Software that functions well is wonderful. Software that functions well and adds just a little bit of delight is the best.
Mailspring is my email client of choice. I am incredibly picky when it comes to email clients (maybe because I’ve had a thing about email for years). It must feature a unified inbox, be compatible with any email provider, support Gmail-based keybindings (force of habit), be clean, etc., the laundry list of features goes on. Mailspring isn’t perfect, but it’s the closest I have right now and I quite enjoy it, and certainly am happy to send $8/month to the developer (thanks @bengotow!) to keep it going.
One of my favorite features in Mailspring isn’t even on the normal feature list, but it makes me happy each time I see it. That “feature” are the little animations I get whenever I achieve inbox zero. Here’s a couple of them, to give you a flavor:
This little animation gives me unreasonable happiness when I see it. Not only did I accomplish something (inbox zero, yay!) but I also get a little fun celebratory animation each time. It’s not necessary, but it certainly makes my day better. And any software that can make my day better is a win in my book.
This bit of extra delight is something that, in my opinion, all engineers and product people should strive for.
Be First to Comment