Features Are Now Table Stakes
Software builders are used to thinking in terms of functionality. The product with the most comprehensive feature set, the argument goes, wins. That assumption is about to break down. IDC projects that the number of applications will double between 2024 and 2028. When everyone can ship the same features — and at a fraction of the cost — functionality alone stops being a differentiator.
The new moat is emotional resonance. The defining characteristic of an app will be how it makes users feel, not what it lets them do.
Why Delight is a Business Metric
This is not about adding surface-level polish. It’s about the small design decisions that create genuine moments of connection: copy that clarifies, motion that delights, sound that soothes, haptics that respond. Consider the tactile resistance of a well-designed plastic button on a child’s music player, or the satisfying buzz when an activity ring closes on a smartwatch. These details are what turn a utility into something users genuinely enjoy — and are willing to pay for.
Most product roadmaps, however, are built on a checklist of concrete user feedback and feature requests. It is difficult to prioritize an intangible experience when faced with a backlog of explicit asks. But that is precisely where the competitive opportunity lies.
The Limits of the Feature Checklist
As the volume of available applications explodes, features will be cloned quickly. If a team cannot pinpoint and intentionally design for an emotional response, competitors will replicate its functionality and erode its market position. The moat comes from understanding the deep fears, hopes, and motivations of users — insights that are often only visible outside of a screen.
Everyday interactions illustrate the point. The swipe and match in a dating app, a laugh reaction to a text, the task completed check-mark on a to-do list — none of these are groundbreaking functions, yet they deliver genuine satisfaction. Even the straightforward, reassuring copy that explains how to secure an account after a data breach can be a moment of emotional design. In these cases, it doesn’t matter if an app has the longest list of features; the experience is what drives meaning. That experience is what will make products indispensable when the sea of functionality becomes impossible to navigate.
