Expectation and delight
They dance with each other.
If expectations are too low, you don’t get the gig, and you’ll never have a chance to engage with a customer.
But if they’re too high, surprise and remarkability disappear.
As you succeed, it’s harder, not easier, to bring delight to the people you serve.
Often, this is replaced by the cognitive dissonance of sunk costs and luxury goods. People assert delight because they think they’re supposed to, because they don’t want to feel stupid–not because you’ve produced anything genuine.