Who could forget the scene in Office Space where Jennifer Aniston's character is encouraged to wear more "pieces of flair?"
Although she was at wits' end with her passive aggressive manager at Chotchkie's, the fictional restaurant knew something that product teams sometimes forget. "Pieces of flair" can differentiate a brand!
Yesterday, Design Leader Cameron Moll shared this lovely animation from the iOS Weather App. Flurries were expected in Provo, UT. The forecast shows delicate white snowflakes falling and accumulating gently at the top of the first module.
Moll pointed out that this lovely, delicate animation is evidence that someone inside of Apple probably advocated for delight.
Apple's continued investment in even small touches of quality has secured their rank as a leader in product design. In details like this one, we see that their commitment to quality runs all the way down to the smallest detail.
Now more than ever, product teams are under pressure for maximal outcomes with minimal resources. This can mean products that only meet the minimum expectations. Injecting delight, high quality standards, and attention to detail in your product UI is a way to stand out in a sea of rushed products.
If product teams fall into the routine of compiling the bare necessities and them moving along, their muscle for discovering and pitching touches of delight can atrophy.
But it's not too late! Here are some steps you can take to crank up the delight in your product (and inspire your team.)
Consider stage and business goals. If you're still trying to arrive at product market fit, it's not the time to invest in perfect microinteractions. You should be sure that your product satisfies the needs and wants of the market before refining details.
Define your brand's personality. Small touches like these are a perfect way to inject flavor. What personality should come though? Circulate good examples of your brand or other brand's "personality injections" to inspire your team.
Explore multiple options. Once a design meets basic expectations, make time to explore variations. It doesn't even have to be a lot of time. Talk about how you might make the experience more delightful for users, and weight the pros and cons of ideas. (This is a part of our design concepting service.)
Stay open; good ideas may come from anywhere. Delightful touches are part science and part art. Sometimes user feedback will spur ideas, but often times, they come from an inspired team. Involve everyone in the quest to create a more interesting and unique product. Great ideas may from designers, but also copywriters, developers, animators, product folks, or other roles.
Consider the context. Not every UI is going to be a deep source of enjoyment for users. A weather app is different from an interface to pay bills, which is different from a mission-critical health or safety interface. Even a serious interface can include thoughtful touches, but flair should never impeded function.
Celebrate and empower your teams. When you see creative thinking, celebrate it! Empower your team to make calls about which touches are worth the investment. If your team sees these touches of quality and creativity making the cut, they'll be far more likely to suggest them.
In today's fast-paced and competitive market, it's easy for product teams to fall into the trap of targeting minimum expectations. Small touches of delight can help differentiate your brand from the rest.