People want to make things their own. When users can express themselves and customize their experience, they don't just use your product—they make it part of their identity.
Creativity is the psychological force that drives us to express ourselves and shape our environment. It's about making things our own and communicating our unique identity.
We seek ways to communicate our identity and values. Products that enable personal expression create deeper emotional connections and user attachment.
We value things more when we've put effort into creating them. Products that let users build, customize, and create become more meaningful and valuable.
See how successful products use Creativity to enable self-expression and personalization.
Workspace Builder
Provides blank-slate workspaces where users build custom databases, templates, and organizational systems from scratch.
Users aren't adapting to Notion—they're building their perfect workspace. The effort invested creates deep attachment and makes switching feel like losing something they created.
Design Tool
Offers creative freedom with custom components, design systems, and collaborative editing without templates forcing specific styles.
Designers express their unique style and build reusable systems. Every file becomes a reflection of their creative decisions, not generic templates.
Music Streaming
Lets users create and curate playlists, share their music taste, and see personalized year-in-review data reflecting their listening identity.
Your playlists become self-expression artifacts. Sharing 'Wrapped' isn't showing what you listened to—it's showing who you are.
Practical strategies to enable self-expression and personalization in your product.
Give users space to create rather than forcing them into pre-made templates
"Let users build from scratch. Notion doesn't open to a pre-filled workspace—it gives you an empty page and asks 'What will you build?'"
Show users what they've built and how much they've customized
"Display investment in customization. Figma's version history shows '127 edits' on your design system—proving the effort you've put into making it yours."
Set boundaries that channel creative energy instead of overwhelming with unlimited options
"Frame limits as creative challenges. Twitter's 280 characters didn't restrict expression—it made brevity an art form and spawned creative thread formats."
Showcase what users make to inspire others and validate creative effort
"Make user creations discoverable. Figma's Community shows '2.3M designers used this component'—turning personal creation into shared inspiration."
Specific tactics to strengthen Creativity in your product. Each one is grounded in behavioral science and proven in real products.
We value things more when we've put effort into creating them
Notion users are deeply attached because they built their workspace from scratch
Let users customize, build, or assemble; make creation effort visible; show their contribution; avoid fully pre-made solutions
We seek ways to communicate our identity
Spotify's year-in-review becomes shareable because it reflects personal taste and identity
Enable profile customization, allow style choices, create shareable artifacts, let users show who they are
Users are less overwhelmed when exposed to complexity gradually
Figma hides advanced features until you're ready—layers reveal as you explore
Show basics first, reveal advanced features progressively, don't overwhelm with everything upfront, let users discover at their pace
Limitations focus creative energy rather than limiting it
Twitter's 280-character limit forced creative brevity; Instagram's square format became an artistic constraint
Set clear boundaries (time, format, tools), limit options to prevent overwhelm, create structure that enables expression
Users engage more with experiences appealing to multiple senses
Duolingo's satisfying sound effects and animations make correct answers feel rewarding beyond just seeing 'correct'
Add sound feedback, use haptics, create visual delight, engage multiple senses, make interactions feel physical
People remember unexpected and playful pleasures
Slack's loading messages ('Reticulating splines...') turn a boring moment into a smile
Add Easter eggs, surprise with unexpected moments, inject personality, make mundane moments memorable
Start by evaluating where Creativity fits in your motivational spine—then use these tactics to enable the self-expression that creates deep attachment.