37 - The Math Puzzle › Why daily puzzles stick
Why daily puzzles stick
The best thing about a daily puzzle is that it ends. One puzzle, a few minutes, then you are done until tomorrow. That single design decision is doing more work than it looks like.
It has a finish line
Most things on a phone are built so you never reach the bottom. A daily puzzle is built so you do. You solve it, you close the app, and there is genuinely nothing else to do. That turns out to feel great rather than disappointing.
Everyone gets the same one
This is the part people underestimate. Because your puzzle is identical to your sister's and your coworker's, there is something to talk about. Comparing solutions only works if you were solving the same problem.
In 37 - The Math Puzzle the Daily Challenge deals every player worldwide the same seven dice. Two people can reach 37 by completely different routes and both be right, which is a better conversation than "did you get it".
Streaks work, a bit annoyingly
A streak has almost nothing to do with the puzzle. It is a number you do not want to reset. That is a slightly silly reason to open an app, and it works anyway.
It fits in the gaps
A few minutes is a coffee queue, a train stop, the wait before a meeting. Nothing to resume, no session to abandon halfway.
Building the habit
Attach it to something you already do without thinking. First coffee, the commute, sitting down at your desk. Habits stick far better when they hitch a ride on an existing one than when they need their own slot.