I want quiet tech
Think legos, not apps.
Especially for utilitarian tech. Parking is a good example. I’ll open up the SpotHero app if I’m driving into the city to look up parking garages and book a spot. But I don’t need rewards and a year-in-review when I park twice a year using the app. I just need utilitarian apps to get my job done and then get out of the way.
In isolation, having users download an app, create an account, and then sending notifications makes sense (”it’s user friendly and provides value!”). But multiply that by tens of apps on a user’s phone sending hundreds of notifications and emails, and it becomes noise.
I keep going back to the concept of “pieces of apps.”
If I’m traveling somewhere, I need to book flights, hotels, and a rental car. This would require me to book with several services, each with its own checkout flow, email confirmations, and reminders to download their app.
Imagine what software could do at the intersection of these flows. You can state that you’re traveling to Zion National Park, and everything you need to book your travel is presented in a single view. You can change travel dates and the prices of your hotel and car update automatically. The view also generates historical weather data and a lunar phase forecast, because you want to see the Milky Way which is only visible during a new moon. Your itinerary is updated on the fly, your UI is unique.
The next UX revolution is connecting the edges of disparate experiences.
Think legos, not apps.
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P.S. A water bottle doesn’t need an app.
I tweaked this on Wed Jan 22 2025 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)