Key insights
- The brain doesn't average a flow — it stores the most intense moment (the peak) and the final moment (the end), then judges the whole from those two points.
- Two flows with an identical average satisfaction are remembered completely differently based on how they finish — same middle, opposite memory.
- Engineer at least one intentional peak: a surprise upgrade, a free perk, a moment of delight. One delight outweighs five neutral steps.
- The ending carries disproportionate weight — a joyful last screen beats a flat, cold confirmation for the exact same effort.
- The reverse also holds: a broken or error-filled final step tanks the memory of an otherwise smooth experience.
- Stop trying to make every step equally good — concentrate your effort on the peak and the end.
Do / Don't
- Do: Engineer a deliberate peak — a surprise or moment of delight partway through the flow.
- Do: End on a high note: celebrate success on the last screen instead of a flat confirmation.
- Do: Audit the final interaction of every flow — it weighs heaviest in what users remember.
- Don't: Spread effort evenly across every step while neglecting the finish.
- Don't: Let a flow end on friction, an error, or a cold dead-end.
