←back to thread

Ask HN: Is building a calm, non-gamified learning app a mistake?

86 points hussein-khalil | 2 comments | 15 Dec 25 15:48 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source

I’ve been working on a small language learning app as a solo developer.

I intentionally avoided gamification, streaks, subscriptions, and engagement tricks. The goal was calm learning — fewer distractions, more focus.

I’m starting to wonder if this approach is fundamentally at odds with today’s market.

For those who’ve built or used learning tools: – Does “calm” resonate, or is it too niche? – What trade-offs have you seen when avoiding gamification?

Not here to promote — genuinely looking for perspective.

1. chabad360 ◴[15 Dec 25 16:14 UTC] No.46276425[source]▶
I'm working on a project in a very similar space, and we decided to add gamification. We don't want to harass our users or annoy them into using the app, and therefore our notifications will be easily manageable. But we believe that gamification is very helpful for encouraging users to learn consistently, and so we will include it. But at the same time, we are putting a lot of intention into it not being a distraction (both within the app, and outside it).
replies(1): >>46276645 #
2. nottorp ◴[15 Dec 25 16:28 UTC] No.46276645[source]▶
> our notifications will be easily manageable

Yep. "App XXX would like to send you notifications" -> "Do not allow" :)