tl;dr this could really be a post about my nice new backpack .
Growing up in Lagos in the 90's, I remember a television ad for Toyota that ended with a japanese voice saying "yoi shinai, yoi kangai - good thinking, good product". That slogan stuck.
Toyota cars are generally good products. Good products get the job done - the experience isn't broken at any point of your journey. However, a common thing about products I really love is that they have deeper utility - as you continue to use them, you discover subtle features along the way that really enhance the experience and make you go - "ah, great thinking".
Great products find ways to push the envelope with delight, making you smile with every new discovery. An example folks with iPhones might relate to is the prompt to share your wifi password wirelessly when your friend needs to connect. I wouldn't buy an iPhone for that, but it does come in handy.
Here are other times I've smiled recently.
- the lever for opening the hood of my volkswagen can only be pressed when the car door is open
- a pen which fastens to my journal means writing notes on the go can happen in one action, without having to find a paper and find a pen.
- a side zipper on my backpack, for when I need to open my bag and get something out without taking out all the contents.
- even more meta, a side zipper on the inner device compartment of the same backpack, meant I could take out and put back in my laptop and tablet at airport security with very little fuss while it was in the tray.
- a roll-top zip gave my backpack extra space for stashing my coat when i needed to, but remained portable when I didn't.
This difference between a good and great product isn't always material or price point driven, I think it could just be a thoughtful designer behind the scenes, thinking through each or at least that specific step of the customer journey.
"Great thinking, ~~good~~ great product". How true that is.
Have you ever been delighted by a product? What was it?