I have been playing with several Chrome extensions and applications... and while several are great utilities / efficiency improvements, one in particular has made me rethink web experience: Facebook Photo Zoom. It's function is simple: hover over any photo on Facebook and the high resolution version instantly appears:
It is very intuitive: turn the extension on and no other configuration is needed. And from there, the interaction is natural, lightweight and fast.
It is responsive: some sites have tried to integrate big visuals but the interaction is sluggish and therefore painful to use. Perhaps because of its simplicity or perhaps because it is built on Chrome, Facebook Photo Zoom moves as quickly as Facebook.
It prevents distractions: rather than having to visit a new page for every photo, the expansion occurs within the feed.
And it is fun: bigger, higher resolution imagery improves the feed experience and still allows for serendipitous browsing.
I have caught myself on e-commerce sites wondering why this experience isn't duplicated (even in less-bold ways). For product browsing and education, something along these lines makes sense.