Designing Decision Loops for Sustainable Engagement

This project explores how user engagement is shaped not by single decisions, but by how people move through repeated decision loops over time.

Instead of focusing on increasing activity, this work looks at how different loop states — such as fast, high-frequency decision cycles versus slower, more deliberate ones — lead to very different behavioral outcomes.

I developed a model that breaks down the structure of a decision loop (enter, evaluate, act, outcome, repeat/exit) and identifies how design variables like pacing, reward structure, and interaction flow influence how users move through it.

To make the model more concrete, I applied it to a simulated casino system, exploring what a more sustainable engagement model could look like. Rather than maximizing short-term activity, the system is designed to balance engagement with user control — enabling participation without pushing users into loss-heavy or purely momentum-driven behavior.

The goal is not to maximize how long users stay, but to design systems where participation remains intentional — and users are more likely to return.