The real reason why certain apps take off.
Much like Thor’s hammer, your software is a tool used to control something more potent. No, it’s not thunder, it’s culture.
Good software changes culture.
Facebook changed culture and made people more connected. Google changed culture and gave access to information from around the world instantaneously. Netflix changed culture when they decided movies could be enjoyed from home without cluttering your cabinets. Spotify changed culture by making it easy for people to discover music.
The point: look beyond the deliverable. What are you trying to change about our culture?
Originally published at https://www.zstvns.design.
Furthering the case for branding in software products.
Trust is built by showing up consistently. It’s why we remember our friends who we see regularly but forget the person we sat next to on the bus.
Software companies operate under the same parameters.
Every single interaction with your software company, from the ad the user sees on Facebook, to the website they land on, to the experience of signing up, to the onboarding experience, all the way to the follow-up afterward is part of building that trust.
If these experiences are misaligned or disjointed, you lose cohesion. You lose trust.
Getting these experiences to line up uniformly and in a way that delights your user is called branding.
Originally published at https://www.zstvns.design.
A case for branding’s impact on software.
I just wanna build a good product.
You should. And you should also build something of legacy.
How?
Help your ideal users connect with you emotionally. Give them pieces of delight with every interaction of your app. Make it easy for them to remember you and recognize you. Encourage them to trust the new things you release into the world.
In short, build a brand.
Originally published at https://www.zstvns.design.
