Â
In order for a product to be loved, you need to set the bar higher than your users themselves. — Rahul Vohra
Â
Here are the key takeaways from Nesrine Changuel’s 4-step framework for building delightful products, based on her experience at Spotify, Google, and Skype:
Why Delight Matters
- Delight is a business strategy, not just adding superficial “confetti” to functionality; it’s about creating emotional connections that drive retention, loyalty, and differentiation in competitive markets.
- Products need to serve both functional and emotional user needs to stand out and foster deep engagement.
The Three Pillars of Delight
- Removing Friction: Make the hardest parts of the user journey easy (e.g., Uber’s effortless refund process reduces stress and builds trust).
- Anticipating Needs: Surprise users with solutions before they even ask (e.g., Revolut banking app offering eSIMs for traveling customers).
- Exceeding Expectations: Go beyond what’s expected to deliver “wow” moments (e.g., browser autofill features finding and applying discount coupons automatically).
The 4-Step Delight Model
- Identify User Motivators: Go beyond demographic and behavioral segmentation; uncover both functional (“I want to find a song”) and emotional (“I want to feel less lonely”) motivators.
lembra um pouco o Jobs to be Done…
- Convert Motivators into Product Opportunities: Use motivators to ideate opportunities (not just solving problems, but honoring both functional and emotional needs).
- Identify Solutions with the Delight Grid: Categorize solutions as:
- Surface Delight (solves only emotional need, e.g., fun animation)
- Low Delight (only functional need)
- Deep Delight (solves both emotional and functional needs—most powerful)
- Validate with the Delight Checklist: Ensure your solution delivers user and business impact, checks for inclusivity, and maintains joy over time. Avoid delight that might alienate or upset users (e.g., Apple’s reactions causing awkward moments in sensitive contexts).
Making Delight Work in Practice
- Deep Delight means emotion and function are embedded together (not a trade-off).
- Use the 50-40-10 Rule for your roadmap:
- 50% Low Delight (functionality)
- 40% Deep Delight (integration of emotion and function)
- 10% Surface Delight (purely joyful features)
- Delight applies to B2B as much as B2C—any product for humans should honor emotional motivators.
- Continuous surprise is key—avoid the “habituation effect” (delight wears off unless continually refreshed).
- To gain buy-in: Align the case for delight with leadership’s goals—don’t pitch “confetti”; pitch solutions that drive results, pride, and advocacy.
Cultural Adoption
- Make delight a permanent product pillar and embed it in team rituals (health checks, hack days, “delight days”).
- Building delightful features increases team motivation—PMs get excited seeing happy user reactions.
Product Examples
- Chrome's Inactive Tabs: Reduced user stress by automatically managing tab clutter while preserving user trust.
- Google Meet: Minimized “self-view” to reduce “Zoom fatigue”; added emoji reactions for better interaction and engagement.
- Spotify Discover Weekly: Success came from blending new content with familiar tracks, delivering repeatable joy and surprise.
Checklist for Delight
- Check for inclusion, familiarity (don’t surprise too much!), continuous innovation, and business alignment.
- Avoid “anti-delight”—features that may backfire due to lack of context or insensitivity.
Summary
Delight is an actionable product strategy that blends emotional and functional needs, is validated for inclusivity and impact, and maintained as a core cultural value to create products users love and teams are motivated to build.
Â
Â
Â
also
Ăšltil, encantador, prazeiroso
Â
Â
Here are the key takeaways from the video "Nesrine Changuel: We Should All Prioritise Product Delight!":
- Product delight is a strategic advantage: Nesrine Changuel emphasizes that delight is not just an add-on, but a critical driver of business outcomes—improving revenue, retention, and referrals.
- Delight goes beyond functionality: Great products connect emotionally with users. True product delight combines removing friction, anticipating needs, and exceeding expectations.
- Emotional connection matters in all products: Whether B2B or B2C, thinking “Business to Human” (B2H) helps teams design products that foster loyalty and long-term engagement.
- Frameworks for delight: Nesrine shares tools like the “Delight Grid,” which helps teams balance functional improvements with both deep and surface delight:
- Surface delight: Fun touches and delightful moments, like playful animations or confetti on achievements.
- Deep delight: Features or experiences that are functional and emotionally resonant, making the product memorable and “sticky.”
- Inclusivity & appropriateness: Not all attempts at delight work for every user—teams must consider diversity and context so delight doesn’t backfire or cause harm.
- 50410 Roadmap Ratio: Nesrine suggests a robust product roadmap includes 50% functional “table stakes,” 40% deep delight, and 10% surface delight to optimize impact.
- Delight as a leadership and cultural priority: Building delightful products requires commitment from leadership, integrating delight as a core value and regular discussion point.
- Delight versus manipulation: Product delight should always respect user values and avoid manipulative tactics or addictive behaviors—authentic delight is sustainable and user-centric.
- Emotional needs are timeless: Technology shifts rapidly, but human emotional drivers persist; investing in delight is investing in long-lasting product success.
These points summarize the mindset, practical strategies, and frameworks that Nesrine Changuel advocates for in creating genuinely delightful products and user experiences.