Great Design is Key

I use a robot vacuum.

Our Labrador retriever sheds a lot, so when I found a unit last Amazon Prime Day at a budget-friendly price, I thought the purchase would help eliminate the golden furballs around my home that can make it look like a scene from an old Western film.

It's not a high-end model, and doesn't have many of the features that higher-end models offer: I can't use the app to tell the robot to vacuum only certain areas of the house, for instance, and I have to empty the tiny dust bin manually (and much too frequently) versus models with larger collection units.

But I recently discovered one useful "feature" incorporated into the machine.

The bottom of the unit appears to be magnetic, to catch any small metal objects it might accidentally suck up into the dust bin...

... such as a small key that accidentally fell onto the ground.

Is this an exciting feature?

No, it's so boring that it isn't even listed as a feature on the product's Product Information page; I discovered it accidentally when cleaning my machine and seeing how it had picked up a metal key somewhere along its travels.

Will this company sell any more units because of this particular feature? Unlikely.

But it's a good example of a product designer thinking about small ways a product can be better, and how easy it is to "surprise and delight" users when that happens.

In a world of increasing consumer expectations, great design is key.

What are you doing to consider what your consumers might really need from you?