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Products often live or die based on their “stickiness” - how likely users are to come back day after day. Product managers meticulously plan features and functionality, but you never know exactly what will stick. Sometimes, the most surprising elements are what forge an emotional bond between user and product.

Take mapping applications, for example. Options like Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze, and others have commoditized the market with similar offerings - accurate directions from point A to point B. But small, unexpected features can set a product apart.

I’m a longtime Waze user, initially attracted by the real-time traffic updates and police reporting powered by its crowdsourced network. But one tiny feature has made it my go-to: voice personalization. I can record in my own voice (or a loved one's voice) simple directions like "Turn left" and "Take the exit."

Years ago on a long drive during holidays, I had my toddler son record directions in his adorable baby voice. He eagerly repeated phrases after me, saying "TUURN LEFFT" and "TUURN RITE" in his sweet little voice. I captured all the ambient sounds of him giggling and rustling around in his carseat. Now whenever I use Waze, his joyful voice pipes up telling me where to turn - a nostalgic reminder of his childhood that brings a smile to my face. This simple feature formed an emotional bond that keeps me coming back.

I doubt if Waze's PM thought this would be ?????? killer feature!

Applying Behavioral Science to Product Design

Product stickiness often defies expectations. In his seminal book Crossing the Chasm, Geoffrey Moore emphasized that early adopters favor new functionality, while mainstream users want simplicity and seamless integration into their lives. This distinction is key.

Clayton Christensen's "jobs-to-be-done" theory dives deeper into how products fulfill user needs. The most sticking solutions solve functional problems while also tapping into emotional goals and desires. A feature intended for convenience surprisingly resonates on a profound level.

Other frameworks lend insights as well. Robert Cialdini’s principle of “Liking” explores how positive associations drive user affection and loyalty. Nir Eyal's "Hooked" model reveals how products sustain user engagement by meeting both functional and emotional needs.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's concept of "flow" - achieving an optimal state of immersed focus - explains why certain activities become addictive rituals. If products consume our attention effortlessly, we return to them again and again.

Barry Schwartz's research on the "paradox of choice" shows too many options can paralyze users. Constraints and defaults that simplify decisions increase stickiness.

Common threads across these theories include understanding user motivations, balancing functionality with emotion, and creating frictionless experiences. By blending these insights, product managers can design offerings with the highest potential for addictive stickiness.

The most sticky products seamlessly fit user lives while also eliciting joy, meaning and human connection. When functional tools tap into our deeper needs, they forge lasting bonds that keep users returning.

Conclusion

Product managers rightfully concentrate on pain points and use cases. But sometimes, an unexpected moment of delight or connection makes all the difference. Analyzing product stickiness teaches us to design for lasting bonds that go beyond utility. The next killer feature could be an unassuming detail that brings users joy or meaning, one tap at a time.

#productmanagement #killerapp

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