The New Competitive Moat is Emotion | Figma Blog (opens in new tab)

Software features are becoming easier to copy as the number of applications rapidly expands. The post argues that emotional resonance—how an app makes users feel—will become the stronger competitive moat. Product teams should therefore design deliberately for wonder, connection, reassurance, and delight, not just functionality.

Emotional Resonance in Everyday Technology

• The author’s experience as a parent shifted his view from limiting screen time to valuing technology that encourages creativity, curiosity, and connection.
• Children’s products such as Pok Pok and Yoto create emotional impact through small details:
  • Playful sounds and character reactions
  • Tactile buttons with satisfying resistance
  • Experiences that inspire offline play
• These details make the products enjoyable and worth paying for, beyond their basic educational or functional value.

Small Design Details Create Meaning

• Everyday apps can produce similar emotional responses:
  • An Apple Watch’s buzz and completed activity ring can make exercise feel rewarding.
  • Dating-app interactions, message reactions, achievement badges, and task-completion checkmarks provide encouragement.
  • Clear security guidance can reduce anxiety after a data breach.
• Copywriting, animation, sound, motion, and haptics often matter more than the number of available features.
• The most meaningful product experiences address users’ underlying emotions, such as relief, pride, comfort, excitement, or reassurance.

Why Features Are No Longer Enough

• Product teams often prioritize feature requests because they are concrete and easy to track.
• Emotional outcomes are harder to quantify and may depend on users’ deeper fears, hopes, and motivations.
• According to IDC, there could be twice as many applications in 2028 as in 2024.
• As software becomes more abundant, competitors will be able to reproduce functionality quickly and cheaply.
• A distinctive emotional experience is harder to copy because it depends on nuanced design choices and a deep understanding of users.

Putting Resonance on the Roadmap

• Teams should make emotional responses an explicit product objective rather than an accidental byproduct.
• Research should look beyond what users request and examine how they feel and behave in real-world contexts.
• Product decisions should intentionally support emotions such as wonder, confidence, connection, and accomplishment.

The practical recommendation is to treat emotional resonance as a core product strategy. Features may attract users temporarily, but products that consistently make people feel understood, reassured, or delighted are more likely to build lasting loyalty.