We thought we needed features
Early testers wanted labels, due dates, priorities - the features we all associate with ‘classic’ productivity tools.
Yet at the same time, surveys told us something else.
That people who used tools that had these features were not happy. Not happy because they used them inconsistently and got confused (75%), or because they did use them diligently but there was a large maintenance overhead (25%).
The other feedback we were getting about insite was that it was refreshingly simple.
Designing a new tool is often about dealing with contradictions and paradoxes.
And here was ours. If we add features, people will stop loving the simplicity. And the features wanted cause as many problems as they solve.
People are not machines - yet we constantly try to systemise them. So we stopped. Stepped back. And started ‘thinking’.
What if we keep insite simple - encourage people to work in the flow, not against the clock. Suddenly we are not ‘notes, tasks and messages’ anywhere on the web. We are a place to gather your thoughts. To do your best thinking.
And we started to work on how to make that idea come to life.
Meet the FAB
The Floating Action Button.
Small. Calm. Quiet. You can move it anywhere you want to.
It doesn’t compete. It doesn’t hover. It doesn’t flash. It just waits – ready for whenever a thought arises. Click it. Capture it. Move on.
There’s no need to juggle other apps or tabs. No copying links. No shuffling between to-do lists and note-taking tools. The FAB cuts through the chaos with a single, simple invitation:
Pause. Think. Save. Come back when you’re ready.
It’s not just a button – it’s a whole new relationship with your mind.
Why This Matters
Because our digital world is broken in ways we’ve grown way too accustomed to.
Apps that once helped us think now hijack our attention. Tools that promised calm now demand urgency. Every swipe, every ping, every forced workflow chips away at our ability to pause and reflect.
This isn’t just a usability problem. It’s a humanity problem.
We’ve lost our margins – the spaces where thoughts settle and where clarity emerges. And what do we get instead? More platforms. More nudges. More noise.
It’s the age of enshittification. (Yeah, we know how that sounds LOL!)
But what that means is tools that used to feel like magic now feel like traps.
We didn’t want to be another app in that pile. So we built something else.
A button. A point of entry, not escalation. A gesture of respect for your attention, your time, and your pace.
Not everything needs to be a system. Sometimes, one clear moment is enough.
What We’ve Been Building Toward
The FAB didn’t come from a brainstorm. It came from friction.
From hearing the quiet hesitation in someone’s voice when they said they liked the idea, but couldn’t take another thing right now.
From realising that even the most elegant feature won’t work if it doesn’t feel good to use.
Subsequently we threw out our roadmap. Spent six months on the one thing nobody asked for – but maybe everyone needed.
This button. It’s not the end of the story. But it is a better beginning.
Special thanks to Arfan, (others etc), and everyone who tested, fed back, and believed this mattered. You were right!
We’re building the thinking app. But now, it starts with presence. Not pressure.
Welcome back.
