Calm Software

Four ways to make the case.

The Main Piece

Principles, Patterns, and the Honest Part

The six principles of calm software, side-by-side do/don't examples, and a section that addresses the real downsides head-on: wrong defaults, the discovery problem, the money problem, and when silence is dangerous.

Reading + Examples Downsides addressed The core thesis
The Apology

"We need to talk."

Five apps write the apology they owe you. Duolingo confesses it turned language learning into a Tamagotchi. LinkedIn admits its notifications are meaningless. MyFitnessPal realizes it might be bad for you.

First-person voice Confessional
The Timeline

How good software goes bad

iTunes, Skype, Evernote, Google Search. Year-by-year timelines with recreated interfaces at each stage. Every one started calm. None planned to become anxious. It happened one quarterly goal at a time.

Historical narratives Cautionary tales
The Broadsheet

The Calm Standard

A full newspaper layout. Fraktur masthead, multi-column justified text with drop caps, a sidebar on the Dangling String, and the Design Crimes Blotter—sharp editorial writing in a format that earns its gimmick.

Editorial voice Design Crimes Blotter