The Hammock » Uncategorized http://juanpatten.com Hey. I'm J.R. and this is... Sat, 10 Jul 2010 15:09:04 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 On Surprising Users http://juanpatten.com/2009/on-surprising-users/ http://juanpatten.com/2009/on-surprising-users/#comments Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:44:13 +0000 JR Patten http://juanpatten.com/?p=166 Continue reading →]]> Surprised GuyThe Principle of Least Surprise is a common axiom in user interface design, and any sort of interface design (be it an object, a screen, or an API), and it’s a useful one. I (and everyone else) enjoy using an interface that just behaves exactly like I expect. It makes me comfortable, and gives me confidence that the product is well-engineered. It makes using a product *gasp* enjoyable.

But there’s another side to the double-edged surprise sword: delight.

Delight is when you surprise a user by transforming something they take for granted (something they normally wouldn’t give a second thought, if a first) and transforming it into something that directly and noticeably makes their experience better. Delight comes from making the user take that second glance and thinking, “Wow. They thought of everything.”

Delight makes people tell other people about your product.
Delight makes people want to use your product again and again.
Delight makes your product stand out from your competitors.
Delight makes ordinary extraordinary.

Delight people.

Have thoughts? Leave a comment.

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