When I was a kid, my favorite April Fools prank was elegantly simple: wrapping electrician’s tape around the black plastic sprayer at our kitchen faucet.
The beauty was in its invisibility. I’d sit patiently waiting for a family member to come along and turn on the tap, only to get soaked by the diverted water stream.
LOLs for me.
Their shock was my delight.
It worked for years because it was the first joke of the day and caught them completely off guard. The perfect tension-release sequence.
I had all the classics too — fake vomit, snapping gum, whoopee cushion … it’s a wonder I had any friends left after running through my repertoire.
These days, I’m better known for my dad jokes, which are mostly victimless.
But here’s what I see decades later: those childhood pranks teach a sophisticated product design principle that drives some of the world’s most successful products.
The tension-release pattern is hardwired into our brains.
We’re biologically programmed to find satisfaction in the resolution of anticipation — it’s why we love music that builds to a crescendo. (Think Ravel’s Bolero, my kids’ musical favorite, which builds for 15 delightful minutes!)
It’s why we seek out stories with plot twists, and even those grotesquely satisfying pimple-popping videos that somehow get millions of views. (Find them yourself if interested. I can’t bear to link the one, even today!)
The classic jack-in-the-box toy has worked on this exact principle since the early 1500s:
- Build tension (giddily turning that crank)
- Extend the anticipation (continuing to turn while “Pop Goes the Weasel” plays)
- Deliver a surprising release (SPROING! AAARGH!)
This same pattern drives successful product experiences across categories:
Netflix deliberately builds tension with auto-playing trailers and “next episode” countdowns that trigger dopamine in anticipation of the tension release (the entertainment itself). Will you let it auto-play, or intervene?
Apple’s unboxing experience is meticulously crafted tension-release: from the resistance of the outer box to the perfect fit of components, each step builds anticipation before revealing the device. It’s so successful, the iPhone box’s perfect drag coefficient (that just almost lifts the box off the table) nearly always comes up when we discuss the unboxing experience with clients.
Wordle captured millions of players by building tension with six attempts at a solution, extending anticipation with color-coded feedback, and delivering the emotional release of success (or the reveal of the answer).
Product Payoff: Theragun transformed home massage tools by designing their experience around tension-release patterns. Their app guides users through “protocols” that deliberately build tension through initial discomfort before delivering the satisfying release of muscle relaxation. Unlike competitors who promised “instant relief,” Theragun understood that the contrast between initial intensity and subsequent relief created a more memorable and effective experience that customers eagerly recommended to others.
Action for today: Quickly sketch out your customer journey to flag moments where you could intentionally build and release tension. Ask:
- Where can I create anticipation before delivering a payoff?
- Am I revealing your product’s best features too quickly?
- How might I deliberately delay gratification to make the eventual release more satisfying?
These moments of release — when properly built up — are what customers remember and share with others.
What’s your favorite example of the tension-release strategy? Tap that tempting little reply arrow and tell me about it.
I love it, and ALWAYS write back.
Or reach out to my team of product experience experts at Graphos Product.