The Product Design Trifecta: How to Design Products People Love (Functional, Aesthetical and Delightful)

Design isn't just about making products functional or making them look pretty, or even about making them delightful. It's about creating experiences that are functional, aesthetically pleasing, and ultimately delightful. This trifecta should be the guiding light for every designer, especially in the ever-evolving world of product experiences.

The Foundation: Functionality First

Functionality is the bedrock of good design. It's about solving user problems with clarity and efficiency. A website that takes ages to load or an app with confusing navigation is a guaranteed recipe for frustration, no matter how beautiful it looks.

Here is an example:

Imagine: You open your fitness app, excited to track your progress. But instead of being greeted with a clear overview of your steps, heart rate, and sleep, you're met with three separate cards. Each card requires a tap, adding unnecessary steps and breaking the flow of your experience. It feels like work just to see your basic stats.

Now imagine this: You open the app and instantly see all your key metrics displayed clearly on the home screen. Your daily steps, current heart rate, and sleep duration are right there, organized concisely. This instant access creates a sense of control and satisfaction. If you want to explore further, each metric acts as a doorway to detailed breakdowns, available with a single tap. This design feels intuitive and effortless, helping you quickly understand your health and fitness progress.

The Polish: Aesthetics Matter

Aesthetics are not just about making things look good, they're about making them feel good. Once your foundational functionality is in place, it's time to craft a visual language that resonates with your users and reinforces your brand identity. Avoid chasing trends. Instead, focus on cohesiveness, clarity, and emotional impact.

Think beyond the pixels:

• Color Palette: Colors evoke emotions. Choose a palette that aligns with your brand personality and resonates with your audience. Think calming blues and greens for a financial app, or bright, playful tones for a children's game. (Like we made BYJU's app bright and playful for school-going students.)
• Typography: Clarity is everything. Select fonts that are readable across all devices and screen sizes, making sure your message comes through without strain.
• Iconography: Icons are mini storytellers. Keep them clean, consistent, and easy to interpret at a glance.
• Illustration: Don't underestimate the power of visual storytelling. Use illustrations to spark emotion, support your brand identity, and engage your users. They should be stylistically consistent with the rest of your design system.
• Patterns: Subtle patterns can add depth without overwhelming the user. Use them sparingly and ensure they complement your overall design aesthetic.

Remember, effective aesthetics help you:

• Build trust and credibility by presenting a polished and professional interface.
• Enhance brand recognition through consistent visual language.
• Create emotional connections that make users feel comfortable, understood, and engaged.

Aesthetics go deeper than beauty. They shape perception, mood, and desirability — the emotional layer behind every great product experience.

The Secret Sauce: Delightful Surprises

Now comes the cherry on top: delight.

Remember the first time you discovered a hidden level in a game? Or the moment an app wished you a happy birthday? That spark of unexpected joy is what transforms a good experience into a memorable one.

Delight is about going beyond expectations and leaving users with a smile.

Here's how to add meaningful delight:

• Micro-interactions: Make simple actions feel special with subtle animations or sounds that acknowledge user input. It's like a virtual high-five for their engagement.
• Personalized touches: Create moments that feel unique to each user. A birthday greeting or a recommendation based on past activity shows users that you understand them.

But remember: delight is fleeting. What seems surprising today quickly becomes the norm tomorrow. Just like free Wi-Fi in hotels evolved from a delightful perk into a baseline expectation, other delightful features will follow the same path. The key is to constantly iterate, innovate, and refresh your moments of delight to keep users engaged.

Think of it like a chef constantly experimenting with new flavour combinations. Don't get stuck serving the same "delightful" dish forever. Be playful, be bold, and keep surprising your users — in good ways.

Here are some examples across different domains:

• E-commerce app: Surprise users with a free sample relevant to their recent purchase.
• Fitness app: Offer bonus points for completing a surprise workout challenge.
• Productivity app: Include a hidden mini-game that helps users take a quick break and reset their minds.

As designers, our goal is to continually push boundaries and build new "delightful" moments that keep users coming back.

Final Thought

By mastering this trifecta of functionality, aesthetics, and delight, you can create experiences that are not only usable but also memorable and emotionally engaging. Great design goes beyond looking good — it makes users feel something.

So go forth, design with purpose, and remember: the best designs are often the ones that leave users saying, "Wow, I didn't expect that!"