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.