What makes a digital product experience memorable?

Digital products are part of people's routines and are present in more and more everyday activities. Because of this, creating something that simply works is no longer enough: products need to respond to real problems and make sense to the people who use them. For those who work with product, whether managers, designers or developers, this means constantly making decisions, balancing different needs, goals and constraints throughout the building of a product. But what, after all, makes an experience feel truly good, to the point of being remembered? To explore these questions, we talked to product professionals at Espresso Labs and gathered different perspectives on the subject.

“When you think of a truly good digital experience, what comes to mind first?”

Usability, simplicity and fluidity stand out as central points in the answers. For the interviewees, a good experience is one in which users can do what they need quickly, intuitively and without friction. Ease of use doesn't necessarily mean the product has no complexity, but rather the ability to make that complexity less noticeable to the person using it. Another idea that comes up is that a good experience should let users move naturally toward their goal, without having to figure out on their own how to use the product. Across different perspectives, the feeling of ease is precisely one of the signs that careful work went into building it.

“What makes you realize, within the first few minutes, that a digital product was well thought out?”

The perception of a well-thought-out product is closely related to how its journey was built. Being able to complete a task without overthinking, finding a natural flow and noticing that the user's needs and goals were taken into account are important signs for the interviewees. At the same time, more visible aspects also contribute to this perception. Communication, visual identity, consistency and microinteractions show care for the experience. As one of the answers summed up, the simpler and more straightforward a product seems, the greater the work it may have taken to reach that simplicity.

“What makes an experience go from just ‘good’ to memorable for the people who use it?”

For the interviewees, an experience can become remarkable when it goes beyond simply allowing a task to be completed. Solving something laborious quickly, reducing unnecessary effort and conveying a sense of security are factors that can create the feeling that the product was truly designed for the person using it. The relationship built by the brand also comes up here. Microanimations, small interactions, mascots, branding, visual and tone-of-voice consistency, and communication that accompanies users throughout their journey can transform how the product is perceived. Care doesn't necessarily end with usage: post-purchase communication and attention to the customer's context are also part of this experience.

“What do you consider the hardest thing to get right when creating a digital product for real people?”

One of the main challenges mentioned is dealing with the unpredictability of the people who use the product. People may find ways to use a solution that were never imagined while it was being built, making it hard to anticipate every possible scenario and need. Another challenge is ensuring that decisions are guided by users' real needs. In some projects, for example, the people who approve decisions may not be the ones who use the product. It's also necessary to find the balance between technology and human interaction, considering when to communicate, which tone to use and at what point human contact is still needed.

“For you, what would an ideal digital experience look like?”

The answers converge on a simple, intuitive, fast and fluid experience, but add an important dimension: the ability to understand the user's context. An ideal product shouldn't just respond to what a person is doing at that moment, but understand their needs and, when possible, anticipate what they may still need. The idea of trust also comes up. In a routine increasingly dependent on apps, systems, notifications and information, an ideal experience would be one that reduces anxiety instead of increasing it. A simple, functional, reliable product capable of recognizing when a person needs human help can become, in this context, an especially valuable experience.

In the end, what makes an experience memorable?

The answers show that there is no single formula, but there is a common thread: a good experience begins when the product understands people and makes what they need to do easier. Simplicity, fluidity, trust and attention to context add up to design decisions, communication and the way the product relates to the user. In the end, an experience becomes memorable when it stops being just a tool to complete a task and starts conveying the feeling that the solution was truly designed for the person on the other side. Product managers Thiago Yoshimura and Augusto Gaioli and designers Pamela Bonan and Luis Gustavo de Barros contributed to this article.