--- title: Fogg Behavior Model — definition | RGM® Glossary url: https://realgrowthmatters.com/glossary/fogg-behavior-model/ updated: 2026-06-10 source_html: https://realgrowthmatters.com/glossary/fogg-behavior-model/ --- # Fogg Behavior Model Fogg be·hav·ior mod·el/fɑɡ bɪˈheɪvjəɹ ˈmɑdəl/noun Your users aren't lazy — your prompt fired when motivation was low and the task was hard. Term : Fogg Behavior Model Equation : B = MAP (Motivation × Ability × Prompt) Author : BJ Fogg, Stanford Descendants : Hooked, Tiny Habits, CRO practice ## Forms & parts of speech B=MAP · formula The convergence condition. "Run the **B=MAP** audit — motivation's fine, the prompt's fine, the 14-field form is the Ability failure." ## Definition in plain terms The Fogg Behavior Model states that a behavior happens when three things converge at the same moment: MOTIVATION (the person wants the outcome), ABILITY (the action is easy enough), and a PROMPT (something triggers the action now). B = MAP. Miss any one and the behavior doesn't happen — and the model's action curve shows the trade: the higher the motivation, the harder the task can be; the easier the task, the less motivation required. ## The mechanics The model's working insight is diagnostic: every conversion failure is a Motivation, Ability, or Prompt failure, and they have different fixes. Motivation failures need value and proof (or accepting that low-motivation users need tinier asks); Ability failures need simplification — Fogg's own emphasis, since ability is cheaper to engineer than desire (cut fields, steps, thinking); Prompt failures need timing — the right trigger at the high-motivation moment (the post-success rating ask, the cart reminder at payday). The model underwrites the Hooked loop (its trigger-action core is B=MAP applied) and Fogg's own Tiny Habits method (shrink the behavior until ability is trivial). ## When it matters Reach for it in CRO (audit every funnel step: which letter is failing?), onboarding design (sequence asks by the motivation curve — big asks at peak excitement, tiny asks later), and lifecycle messaging (prompts timed to motivation moments, not marketing calendars). Its ethics note is Fogg's own: the model powers manipulation as readily as service — the design test is whether the behavior serves the user who performs it. **Worked example.** A fintech app's document-upload step kills 60% of onboarding. The B=MAP autopsy: motivation is high (users just signed up), the prompt is clear — it's pure Ability failure (photographing five documents on a phone). The redesign splits the behavior: connect one bank account now (30 seconds, the tiny version), documents requested later via a prompt timed to the first deposit attempt — the moment motivation spikes again. Completion of full verification rises 2.2x. Nobody was lazy; the curve was just drawn wrong. **Failure modes to watch.** Pouring motivation (copy, offers) on Ability problems a shorter form would fix; firing prompts at low-motivation moments; asking for the big behavior when the tiny one would start the chain; and using the model to engineer behaviors against the user's interest. ## Synonyms & antonyms ### Synonyms Fogg modelB=MAPbehavior model ### Antonyms one-factor explanations ('users are lazy') ## Origin & history Created by BJ Fogg of Stanford's Persuasive Technology (now Behavior Design) Lab — taught from the mid-2000s and formalized in his 2009 paper 'A Behavior Model for Persuasive Design'; originally B=MAT (trigger), revised to B=MAP (prompt). His students' startups carried it into product culture; *Tiny Habits* (2020) carried it home. Etymology: [source](https://behaviormodel.org/). ## Usage trends Search interest for this term over the last five years: [View interest-over-time on Google Trends →](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?q=fogg%20behavior%20model&date=today%205-y) ## Common questions What is the Fogg Behavior Model? : B = MAP — behavior happens when Motivation, Ability, and a Prompt converge above the action threshold. Who created it? : BJ Fogg, founder of Stanford's Behavior Design Lab, who formalized the model in 2007-2009. How is it used in marketing? : As a conversion diagnostic — every funnel failure is a motivation, ability, or prompt failure, each with a different fix. ## Related tools & calculators - tool[Funnel drop-off analyzer](/tools/funnel-drop-off-analyzer/) ## Resources & people to follow - paperFogg (2009) — 'A Behavior Model for Persuasive Design' - book*Tiny Habits* — BJ Fogg - book*Hooked* — Eyal (the model applied) Curated, non-competitor resources verified per term. ## Related training - module[Growth marketing foundations](/training/growth-marketing-foundations/) ## Disciplines Areas of marketing where fogg behavior model is a core concern: [Strategy](/training/growth-marketing-foundations/)[Fundamentals](/training/growth-marketing-foundations/) ## Read next ## Related terms [Hooked (book)](/glossary/hooked-book/)[Activation rate](/glossary/activation-rate/)[Conversion rate](/glossary/conversion-rate/)[Customer onboarding](/glossary/customer-onboarding/)[Daniel Kahneman](/glossary/daniel-kahneman/) ## Sources 1. trends[Google Trends — "fogg behavior model"](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?q=fogg%20behavior%20model&date=today%205-y)