What does it actually look like to build software that respects attention? Here are five categories of software, reimagined through calm principles.
Most meal planners hand you a blank week and a search bar. A calm meal planner fills the week in and lets you fix what's wrong.
0 of 7 meals planned
This week is set. Swap anything.
The user's primary interaction is disagreement, not composition. Don't ask "what do you want?" Say "here's what's planned" and let them swap. Most nights, they won't.
A calm product should be safe to ignore. If it needs reminders to function, it's compensating for weak pull-value.
Nothing else needs your attention.
When you do notify, set the lowest appropriate interruption level. Measure success by how rarely you need to interrupt, not how often users respond.
Streak-based apps punish real life. A calm approach treats skipping as normal and doesn't weaponize consistency.
Swaps are expected. Skipping doesn't create red badges or broken streaks. "Not today" is a normal outcome, not a failure state.
Abstract preference questionnaires are work. Calm systems earn personalization through contextual corrections.
Higher-signal input. No wizard. Trust preserved.
Corrections produce higher-signal inputs than abstract questionnaires, and they preserve trust. The system learns what matters when it matters.
Activity feeds create obligation. Calm software shows the current state and lets you move on.
Nothing needs your attention.
Feed: "12 new items since you last checked" — implies you're behind.
State: "Dinner tonight is tacos. Groceries are handled." — implies everything is fine.