Addiction design, not just delight
In the UX community we throw around terms like delight and desirability as our design goal after usability. I personally feel like those are just the tip of the iceberg of design potential. Truly great product design is one that is addictive. Something that users feel such a need for that the absence of the product creates a level of pain.
I’m definitely not advocating socially irresponsible addiction, I’m advocating the kind addiction that is more in line with “oh shit! I left my iPhone at home, grrrr” kind of pain. Isn’t that what we’re all really trying to achieve? Products that no matter the industry and task they are for they create in our users the same kind of product love and loyalty that the iPhone, World of Warcraft or Farmville create for their users? That level of fervor isn’t created by just delight, it’s created by socially responsible addiction.
