Retention curve shape by segment

• Diagnostic question

  How customers pay

  revenue model question

  Finds the revenue model, which decides whether paying should wait for a habit or is itself the value event.

• Diagnostic question

  What does a great customer do?

  value event question

  Finds the value event and how often it should happen.

• Diagnostic question

  What kind of product this is

  archetype question

  Places the product in an archetype, which sets default cadences, routes and which stages get emphasis.

• Diagnostic question

  How often a devoted user should come back

  devoted cadence question

  Sets a realistic devoted-user frequency from typical loyal users, never extreme ones, which every habit metric is measured against.

• Diagnostic question

  How much better than the alternative

  perceived utility question

  Rates perceived utility against the best alternative, the second axis of the Habit Zone placement.

• Diagnostic question

  Does the business need a habit?

  business fit question

  Checks whether the business needs unprompted repeat use or grows through trust and referrals on occasional purchases.

Sources

Book content is paraphrased, never quoted at length. Last verified October 24, 2026.