I sign-up for new web apps and social networking sites all the time. Rarely, do any of these site draw me in and make me want to participate with them. Very few apps are able to bring me back for a return visit after my initial login. And no I am not talking about the feeling people get when the app has reached critical mass and everyone is joining, those users are feeling like they don’t want to be left out or “what’s all the hype about?”.
So this got me thinking, what qualities do successful apps contain that engage their viewer? With blogs, every site has an rss feed, what user emotions are needed to get the viewer to leave their RSS reader and comment?
Kathy Sierra (whom I have a crush on) says you must make the user feel like they’re kicking ass, but that’s only true for business apps. Let’s talk about social networks/apps.
I wonder what my friends are doing/saying?
Feeling = “I’m missing out on the content (links and opinions) from my peers)”
I wonder what my friends are saying?
Feeling = “I want gossip”
I agree or disagree so strongly that I need to comment on that post.
Feeling = I want to be heard and I want to hear what the blogger has to say.
I need to see a full sized view of that image.
I want to explore other photographers pictures.
Feeling = Intrigued by beauty
Questions:
How do you build a site that makes a user feel like they must contribute?
What are current apps doing to make their users feel this way?
What brings you back to your favorite websites again and again?
If you wanted it to build a product you’d find a way to get time to work on it. If you really wanted to start that new hobby you’d sacrifice something to find the time and money to do it.
I'll define a "Wannabe Entrepreneur" as someone who has never made money from their businesses. Here are the different types of wannabes.
In the past few years I've built go-carts, built a 200+ sq ft workshop, written several eBooks. How do I create a life where I have time to work on side projects?