Delighting the User

I have a weird obsession with elevator buttons. Some are just really fun to press! I’ve started making a mental catalog of why I find such giddy delight in such a mundane task — the weight of the button, the texture, the material, the temperature, how it fits the curve of my finger, the distance it presses in, whether it lights up. There are dozens of tiny details that contribute to the feeling of satisfaction and enjoyment that results from this commonplace action.

The same is absolutely true with the digital products we design. Delighting the user may not be our primary goal, but it’s something we should strive for in everything we do. Sites and apps that delight the user are more engaging and more likely to be shared. They become synonymous with your brand, so users associate your company with happy thoughts. Elements of surprise and delight help humanize your brand and make it more relatable.

Delighting users is an elusive and slippery slope — go too far, and you’re cheesy and annoying; not far enough and you appear like you just don’t get it. Here are a few things to think about as you try to build delightful details into your products.

Easter Eggs

These little hidden or surprising gems have a single purpose for existence — to delight the user. It might be a visual or content-driven revelation. It’s Google’s “Thanos glove” that removed half of the search results. It’s the confirmation message on a time entry system that proclaims “Time to take a break!” It’s the bouncing french fries after as the screen loads in the McDonald’s mobile app. Clever. Funny. Sometimes a bit edgy. The trick here is to not go overboard — a little delight goes a long way.

Gamification

There’s something innately delightful about collecting badges, ranking on leaderboards, or comparing scores with your friends. Gamification adds a level of excitement and engages users to return. It also taps into our natural competitive natures. Many sites effectively use gamification principles—things like trending topics, leaderboards, streaks, and personal recommendations—to further engage users with customization.

Good UI and UX Elements

At its core a simple, intuitive interface is actually delightful. There’s satisfaction that comes with completing a task without getting confused or encountering an error. Now if you can add to that a little animation or an unconventional layout, all the better! Using certain design elements (like skeuomorphism) can be great ways to cultivate a sense of familiarity and delight the user.

Language

Transform a standard login screen call to action button from “Go” to “Get in there!” and you have instant delight. From your register screens to email confirmations to shopping cart prompts, there are dozens of opportunities to have fun with the language to instill personality (and ultimately delight). Of course, the language has to fit the voice of your brand and make sense. But look at every opportunity that you communicate with your users as a chance to engage and delight them with your words.

A delighted user is one who will return. And they’ll even bring their friends.