yay, postcard apps! this is my space, too. there's something really fun about making an API call and then postcards shoot out the other side.
i like your site and the visual design, very simple and straightforward. at $3.99 it does seem rather expensive compared to other options out there (i have an idea on how much it costs you). also, having some actual pictures of what the cards look like on the website will surely help with conversion.
the first postcard app I built is Three Kind Words (https://threekindwords.com). it’s a small vending machine on the internet where people anonymously send a friend three postcards, one word at a time. the first two cards are unsigned, and the last one reveals who sent them. it’s meant to be a slow, kind surprise in the mail. we've sent over 250 cards so far.
my latest postcard app is Slow-Mo Rainbow (https://slowmorainbow.com). this one lets you send a rainbow in the mail, one postcard at a time. i just launched it last week and am still getting the rough edges worked out, but in the spirit of the thread, i'm sharing it here.
thanks for this genuine feedback, it's really helpful insight. i like your idea of pre-vetted words and imagine there is something i could do with an LLM to moderate user generated messages.
It’s a small vending machine on the internet where people anonymously send a friend three postcards, one word at a time. The first two cards are unsigned, and the last one reveals who sent them. It’s meant to be a slow, kind surprise in the mail.
I shared this on HN a while back, and it gave us a quiet little push. Since then, we’ve sent 246 out of the 300 postcards we set out to deliver this year. Things have slowed down lately, but the whole thing is automated, costs almost nothing to run, and has been a lot of fun to work on!
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I felt that that the author was more concerned about ownership than short-term productivity or efficiency.
With ownership a different kind of productivity is evoked: knowing how (and why) every part goes together the way it does. This could lead to a flow state when managed effectively.
I do agree that these exercises could lead into the realm of yak shaving, but in this context we're talking about making personal tools vs tools for others to use. I think there's a big distinction between these two approaches.
I recommend reaching out to Mr. David Nettleton, who runs a website [1] and has written several books on the subject. He's an oracle of knowledge and has a teachable method of compliance which will save you a lot of time and headache.
I attended one of his in-person seminars back when you could go places and meet people face to face, it was eye-opening.
Also please don't hesitate to reach out directly to me (put an @gmail after my username) and I'd be happy to exchange some emails.
There is a certain quality of the graphic design, colors, typography, and layout of the "vintage" planning & marketing materials shown here that I just can't put my finger on why I like it so much. Perhaps a certain richness from the inks that were available and the type of tools used to produce it.
Whatever it is, it feels authentic and hopeful. I love the sense of optimism that the graphics (and history shared in this article) invokes. Great stuff.
This. The give and take between conscious focus and unconscious mind wandering has never let me down when working on complex ideas.
Before I had children, I found the "unconscious processing" part more difficult, because my time was simply _my time_ to do with what I pleased... so I would often try to work harder, leading to less productivity and more spinning in circles.
After having children, my time is obviously more structured and I've found the regimen of childcare to be a wonderful diversion from thinking about systems and complexity.
Taking multiple walks a day also helps immensely. The trick is not trying to think about my work when walking, just absorbing the sounds, sights, and smells of the world around.
"User experience design" is one of the most pretentious titles that Design (with a big D in front) has ever appropriated. As if a designer (little d) can really design an experience... Experiences unfold in realtime, shaped by a multitude of forces which the designer could never predict or even begin to comprehend.
This article reminds us to focus on what Design (big D) once knew when our practice focused on interactions and augmenting human intellect... affordances, feedback, loops.
Seeing my parents and peers struggle with understanding iOS or dealing with shitty bank websites makes me feel that we lost our way somewhere. Maybe one day we will return.
wow, this totally works! just played a few rounds with a friend. very little lag. thanks for making this, it's a lot of fun! here's my open game: https://openarena.live/lblplo
I love the premise of your product vision and landing page.
Showed this to a colleague who said "Given all of the integrated tools out there, I'd be surprised if anyone would ever use this. Am I missing something?"
I’d start with “Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth.” He has a really interesting, albeit super rambling type of prose that is an acquired taste (I personally love it). This particular book is a great introduction to his worldview without being too exhausting. Check it out!