Enhance micro interactions with a dash of delight

As passionate design thinkers that are customer obsessed, the team at TWG is always looking for ways to elevate the user experience of our clients’ projects. One of the easiest and most impactful ways we do this is by designing delight into micro interactions.

Every time someone engages with your website or app to carry out a task they are experiencing a micro interaction with your brand.

Some common examples of micro interactions include: signing up for an e-newsletter, clicking on a ‘like’ button, changing a setting and swiping up to refresh  content.

But more than being functional executions, micro interactions are an opportunity for your brand to delight your customers.

Why some of your micro interactions should include delight

Like the majority of designers and developers, the team at TWG adheres to the theory that features are what attract users to a website or app, but micro interactions that charm are what motivate users to stay. There are many reasons why this is true.

When delight is woven into micro interactions the user experience is enhanced and more rewarding. The interface feels more personable and human. Tasks are elevated from tedious to fun, inviting and memorable as the examples below illustrate:

Sonic Hedge Hog character encouraging the user to speed things up. Credit: www.segashop.co.uk

A login where the animated Yeti covers his eyes so as not to see the user entering their password. (Credit: https://codemyui.com/signup-password-field-reaction-yeti-mascot-login-form/)

Twitter’s ‘Like’ animation which expresses joy with every click. (Credit: https://codepen.io/donovanh/pen/dYqxNb)

When delight is added to a micro interaction the user becomes more engaged, feels a stronger connection with the brand and is more likely to share the experience with others. In a crowded world of digital experiences, micro interactions that are crafted to enchant can help your brand stand out from the pack. Designing and developing with delight can be the difference between your website or app being viewed as exceptional vs. ordinary.

Science backs the theory that users appreciate delight

In a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience, researchers at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia found that the region of the brain known as the ‘pleasure centre’ responded much more strongly to an event when it was unanticipated.

“The region lights up like a Christmas tree on the MRI,” said study co-author Dr. P. Read Montague, an associate professor of neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. “That suggests people are designed to crave the unexpected.”

In other words, people (users) naturally desire the element of delight.

Want to add delight to your micro interactions?

Connect with a member of our TWG design team, like Martin, to deliver rich customer experiences.