Why Products Need Innovation and Conformity

A product experience is about three quadrants. Here's how the first go.

Must-haves

You go to this restaurant, and the food is fantastic. The staff is super friendly. But, strangely, the silverware is dirty. Even though you ask for a replacement, they keep coming in a disgusting state. You walk away frustrated.

The lesson here is that there are some basic expectations that, if unmet, can ruin the whole experience. These must-haves don't add much when present but will hurt a great deal if absent.

Linear satisfiers

Another situation is when you go to that gas station near your house. Now they accept Apple Pay. That's nice. You've been using it more and more. That will save you some time.

This scenario is about increments to the product experience that make it slightly better. It's all about meeting expectations. The experience won't suffer if these features are not there. On the other hand, adding them will improve the overall experience quality, adding up over time.

Delighters

You walk into a clothing store. You grab this jacket. There's a code attached to it. Once you scan it with your camera, it shows you similar stuff. It tells you what people wear with it. You decide to use the app to pick your size and another color. In seconds someone is handling the requested items.

There's a good chance you walked out of the store amazed. Your expectations were exceeded. When that type of experience happens, people will be delighted.

What to do about it

Research is key. You need to keep an eye on the current experience, looking for frustrating interactions with your product. It's crucial to watch for competitors, so you don't fall behind on features with the potential to give your users more value. Of course, without forgetting your product vision. Finally, never lose touch with people. Talk to users (even from your competitors) and explore their problems, the pain they experience, and what they expect to get solved. It's impossible to delight if you don't know what the expectations are.

Here's a more detailed view of the Kano Model.