The Intersection of Human Desire and Virality: Building a Convenient and Shareable Product

The Intersection of Human Desire and Virality: Building a Convenient and Shareable Product

Introduction:

In today's digital age, where convenience and connectivity are paramount, understanding human desires and incorporating virality into product design has become crucial for success. Evan Williams, the mastermind behind Blogger, Twitter, and Medium, highlighted the timeless nature of human desires such as love, money, status, a sense of belonging, influence, answers, and the desire to create. This article will explore how to leverage these desires and create a convenient and shareable product by incorporating nine actionable strategies to build virality.

1. Incentivize User Invitations:

One effective way to build virality into your product is by creating incentives for users to invite their friends and for their friends to accept the invite. LinkedIn utilized this strategy by prominently displaying the number of connections on user profiles, enticing users to invite more people. By rewarding both sides of the invitation process, you can ensure that the incentive is compelling for all parties involved.

2. Enable Collaboration and Communication:

Products designed for collaboration or communication between coworkers inherently possess viral potential. By allowing multiple users to benefit from the product, additional value is realized, making it more likely for users to invite others. This collaborative aspect not only enhances the product experience but also encourages users to spread the word about its benefits.

3. Embeddable Features:

By creating the ability for others to embed your product into their websites, you can increase exposure and reach a wider audience. This not only amplifies your product's visibility but also showcases its expected content and behaviors to potential users. This strategy can be particularly effective when targeting niche markets or specific industries.

4. Encourage Social Sharing:

If your product generates uniquely interesting content, you can leverage social sharing to spread knowledge of your product through users' networks. Auto-sharing content onto other networks has proven to be highly successful in this regard. By creating a tool that users find appealing and shareable, you tap into their desire to showcase their interests and experiences, thus increasing your product's virality.

5. Facilitate Messaging and Information Sharing:

Consider integrating features that allow users to easily share artifacts or URLs generated by your product through messaging platforms. This not only promotes the virality of your product but also enhances the user experience by providing a seamless way to share information. Remember to provide a rich experience around the shared content to encourage further engagement and word-of-mouth promotion.

6. Leverage Signature Lines:

Hotmail's early success can be attributed, in part, to its clever use of signature lines in emails. By appending a simple message at the end of each email, Hotmail was able to spread awareness and consideration of its product. While signature lines may seem outdated today, the underlying principle remains relevant – find creative ways to integrate your product into existing communication channels to increase its viral potential.

7. Focus on Product Quality:

While building virality into your product is essential, it should never come at the expense of product quality. Viral loops may attract users, but conversion and loyalty can only be achieved through a high-quality offering. It is crucial to ensure that the core mechanics of your product are designed for excellence from the start, rather than attempting to add virality as an afterthought.

8. Consider Cognitive Ease and Convenience:

As Evan Williams emphasized, the convenience of the internet is achieved through speed, cognitive ease, and the removal of unnecessary steps. When designing your product, identify human desires that have stood the test of time and leverage modern technology to streamline processes and eliminate friction. By offering a convenient and seamless experience, you increase the likelihood of users engaging with your product and sharing it with others.

9. Stay True to the Purpose:

While convenience and virality are essential, it is crucial not to lose sight of the core purpose of your product. As Evan Williams cautioned, convenience is only beneficial if it serves the ultimate goal of nourishing and freeing people. Continuously strive to improve your product's offerings and ensure that it aligns with the desires and needs of your target audience.

Conclusion:

In the ever-evolving digital landscape, understanding human desires and incorporating virality into product design is crucial for success. By incentivizing user invitations, enabling collaboration, encouraging social sharing, and leveraging embeddable features, you can tap into the innate desire of users to connect and share. Additionally, by focusing on product quality, convenience, and staying true to the purpose, you can create a compelling and shareable product that resonates with users on a deeper level. Remember, building virality into your product requires careful thought and consideration from the start, but the rewards can be immense.