Good software is addictive
Way back in 2006, someone told me that he has got an access to Google’s e-mail service and he can invite me to use it. I got the invite and since then, I am using Gmail, everyday. As I begin to use Gmail, unknowing and gradually my usage of Yahoo mail got lesser and lesser to a point where I could not even remember when was the last time I check my Yahoo mail.
I am sure there will be many of you who have experienced the same. There is nothing wrong with Yahoo’s mail service (which all of us used for many years) but there was something intimidating about Google’s software. It created a pull effect on users and people got used to it, to a point where they got ‘addicted’ to it.
The above story tells us an alarming truth about software usage patterns. People all over the globe are now addicted to ‘great usability’ and gradually they are switching from old school software to the software that provides them great usability – an addictive user experience.
A few more examples of ‘addictive’ software which I am aware of:
Basecamp
Highrise
39shops
Zendesk
Freshbooks
Is your software addictive?
