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86 points hussein-khalil | 1 comments | | 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.

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karpovv-boris ◴[] No.46276432[source]
Could we say that Anki is a non-gamified app for learning?
replies(2): >>46276541 #>>46279462 #
MangoToupe ◴[] No.46276541[source]
Anki is complicated to the point of being intimidating. Even just the card/note split is quite confusing—I built another app to drill me on decks backwards and forwards because I found this so confusing.
replies(2): >>46276656 #>>46279247 #
koakuma-chan ◴[] No.46276656[source]
+1 Anki has a terrible UX
replies(1): >>46277148 #
1. Kerrick ◴[] No.46277148[source]
Consider Hashcards: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46264492