Software That Waits

A pencil has never once asked me whether I'd like to turn on notifications. It lies on the desk until I need it, and then it does exactly one thing very well. I have started to judge software by how close it comes to that patience.[1]

Tools that pull

Much of what we call engagement is a tool pulling at the person who owns it. Streaks, red dots, weekly summaries of the time you spent inside it. Each one is small and defensible on its own. Together they turn a tool into a place you are expected to visit.[2]

Tools that wait

The tools I keep for years share a temperament. They open fast, they remember where I left off, and they have nothing to say when I am not using them. My notes app, my old camera, a plain calendar. None of them want anything from me.

Waiting is not the same as doing nothing. A patient tool does its work in the background, like saving, syncing or backing up, and keeps that work out of sight until something actually goes wrong.[3]

Designing for the drawer

When I sketch a new product now, I imagine it in a drawer for three weeks. What should happen when someone opens it again? If the honest answer is nothing, it just works, we are probably on the right track.