User Experience Innovation: User Centered Design that Works

Characteristics

Positive surprises (or wows) can take many shapes and forms, but at their essence they leave users with a smile on their face or a good feeling inside.

They Bring a Smile

A positive surprise can, for example, happen via a small animation when a user opens a menu. A positive surprise can also come with a small, hidden feature that the user learns to use after a lot of experience with your program.

A wow is in nature very close to a positive surprise, but it will give the user an even more positive feeling. With a wow, the user may even say “great,” “cool,” or “wow” (not necessarily out loud, but at least in their own mind).

Often playfulness is a way to achieve wows and positive surprises.

Many people experience the wow feeling ...