How delighters in product design are now differentiators

In the beginning days of Google, co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin were planning to take a few days away from the office to attend the annual Burning Man festival in Nevada. However, they needed a simple and clear way to let Google users know they wouldn’t be around in case any inquiries came in while they were gone. They decided to take an untraditional approach to the "out of office" message by simply replacing the second “O” of the Google homepage logo with the Burning Man logo—and the first-ever Google Doodle was born!

Google doodles is an example of delighters—unexpected features that bring joy to users. These are the elements customers may not realise they want until they encounter them. It was introduced by Dr. Noriaki Kano's Kano model, which categorises customer expectations into three levels: expected, normal, and delighters.

The Chrome Dino game is another example of delighters. Originally designed as a distraction from loss of Internet, today this game boasts an impressive 270 million monthly plays, demonstrating the love for unexpected and delightful features.

My team at &Open launched the “Thank You” button, as a way for the gift recipients to quickly thank the gift sender. On click, filling the screen with floating smiles, serves as a beloved delighter. This simple, unexpected feature has garnered love from clients, highlighting the impact of adding delighters into product design.

Often overlooked in the product development process, especially during Minimum Viable Product (MVP) launches, delighters play a crucial role in creating delightful user experiences. Without them, a product may lack the magic that keeps users engaged.

Dan Olsen popularised the MVP model emphasised that a Minimum Viable Product doesn't mean sacrificing delighters. Today, delighters have evolved into differentiators, setting products apart in competitive markets.

Arc Browser by the The Browser Company, is the poster child of delighters-are-differentiator movement. Arc continuously introduces delightful features, such as AI search, split view, and auto-archive tabs (Read Chris Coyierarticle's post on Arc Browser). Read any article in Internet about Arc browser and count the number of times "delightful" is used.

Whether it's the "Close all tabs" action in DuckDuckGo or the dynamic app icon of Duolingo, users are drawn to products for their delightful factors. The Arc browser's growing fan base is demonstrating that delighters are no longer just features—they are differentiators.

Repeat with me: Delighters are now differentiators, and they are shaping businesses. Experience our delighters for yourself. Book a demo now.