I was thinking about my own research habits in regard to these snippets. If they (snippets) answer my question, then Google has actually helped me filter what I am looking for and I am more likely to click through (to another tab) to see if there is more info on that website article.

Then I tend to glance over a few more of the related questions and if any of them strike my fancy I look at the answers quickly and add more tabs with their articles also.

Then I do my actual scanning and/or reading of the articles opened up in all the tabs.

I'm finding myself looking less often at the organic results if my questions are answered in the snippets. I almost always click through to look at the article from the snippet though. (If it answered my question) The quick answer isn't usually enough to quit my researching, it just helps me filter what I am actually searching for.

Also, the curiosity factor makes me click through to see what else they have to say. Something about getting the specific answer, brings a sense of "trust"?

I don't know how other people use these snippets but based on my own use of them, I'm thinking I would rather be listed in the snippets rather than on the part of the page with the organic results if I can't be in both.

There is something satisfying about getting specific answers to specific questions that keeps me reading versus the old way of searching and having to "find" what I want in a list of "possibly" relevant articles.

I'm anxious to see how this all pans out as far as traffic and rankings for our websites. I'm also thinking there is a tremendous opportunity to be listed in related snippets as well. I have seen the same website in multiple snippets on the same search page.

They definitely are, Marion. I noticed this when I checked out how Google displays my posts upon reading Loes' recent post. Before this major change, my posts in the featured snippets were also on the first, second or third position on page 1. Well, not anymore.

I also find it weird that although the featured snippet is that of Wikipedia's, it's the featured image in my post with the same keyword that is displayed.

Has anyone experienced this on their posts on google?

Now that you bring that up, i do see featured snippets more often. You’re right, it makes it easier for the person searching, but they don’t really understand the difference between snippets and organic results.
The snippets links do not necessarily contain detailed information, but offers just enough for the person seeking quick results.

I have noticed many pages with only 3 organic results. Whilst SEO is probably still important, I am starting to believe we need to do more and more of our own promotion and think about our Audience's needs rather than Google's .

For example, Google tends to put long posts with lots of links everywhere in page 1 and I find the posts so confusing that I tend to bounce and keep going down until I find something easier to read.

I very rarely look at the ads, out of habit.

Interesting ... the rules keep changing, making it difficult to make headway. The first page is now almost entirely results from these analytical tools that Google uses. Regular SEO is going to be relegate to the the subsequent pages ... pay for the ad, or you don't rank! Only a matter of time as the dollars are huge!