实时跟随 —— 书籍、章节和段落 —— 全都不用翻页。 Once the head of the church is hooked, the congregation is sure to follow. 一旦教会的领导者被吸引,信徒肯定会跟着走。

Using the Bible app at church not only has the benefit of driving growth, it also builds commitment. 在教堂使用圣经应用不仅有助于推动增长,还能增加承诺。 Every time users highlight a verse, add a comment, create a bookmark or share from the app, they invest in it. 每次用户标记经文、添加评论、创建书签或从应用程序分享时,他们就在投入。

As described in an earlier chapter, Dan Ariely and Michael Norton have shown the effect small amounts of work have on the way people value various products. 正如在前一章中描述的,丹·阿里尔(Dan Ariely)和迈克尔·诺顿(Michael Norton)展示了小量工作对人们评估各种产品的影响。 This “IKEA effect” illustrates the connection between labor and perceived worth. 这种“宜家效应”诠释了劳动和感知价值之间的联系。

It is reasonable to think that the more readers put into the Bible app in the form of small investments, the more it becomes a repository of their history of worship. 可以合理地认为,读者在圣经应用程序中进行的小额投资越多,它就越成为他们敬拜历史的仓库。 Like a dog-eared book, full of scribbled insights and wisdom, the app becomes a treasured asset that won’t easily be discarded. 就像一本插有书签的书,充满了涂鸦的见解和智慧,该应用程序成为一种珍贵资产,不会轻易被丢弃。 The more readers use the Bible app, the more valuable it becomes to them. Switching to a different digital Bible — God forbid — becomes less likely with each new revelation users type into (or extract from) the app, further securing YouVersion’s dominion. 每当用户在应用程序中键入(或提取)新的启示时,切换到其他数字圣经的可能性就会降低,进一步巩固了《圣经软件》的统治地位。 Gruenewald claims he is not in competition with anyone, but he does on occasion rattle off the App Store categories where his app holds a high ranking. Gruenewald声称他并不与任何人竞争,但有时会背诵他的应用在App Store排名较高的类别。 His app’s place at the top of the charts appears secure now that the Bible has crossed its 100 millionth install. 由于圣经已经安装了一亿次,他的应用在排行榜上的位置似乎是安全的。 But Gruenewald plans to continue sifting through the terabytes of data in search of new ways to increase the reach of his app and make his version of the Bible even more habit-forming. 但格鲁内瓦尔德计划继续筛选数据的千兆字节,以寻找增加其应用覆盖范围的新方法,并使他的圣经版本更具习惯性。 To its tens of millions of regular users, Gruenewald’s app is a Godsend. 对于数千万常规用户,格鲁内瓦尔德的应用程序是上帝的恩赐。 *** *

Remember and Share

- The Bible app was far less engaging as a desktop website. - 作为桌面网站,圣经应用程序的吸引力要小得多。 The mobile interface increased accessibility and usage by providing frequent triggers. 移动界面通过提供频繁触发器,增加了可访问性和使用率。

- The Bible app increases users' ability to take action by front-loading interesting content and providing an alternative audio version. - 圣经应用程序通过提前加载有趣内容并提供另一种音频版本,增加了用户采取行动的能力。 - By separating the verses into small chunks, users find the Bible easier to read on a daily basis. Not knowing what the next verse will be adds a variable reward.

- Every annotation, bookmark and highlight stores data (and value) in the app, further committing users. - 每个标注、书签和高亮都在应用中存储数据(和价值),进一步使用户投入。

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