This is a sketch/working note on two possible variants of Sit., so it will likely change as I continue to work on it. But if any of the ideas shared below sounds interesting to you or you have any questions/suggestions on how to improve it, let me know!
Sit. is a tool for doing nothing. Since its launch, we've managed to generate hundreds of hours of sweet, blissful unproductivity. Let's scale this up! Sit, together a group meditation app. Or a group, sitting and doing nothing app.
I can see this being built in two steps. I like it when every iteration, no matter how small, brings in something useful and meaningful (or at least pretty), so we'll split it into two apps: a toy and a tool.
Passenger (the toy)
Sit., is very simple to use. It's a glorified timer. You open it, select the break duration, hit [start]
and see this:
In this iteration, I'd like to add an option where instead of the timer you'll see a black background with little droplets. They're small, slightly blurry and don't get in your way. You can toggle them off. But, here's the thing: every drop is another person, meditating alongside.
Now, every time a gong goes off, the droplet belonging to a person will ripple gently. There's no audio. Just the acknowledgement that they're there.
You're not meditating (or doing nothing) alone, you're sharing a ride with a bunch of people (see 2 cheesy existential metaphors). Some of them will leave earlier, some of them will stay after you've left. It's a 1-bit version of Journey.
Group meditation (the tool)
The tool is built on top of the technology used for the toy. But, from the UX perspective it's even simpler. In fact it has fewer steps than the 2 clicks required to use Sit., since you don't need to select the session duration: it's a remote controlled gong. That's it.
It's aimed specifically at group meditation sessions, especially those run remotely via Zoom/Jitsi/Meet. The facilitator creates a session, and shares a link everyone can join.
What I want to learn from this:
- Will people find it useful enough to pay for?
- I've received some feedback that they would, but in practice, money in the bank is a stronger signal than feature requests from non-paying users
Why do I want to work on this?
- User need:
- People have asked me about a group meditation tool that can be used with zoom/video calling/etc...
- Alignment with my goals (Be kind, be curious):
- I want to build Kind software:
- need for simpler tools
- need for private tools (I don't trust Zoom extensions, use jitsi, btw)
- Curiosity:
- I want to build Kind software:
- It feels simple from a technical PoV, which allows me to focus on better execution.