Happiness and Utility

The way I see it, according to what we had read, happiness is a feeling of fulfillment, while utility is a sense of practicality and accomplishment.

I know I have felt a lot of happiness in the past regarding apps, mostly in the form of games.  Jetpack Joyride, Punch Quest, and more recently, 2048, have all been culprits of much of my wasted time.  Visiting the app store I know I had a particular need.  In this case, the need for me was entertainment.  Believe me when I say, I got plenty of entertainment out of all of these.  Probably much more so than I would have liked or had time for.  Similarly, I think many people come to the app store with some kind of metaphysical need.  Whether it is a need to be entertained or to express themselves, or even to feel more organized.  All of the apps come as an answer to some type of need.

Utility on the other hand, is more based on things I want done, accomplishment or practicality.  For example, I can play a game for hours on end, but in the end, nothing was really accomplished.  There a lack of a sense of practicality and a sense of accomplishment.  Some apps, such as those that are geared toward making life easier or finding something, or even meeting people, help us feel like we are actually accomplishing something, therefore justify our purposes in buying them.

The trick is to get both of these with the same product.  An app that is fun to use, and fills some sort of metaphysical need, but is also very practical and leaves us with a sense of accomplishment after having used it.  I think the earlier apps that caught on exemplified both of these.

I do agree, there are many apps out there for us to pick from, far too many to use practically on a daily basis, but I do believe the ones that really catch on are the ones that emphasize both fulfillment and practicality and accomplishment.