The Seam Between Wanting and Liking
This article combines product design with neuroscience and psychology to address the addictiveness of digital products and the ethical responsibility of designers.
Key Takeaways
- The separation of Wanting and Liking: According to neuroscience research (Kent Berridge and Terry Robinson and others), the system that 'craves' something (Wanting) and the system that actually 'enjoys' it (Liking) work differently. Users can keep opening an app out of habit without feeling satisfied.
- Uncertainty and dopamine: Dopamine responds much more strongly to 'uncertain rewards (unpredictability)' than to simple rewards. The reason SNS feeds and notification features keep drawing people in is that they are designed around this uncertainty.
- The product designer's experience: The author recalls a past experience with a real estate search app, where strengthening the notification feature increased user visits and time spent, but did not actually help users find a home. Engagement metrics went up, but only the gap between 'wanting' and 'liking' widened.
- The designer's ethical responsibility: It is easy to create products that widen the gap between wanting and liking in order to raise short-term metrics, but truly great designers should recognize that boundary and know how to restrain themselves.
Ultimately, the message is that a good product should be one that users can look back on after a long time and still feel glad and satisfied that they spent their time on it.
