Andy Matuschak

That checkbox has a story as well[1], and the author references gamedev explicitly. Though I still like the table-of-contents snake[2,3] best. [1] https://www.andy.works/words/the-most-satisfying-checkbox [2] https://lab.hakim.se/progress-nav/ [3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0NtjY17v5w

There's always a lot, but a few things really helped me this past year (all less than $200): - I got one of those Stagg kettles[0]. I make a lot of pour-overs, and a nice kettle neck gave me a lot more control than I expected. Coffee tastes the same, but making it is more fun. - Not Boring's "Habits" app is fantastic[1]. I've been trying to nail down a meditation practice, and this finally did the trick for me. It helps me stay on task without making me feel guilty for it. I've been meditating consistently every day for a few months now. - I got a copy of "Salt Fat Acid Heat" and read the whole thing[2]. It's made me a lot more competent at cooking than I was, and now other cookbooks make more sense and are less daunting. [0]:https://fellowproducts.com/products/stagg-ekg-electric-pour-over-kettl… [1]:https://www.andy.works/product/habits [2]:https://www.saltfatacidheat.com/

As a user of this app and long-time admirer of the developer behind it (co-creator of the fantastic Paper drawing app for iPad), maybe it would help the conversation if I illustrate my daily encounter with this UI. I’ve been trying to limit the days on which I eat unhealthy foods to Fridays and Saturdays (yay, it’s Friday!). I’m good at sticking to plans like that without help from an app, but when I gave “Habits” a quick spin, I admired its mission to provide a playful, game-like alternative in the sea of habit tracking apps. Once a day (except Fri & Sat) it sends me a notification. Tapping it launches the app straight to that “checkbox”. While the description in the post may make it seem like this is too long of an interaction, I promise you that it really isn’t, and that the haptics and animation are indeed a satisfying experience. So satisfying in fact that I stuck with the app even though I’m certain I’d follow through on my challenge without it. (That certainty, btw, comes from how I personally have set up habits like this for over a decade, with help from a mental trick somewhat adjacent to a mind palace/loci[1] to track and reward follow-through. I bring this up because I have often thought that it might be possible to bring the power of these rewarding mental models to a broader audience via an app. And to some extent that’s what Habit accomplishes via its unique approach. The haptics and emotional resonance of the “checkbox” are a little Pavlovian mental &…

See also: Juice https://garden.bradwoods.io/notes/design/juice https://www.andy.works/words/the-most-satisfying-checkbox

It is missing this one https://www.andy.works/words/the-most-satisfying-checkbox