In a world where everything is becoming automated... how do we keep our products human?
Hi Hunters đ
Iâm currently building a product that blends digital efficiency with human warmth. Itâs designed to solve a real pain point, but in a way that respects emotion, context, and intuition.
Think:
Tech that doesnât just âworkâ, it understands.
A tool that fits into your life, not the other way around.
Something that makes you feel supported, not replaced.
Iâve been reflecting on how we can design products that connect, not just convert.
So Iâd love to open this up to the community:
What are the most âhumanâ digital products youâve ever used and what made them feel that way to you?
What design decisions, language, or features made them feel personal?
Whether you're a founder, designer, engineer or curious mind, your insights could truly help shape the final stretch of this launch.
And if youâve launched a product that tried to stay âhumanâ at its core, how did you do it?
Letâs talk about the heart inside the machine. â€ïž
P.S. Weâre launching very soon (with a âcoming soonâ page going live in the next weeks), happy to share a sneak peek if anyoneâs curious !
#buildinpublic #techwithsoul #producthunt #UX
Replies
minimalist phone: creating folders
In my opinion, more and more companies will automate to be able to lower costs and survive in automated environments. And the most real will be services (even tho there will be less and less as AI products will be able to manage many roles).
The area that could be really human is creating communities where people can chat and gather.
Personally, from a marketer's perspective, Reddit seems quite real to me as a product, especially the community where people discuss topics.
@busmark_w_nika
Thanks so much for your insight. I couldnât agree more.
Yes, automation will keep expanding. I beleive itâs inevitable, and in many cases, essential. But what makes the difference now is where we choose to preserve human touch. And I love your point about community.
Thatâs actually part of our vision. We hope to preserve those âlow-techâ micro-interactions, even if the backend is fully optimized.
Reddit is a great example. It proves that real people talking still matters, even in an AI-heavy world. Iâm curious, do you think more product communities will start to mirror that model to stay grounded and relevant?
Graphify
@busmark_w_nika @raniazyane I like this idea. For me, there is a way to design human-first and have a beautiful UI and UX, so that the user falls in love with it, but in most cases, what makes a product human is real human interaction. Everything that is community based is human like for me.
minimalist phone: creating folders
@raniazyane @hussein_r As I said, it will be difficult, but not impossible :)
minimalist phone: creating folders
@raniazyane It is very preliminary to reckon the whole future but we always chase patterns that are popular and rare until it is not so rare :)
1Stroke
While building workflows to autopost content on social media, I came to the same realization: the human touch is still necessary, not just as input at the beginning, but also throughout the process.
This isnât only true when your setup isnât fully mature yet (like tweaking configs to avoid bad publishing timing or not capturing interesting trends). I still think that even with solid systems, humans act both as a kind of creative muse and high-end critic â bringing a level of intuition and intelligence that models alone canât replicate (yet ?).
At the end of the day, very few people disagree on that, frameworks like LangChain showed the path by allowing to create agentic systems with built-in human-in-the-loop breakpoints, while agentic IDEs let you validate complex execution graphs before proceeding.
Long story short, I agree Human < AI < Human + AI
Anyways, I'm looking forward to trying your product! Iâm also building something in that direction, stay tuned âïž
Wow. I love everything about this comment @mwamedacen đ„
You captured it perfectly: humans aren't just a launch spark, they're an ongoing presence.
That mix of intuition, context awareness, and "gut feeling" is something no model can fully replicate (yet đ). And the best systems embrace that, not fight it.
Canât wait to see what youâre building, drop me a DM when you launch, would love to support âïž
In my opinion, âhumanizingâ a product is not just a design choice, but a philosophical stance that determines how technology is integrated into our lives. What I consider to be a humanized product includes the following qualities:
1 Small interactive details (personalized welcome message or funny loading animation, etc.). Humans are naturally attracted to rituals and surprises.
2 Design empathy anticipates the user's emotional state and environment, acknowledges mistakes in case of failure, and celebrates in case of success rather than responding with a cold completion of the operation, provides flexibility to humanize the conversation, and recognizes imperfections.
I also strongly agree with NIKA's point that communities may keep the joints of the product humanized, and that simple interpersonal links can be core product features in and of themselves.
In short, I think a humanized product becomes a tool, a bridge, an assistant, but never tries to be the protagonist, understanding that the value of human linking is in unpredictability, authenticity, etc., not in algorithmic optimization.
Looking forward to how your product achieves balance đ„°
Love this thoughtful approach! One product that felt truly human to me was Notion - itâs flexible, calm, and adapts to how you think, not the other way around. Would love a sneak peek!
Thank you so much @mark_hokil. I love how you described Notion. Thatâs exactly it: it adapts to you, not the other way around. It respects your mind, your pace, your style and thatâs a rare feeling in tech.
Would love to share a sneak peek with you! Iâll send you something shortly
Triforce Todos
This totally speaks to me. I always believed that the best digital products are those that are made with you, not for you. There is something strong about a tool that did not respond to input, but appears to hear the feeling or context behind it. To me, Notion and Headspace particularly way out in that sense thoughtful and caring in their own ways. We are looking forward to seeing what you are creating it sounds like something with a lot of heart.
This means so much @abod_rehman thank you đ
I love how you phrased it: âmade with you, not for you.â That captures exactly the shift weâre aiming for.
