Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast: Agile Storytelling from the Trenches
Episode Summary: BONUS Creating Delightful Products With Nesrine Changuel
Release Date: May 3, 2025
Host: Vasco Duarte
Guest: Nesrine Changuel, Product Leader, Coach, and Author

Introduction

In this special bonus episode of the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast, host Vasco Duarte welcomes Nesrine Changuel from Paris, a seasoned product leader, coach, and author with over a decade of experience at renowned companies like Skype, Spotify, Google Meet, and Chrome. Nesrine specializes in designing emotionally connected, delightful products and is the author of the forthcoming book, Delight. This episode delves deep into the concept of creating delightful products by fostering emotional connections with users, moving beyond merely addressing their functional needs.

Defining Delight in Product Development

Nesrine Changuel begins by unpacking the essence of "delight" in the context of product development. She emphasizes that while most companies excel at solving users' functional problems, true delight stems from building an emotional connection that fosters user loyalty and habitual use.

Nesrine [02:16]: “Delight is about creating an emotional connection between users and products. It’s the extra step that not only solves functional needs but also honors emotional needs.”

Nesrine highlights two primary elements of delight:

1. Anticipating Needs: Surprising users by addressing both their functional and emotional needs.
2. Surpassing Expectations: Going beyond what users expect to create moments of joy and surprise.

Emotional Connections vs. Functional Needs

The conversation contrasts functional problem-solving with the creation of emotional connections. Nesrine shares personal anecdotes to illustrate this distinction, such as a heartfelt gesture from her colleagues—a baking box—that addressed both her functional need for office treats and her emotional need for recognition and camaraderie.

Nesrine [03:49]: “The baking box was a mix of joy and surprise, meeting both my emotional and functional needs.”

Vasco adds a metaphor comparing product delight to dating, where initial impressions and understanding foster deeper connections.

Vasco [04:37]: “When we go on a date, we want to be presentable and find something in common that connects us beyond the immediate experience. Similarly, products should connect with users on both functional and emotional levels.”

Implementing Delight: Strategies for Product Teams

Nesrine outlines actionable strategies for product teams to incorporate delight into their development processes:

1. Emotional Motivators Identification:

   • Conduct emotional interviewing to uncover users' emotional needs.
   • Utilize tools like empathy mapping and user journey mapping to capture emotional states throughout the user experience.

   Nesrine [15:07]: “The first step is to list emotional motivators alongside functional ones through empathy-driven user interviews.”

2. Delight Grid Framework:

   • Delight Grid: A matrix to categorize features based on their ability to address functional and emotional needs.
     • Low Delight: Features that only solve functional needs.
     • Surface Delight: Features that only address emotional needs.
     • Deep Delight: Features that satisfy both functional and emotional needs simultaneously.

   Nesrine [18:00]: “Deep Delight occurs when a feature solves a functional need and simultaneously addresses one or more emotional motivators.”

3. Customer Journey Mapping:

   • Incorporate the feeling element to identify pivotal moments—peak and valley emotions—that present opportunities to enhance the user experience.

   Nesrine [27:24]: “By mapping users' emotions throughout their journey, teams can pinpoint moments to connect emotionally, turning frustrations into delights.”

Practical Examples and Case Studies

Nesrine shares insightful examples to illustrate how emotional connections can transform user experiences:

1. Google Meet During COVID-19:

   • Challenge: Users experienced "Zoom fatigue" characterized by boredom and overwhelm.
   • Solution: Introduced features like reaction emojis (e.g., thumbs up) to increase engagement and a self-view minimizer to reduce self-perception fatigue.

   Nesrine [07:26]: “We developed the thumb emoji reaction to make meetings more engaging and the minimize self-view feature to alleviate Zoom fatigue.”

2. Restaurant Innovation:

   • Challenge: The frustrating payment process in restaurants.
   • Solution: Implemented a QR code system that streamlined orders and payments, transforming a moment of frustration into a delightful experience.

   Nesrine [28:00]: “The QR code app allowed guests to manage orders and payments seamlessly, turning a typically frustrating moment into a pleasant surprise.”

3. Spotify’s Emotional Motivators:

   • Example: Users turn to Spotify not just to listen to music but to feel connected and less lonely, highlighting the importance of addressing both functional and emotional needs.

   Nesrine [15:07]: “Spotify users often seek emotional connections, such as feeling part of a community or changing their mood through music.”

Enhancing Team Practices for Emotional Delight

Vasco raises a concern about technical teams overlooking emotional cues during user interviews. Nesrine concurs and offers solutions:

• Active Listening: Encourage teams to pay close attention to users' emotional expressions during interviews.
• Integrate Emotional Data: Use insights from emotional interviews to inform feature development, ensuring that solutions address both pain points and emotional needs.

Nesrine [24:23]: “Listening deeply and noting emotional cues during user interviews is crucial for identifying opportunities to delight users.”

Resources and Further Learning

Nesrine recommends several resources for those interested in deepening their understanding of emotional design in product development:

1. Books:

   • Emotional Design by Don Norman
   • Designing for Emotion by Aaron Walter

2. Her Own Work:

   • Book: Delight (Upcoming in April/May 2025)
   • Newsletter: Delight Tips on Substack, offering weekly insights and stories on creating delightful products.
   • LinkedIn: Nesrine is active and open for connections and discussions on enhancing product delight.

Nesrine [31:07]: “Emotional connection is a universal concept across marketing, design, and product development. My book aims to bridge the gap for product teams to implement these ideas effectively.”

Conclusion

This episode underscores the significance of moving beyond functional problem-solving to create products that resonate emotionally with users. By anticipating and addressing both functional and emotional needs, product teams can foster deeper connections, leading to user loyalty and product advocacy. Nesrine Changuel provides a robust framework and practical strategies to help teams integrate delight into their product development processes, ensuring sustainable growth and user satisfaction.

For those eager to learn more, Nesrine’s upcoming book Delight, along with her newsletter and active LinkedIn presence, offer valuable resources to continue exploring the art of creating emotionally connected, delightful products.

Notable Quotes:

• Nesrine [02:16]: “Delight is about creating an emotional connection between users and products. It’s the extra step that not only solves functional needs but also honors emotional needs.”
• Vasco [04:37]: “When we go on a date, we want to be presentable and find something in common that connects us beyond the immediate experience. Similarly, products should connect with users on both functional and emotional levels.”
• Nesrine [15:07]: “Spotify users often seek emotional connections, such as feeling part of a community or changing their mood through music.”
• Nesrine [18:00]: “Deep Delight occurs when a feature solves a functional need and simultaneously addresses one or more emotional motivators.”
• Nesrine [27:24]: “By mapping users' emotions throughout their journey, teams can pinpoint moments to connect emotionally, turning frustrations into delights.”

Further Information:

To connect with Nesrine Changuel, subscribe to her Delight Tips newsletter on Substack, reach out via LinkedIn, or stay tuned for her book Delight releasing in May 2025.