The “Feels Good” Factor
There are a number of things we do just because it “feels good” to do them. Recycling waste, smiling at your colleagues at work or catching up with friends on a weekend are just some of the examples. These and many other activities might have other reasons why you would do them but if you think about it for a minute… you do feel good after having completed them.Isn’t it a good experience to share a favourite movie scene or hum the lyrics of a mutually admired song? You can spend quite sometime recalling your college days and make jokes about your professors, discuss some of the cool ads you have seen lately or the tasty food you had last time you were at a restaurant.
The point I want to make is that People talk about what makes them feel good. And they don’t mind talking about it over and over again. Actually if it’s something that makes them feel really good…you will have a hard time stopping them from talking about it. Even people who crib all the time do talk about the few things that make them feel good.
But how many things out there really make us feel good. Everyday we interact with so many devices, gadgets, websites, applications and tools. But do you end up talking and I mean talking with full passion about even 25% of them. Probably not. With technology creeping into every nook and corner of our life, there should be many such experiences which make us feel good by making “life easier” but that does not seem to happen. We all have devices that do a lot but don’t most of them end up making you feel like you aren’t doing a lot just because you use the device for your basic needs. And the countless “frustrating” experiences you have as you use the different softwares on your computer.
I believe a product should be designed to make the audience feel good about using it. To make the experience enjoyable, something they recollect with pleasure and share with their friends and family. Google and Ipod have been talked to death about this so I thought let me pick some other examples.
Kayak.com is a simple example. It finds airlines from about 15-20 sites and brings them on a single page with options to restrict based on cost, arrival/departure time, number of stops etc… So you no longer have to search on so many sites to find the best deal and you can make ur decision quickly. It saves you a lot of time and you feel great not good about it.
Windows Live Map Search is another example. If you instal their virtual Earth plugin, you can navigate cities in 3D using your arrow keys or your XBox controller. You can fly like a superman over streets. But more importantly, you can travel around in a city just as if you are driving around. So if you are going to a new place, this gives you the opportunity to familiarize with roads and landmarks so your real trip would be much more comfortable. Feels Good 
Feels Good is the extra gesture you did for the user without he asking for it. He probably wasn’t even thinking about it but now that you offered he loves it. Its the perk of using the product and the perk goes a long way in making a loyal customer.
What was the last thing you used that made you feel good and what about it made u feel good? what made you feel worse? Post your experiences in comments.