And yes, Headspace and Notion are incredible examples! Thereâs something deeply comforting about how they understand how you feel, not just what you do. That blend of clarity + care is something Iâve always admired.
So grateful for your words. Weâre building this with heart, and itâs so encouraging to see it already resonating.
CoLaunchly
Love this direction. Building something that feels thoughtful and emotionally aware is not easy, but it really stands out when done well. Notion and Linear come to mind for me. They feel smooth, respectful of my time, and never try too hard. The little things matter. Clean design, calm language, and features that stay out of the way until you need them. Excited to see what youâre working on. Iâd love to check out a sneak peek.
Ahh yes @alex_cloudstar , you just put words to everything we believe in đ
âThoughtful and emotionally awareâ, thatâs exactly the bar weâre trying to reach. Itâs so easy to over-engineer or over-market, but the real magic lives in what you said: the little things.
Notion and Linear are beautiful examples. They respect your time, your attention, your rhythm. Nothing screams. Nothing clutters. It all just flows â and that feeling is rare.
Thank you for the encouragement đ Iâd love to give you a sneak peek will send it your way very soon đ
Two of my go-tos are Duolingo (the playful owl and bite-sized, empathetic nudges make every lesson feel like a friendly coach) and Notion (customizable templates plus that âyouâ-focused onboarding make it feel more like a personal workspace than a tool).
To keep products human, Iâve seen simple thingsâcontextual microcopy, gentle error messages, even subtle animationsâturn sterile UIs into warm, supportive experiences.
Umm, What small touchpoints are you planning to lean into?
Ah yes @hamza_afzal_butt the Duolingo owl is unreasonably motivating đ (and a little scary if you miss a day). And Iâm with you 100% on Notion, that âyouâ-first onboarding is chefâs kiss.
I really love what you said about small touchpoints, microcopy, soft animations, empathetic nudges. Those are exactly the layers weâre thinking about. Because while the service is simple, the emotional layer is where the magic happens.
Weâre playing with ideas like:
Warm, localized welcome messages from partners
Soft check-in reminders phrased like a friend, not a bot
Little âDid you know?â about these gems
And making sure even our empty states feel like an invitation, not a dead end
Thanks for asking and for reminding us that the soul of a product often lives in the tiniest moments.
Would you like me to keep you in the loop when we launch our first public version? Youâd make an awesome early voice of reason.
@raniazyane sure!
Hey @raniazyane Somehow, Duolingo feels superhuman. I love streak celebrations and âyouâre on fire!â pings đ I'm curious about how you plan to surface those human touches in the product đ€â€ïž
Great question! When a product feels truly human, it's because the team behind it views every user journey with deep empathy.
I still remember the iPhone 4, it was the first time I experienced a product where every interaction felt intuitively right. That's what "human" means to me: when design aligns so perfectly with user needs that the technology becomes invisible. You stop noticing the interface because it just works the way your mind expects it to.
Recently, I've been impressed by tools like Notion, they feel crafted by people who actually use their own products daily. Every friction point has been smoothed out through real experience.
Human-centered design isn't about adding personality,vit's about removing barriers between intention and action.
This is beautifully said @gin_6078 âwhen design aligns so perfectly with user needs that the technology becomes invisibleâ yes, thatâs the goal ! đ
Itâs true: the most âhumanâ products often donât shout look how smart I am! instead, they quietly disappear, letting you do what you need without noise, friction, or second-guessing. The iPhone 4 is a perfect example, it wasnât just beautiful, it understood you. And totally agree on Notion, it reflects a team that truly uses and respects their own tool. Thanks for this gem of a comment. Iâm saving that âremoving barriers between intention and actionâ line for our next product meeting â€ïž
WeCooked
Hi Rania, this is such an important and timely conversation! I believe the most âhumanâ digital products are those that prioritize empathy and active listeningâproducts that anticipate user needs without being intrusive. Features like personalized onboarding, conversational UI with natural language, and thoughtful micro-interactions really make a difference. Using inclusive, warm language rather than cold or robotic terms also helps users feel seen and valued. In my experience, successful âhuman-centeredâ products often involve continuous user feedback loops to stay aligned with real emotions and contexts. Looking forward to seeing how your product brings that balance of efficiency and warmth to life! â€ïž
One of the most âhumanâ digital products Iâve used is Duolingo. Its gamified design makes learning fun, and the encouraging messages like âGreat job!â feel personal. It adjusts the difficulty based on my performance, showing it âunderstandsâ my learning pace. For a human - centered product, focus on personalization, friendly interaction, and adapting to usersâ needs.
Beautifully said, Rania. â€ïž Itâs refreshing to see a focus on emotion and intuition in tech. Thatâs what truly makes products memorable.
For me, Notion and Duolingo come to mind. Notion feels calm and empowering with its clean design and flexible structure. Duolingo, on the other hand, keeps things fun and encouraging , even when you mess up.
Curious : how are you approaching tone and microcopy to keep that âhuman warmthâ alive in your product?
Canât wait to see the sneak peek. đ
Kalyxa
Love this question. The most human products Iâve used made me feel seenâlike Notionâs calming UX or Reflectâs journaling tone. It's in the little things: frictionless flows, warm language, and space for nuance. Would love to see your sneak peek!
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