Closing the Satisfaction Gap: What It Will Take for Vaping to Work for More Smokers
The satisfaction gap—the difference between what cigarettes provide and what vaping delivers—is the central design challenge of nicotine harm reduction. Closing it requires better devices, better nicotine delivery, and better understanding of what smokers need.
A smoker tries vaping and returns to cigarettes. Why? The nicotine delivery was too slow. The throat hit was wrong. The device was inconvenient. The flavor wasn't satisfying. **Each of these is a dimension of the satisfaction gap—the difference between the cigarette experience and the vaping experience. Closing the gap requires innovation in nicotine chemistry (faster delivery), device design (better UX), and flavor science (more satisfying sensory experience). The satisfaction gap is the central design challenge of harm reduction.**
