Playfulness and Joyful Discovery

Since I frowned upon Gmail a bit in the last post, I thought I’d post something I like about Google: Google Doodles.

I rarely see Google’s special logos when they first appear, since I prefer to use the browser search box. But sometimes I’ll follow a random link to the doodles page and end up looking at the latest ones.

I recently found this series of logos in honor of Hans Christian Andersen’s 205th birthday.

I think they’re wonderful. I smiled as I followed Thumbellina’s story and remembered my childhood books. And just like that, Google gained precious goodwill points (which it will need whenever it goofs up next).

Considering how much I appreciate glimpses of playfulness on an otherwise straightforward/serious site, I rarely get to plan this aspect as part of the user experience. This is partly because I’m often so busy implementing the priority requirements that I don’t have time to think about or make the case for “non-essential” features.

But if the basics are what set the good apart from the bad, the details are what set the great apart from the good. Giving your users the opportunity stumble upon something unexpected yet welcomed may be what takes the experience of your product from good to great.

I’ll have to remember that.