Make Things that are Magical

"When something exceeds your ability to understand how it works, it sort of becomes magical" -Jony Ive

This is an awesome concept and I have been thinking about how to incorporate it into Skydeck and my side projects. At Skydeck, we want to make Caller ID magical. You should no longer have to deal with telemarketers or spam callers. We are working toward a smart application that lets you know who is calling and why, making talking on the phone much more pleasant.

Magical things spread. People love to talk and play with them. Here are some examples:
  • Wii - The Wii is a great example. You can now control video games in a completely new & intuitive way. The magic spread, and now it is one of the best selling consoles ever.
  • Smule - Their musical, communal applications have always been a hit. Who knew that the iPhone could auto-tune your voice? Users wanted to show off their T-Pain skills at parties and the word spread.
  • Dropbox - Although the premise is boring (computer backup), Dropbox made it so simple and easy-to-use that it became magical.
  • Bump - There have been many contact sharing applications, but making such a simple and intuitive product has made Bump magical.
These are just a few magical products (post others in the comments). There aren't many, but if you have one, don't let it go.