When most people hear “TikTok Features”, there are usually a few things that jump out at them. But after 17 years of helping companies manage their digital transformation, I saw something deeper happening. Working with leaders in financial services, real estate, and healthcare, we’ve consistently found that consumers don’t want different experiences for different parts of their lives—whether it’s ordering groceries, planning trips, or buying a home. What appears to be a duplication of features actually signals a fundamental shift in how digital products evolve.
Think about what’s happening on platforms right now. Microsoft, Google and Apple are integrating generative AI into core functionality. Social feeds appear in professional tools. Our search boxes and code editors guess what to type next. Microsoft Edge now includes Copilot in the browser. It sits in a sidebar that suggests content, answers questions, and helps users write. It’s not just about browsers offering AI help; AI writing assistance is becoming as standard as spell check. When every text box can help you compose your message, the function itself stops being special.
Platform convergence age
This is not a random transfer. These features have spread because users expect them everywhere. When LinkedIn members can scroll through short videos like on TikTok, when Outlook suggests email replies like Gmail, when Slack predicts your messages like iMessages, it means convergence in action.
Professional networks did not take casual social tools lightly. They watched their users move between apps, bringing expectations with them. This LinkedIn spinner should feel as engaging as an evening’s entertainment. Features that were once the envy of the product owner are now standard fare.
Apart from borrowing features
Zillow read the room perfectly. Climate impact information is next to the square footage. Today’s homebuyers factor environmental risk into their decisions. Flood zones tell their own stories, as do school districts.
Duolingo has completely reimagined learning. Beyond badges and points, the company has built an entertainment ecosystem where learning feels natural. Its success has prompted other serious platforms to rethink engagement from the ground up.
The New York Times found a different opportunity. Its Games platform bridges the gap between news and entertainment, creating a new category of intellectual engagement. That’s how printed puzzles went Wordle he managed to escape.
We’ve seen this firsthand by creating a platform that secures and simplifies real estate transactions. Receiving the Accelerated Company Innovation by Design Awards for the platform confirmed that the combination of categories creates breakthrough solutions.
Where real innovation happens
This category of crossovers points to something bigger for 2025. Standard features – AI writing, social feeds, personalized recommendations – won’t stand out for long. The real action happens when platforms mix unexpected ingredients.
The pattern repeats itself across industries. Healthcare apps add gaming elements to serious medical tracking. Investment platforms add social features for retail traders. The educational app takes the entertainment mechanics from streaming services.
Signs are everywhere. Project management tools integrate social recognition systems. Meditation programs employ sports influencers. Next year’s innovators won’t play it safe within category lines.
Consider Pinterest’s evolution a signal of things to come. When they added shopping tools, they redefined the category. Newer features allow users to search for products through AI/ML models. Now they provide tools that allow creators to capture their images and use them to create boards. When every image is shoppable and every space can be redesigned, the line between browsing and buying disappears completely.
What users teach us
This link goes deeper than feature sets. It fundamentally changes user behavior. Ultimately, any gap between seeing and doing will feel like unnecessary friction.
What caused this change? Users bounce between apps all day and their expectations travel with them. A seamless experience in one category, such as a restaurant reservation, shapes what they expect elsewhere. When a process is frictionless, difficult experiences in other categories become more apparent.
See where users are frustrated. They will let you know what will happen next. Why should scheduling a mammogram feel more difficult than booking a restaurant table? What can expense reports learn from prescription applications? These are the questions we ask when thinking about how to improve digital products. Here is a friction that can lead to something seamless in our daily lives. Every pain point is an opportunity for differentiation.
2025 game book
When considering your playbook for 2025, think beyond the specifics. The most daring innovators will dare to ask: What if we stopped thinking about what our product should be and started imagining what it could be?
Smart companies detect these signals early. Success will come not from chasing features, but from understanding how user expectations in one category can change another.
By 2025, the best digital products won’t just cross categories. They will completely delete and reset them.
Brad Weber is the founder and president Inspiring Apps.