Before starting on Hearth, I worked with many of the same people on Chirp, a real-time messaging app. Use this opening to set the scene: what the product was, how long you worked on it, and what eventually happened to it.

This post isn't a deep dive into why it didn't last.¹ Plenty of ambitious apps never find their footing. Instead, use it to highlight the small interactions, playful details and odd experiments that gave the product its personality and made it feel like nothing else.²

Consider it a little love letter to the first app I ever made.

Talk about the constraints you had and how they shaped the result. If there is a number that tells the story, put it here. Readers skim, so lead with the point and follow with the reasoning. The figure below should show the thing this paragraph describes.

Note what you would do differently next time. Point out the edge case that surprised you. Close the thought before the next figure picks it up.

If something was a happy accident, say so. Tell the reader what to look for in the next clip. Name the principle, then show it in action.

This is placeholder copy, written to show how a paragraph of about this length sits on the page. Swap it for your own words once the structure feels right.

Talk about the constraints you had and how they shaped the result. Learn more about it here.³

Note what you would do differently next time. Point out the edge case that surprised you. Close the thought before the next figure picks it up. A little humour goes a long way in a long post. Link to anything that helps the reader go deeper.

If something was a happy accident, say so. Tell the reader what to look for in the next clip. Name the principle, then show it in action.

This is placeholder copy, written to show how a paragraph of about this length sits on the page. Swap it for your own words once the structure feels right.

Talk about the constraints you had and how they shaped the result. If there is a number that tells the story, put it here. Readers skim, so lead with the point and follow with the reasoning. The figure below should show the thing this paragraph describes. Explain how it felt to use, not just how it was built.

Note what you would do differently next time. Point out the edge case that surprised you. Close the thought before the next figure picks it up. A little humour goes a long way in a long post. Link to anything that helps the reader go deeper.

If something was a happy accident, say so. Tell the reader what to look for in the next clip. Name the principle, then show it in action.

This is placeholder copy, written to show how a paragraph of about this length sits on the page. Swap it for your own words once the structure feels right. A good paragraph here sets up the idea, gives one concrete example, and moves on. Keep sentences short and specific, the way you would explain it to a friend. Describe what you noticed, what you tried, and what finally worked.

Talk about the constraints you had and how they shaped the result. If there is a number that tells the story, put it here.

Note what you would do differently next time. Point out the edge case that surprised you. Close the thought before the next figure picks it up.

If something was a happy accident, say so. Tell the reader what to look for in the next clip. Name the principle, then show it in action.

This is placeholder copy, written to show how a paragraph of about this length sits on the page. Swap it for your own words once the structure feels right.

Talk about the constraints you had and how they shaped the result. If there is a number that tells the story, put it here.

Note what you would do differently next time. Point out the edge case that surprised you. Close the thought before the next figure picks it up.

If something was a happy accident, say so. Tell the reader what to look for in the next clip. Name the principle, then show it in action.

Talk about the constraints you had and how they shaped the result. If there is a number that tells the story, put it here.

Note what you would do differently next time. Point out the edge case that surprised you. Close the thought before the next figure picks it up. A little humour goes a long way in a long post. Link to anything that helps the reader go deeper.

If something was a happy accident, say so. Tell the reader what to look for in the next clip. Name the principle, then show it in action.

This is placeholder copy, written to show how a paragraph of about this length sits on the page. Swap it for your own words once the structure feels right. A good paragraph here sets up the idea, gives one concrete example, and moves on.

Talk about the constraints you had and how they shaped the result.

Note what you would do differently next time. Point out the edge case that surprised you. Close the thought before the next figure picks it up.

If something was a happy accident, say so. Tell the reader what to look for in the next clip. Name the principle, then show it in action. Be honest about the trade-offs you made along the way. Think about pacing: a long paragraph, then a short one, then an image.

This is placeholder copy, written to show how a paragraph of about this length sits on the page. Swap it for your own words once the structure feels right. A good paragraph here sets up the idea, gives one concrete example, and moves on. Keep sentences short and specific, the way you would explain it to a friend.

Note what you would do differently next time. Point out the edge case that surprised you. Close the thought before the next figure picks it up. A little humour goes a long way in a long post. Link to anything that helps the reader go deeper. Leave room for the visuals to do some of the work. Write the way you talk, then cut a third of it. If something was a happy accident, say so.

This is placeholder copy, written to show how a paragraph of about this length sits on the page. Swap it for your own words once the structure feels right.

Talk about the constraints you had and how they shaped the result. If there is a number that tells the story, put it here. Readers skim, so lead with the point and follow with the reasoning. The figure below should show the thing this paragraph describes.

Note what you would do differently next time. Point out the edge case that surprised you. Close the thought before the next figure picks it up. A little humour goes a long way in a long post. Link to anything that helps the reader go deeper.

If something was a happy accident, say so.

This is placeholder copy, written to show how a paragraph of about this length sits on the page. Swap it for your own words once the structure feels right. A good paragraph here sets up the idea, gives one concrete example, and moves on.

For example, finding new people was full of anticipation. Feeling Lucky animated like a slot machine. Talk about the constraints you had and how they shaped the result.

Colour Pop Note what you would do differently next time.

If something was a happy accident, say so. Tell the reader what to look for in the next clip. Name the principle, then show it in action. Be honest about the trade-offs you made along the way. Think about pacing: a long paragraph, then a short one, then an image. End with a sentence that leads into what comes next.

This is placeholder copy, written to show how a paragraph of about this length sits on the page. Swap it for your own words once the structure feels right. A good paragraph here sets up the idea, gives one concrete example, and moves on. Night Mode is a good example.

Talk about the constraints you had and how they shaped the result. If there is a number that tells the story, put it here. Readers skim, so lead with the point and follow with the reasoning. The figure below should show the thing this paragraph describes.

Note what you would do differently next time. Point out the edge case that surprised you. Close the thought before the next figure picks it up. A little humour goes a long way in a long post. Link to anything that helps the reader go deeper. Read more about it here.

One defining detail was the typeface. Name the fonts here, like Inter for the interface and Newsreader for the moments that needed warmth, and credit whoever drew them. If something was a happy accident, say so. Tell the reader what to look for in the next clip. Name the principle, then show it in action.

This is placeholder copy, written to show how a paragraph of about this length sits on the page. Swap it for your own words once the structure feels right. A good paragraph here sets up the idea, gives one concrete example, and moves on. Keep sentences short and specific, the way you would explain it to a friend. Describe what you noticed, what you tried, and what finally worked.

Talk about the constraints you had and how they shaped the result. If there is a number that tells the story, put it here. Readers skim, so lead with the point and follow with the reasoning. The figure below should show the thing this paragraph describes.

If something was a happy accident, say so. Tell the reader what to look for in the next clip. Name the principle, then show it in action.

This is placeholder copy, written to show how a paragraph of about this length sits on the page. Swap it for your own words once the structure feels right. A good paragraph here sets up the idea, gives one concrete example, and moves on. Keep sentences short and specific, the way you would explain it to a friend. The whole thing is still online.⁴

Talk about the constraints you had and how they shaped the result. If there is a number that tells the story, put it here. Readers skim, so lead with the point and follow with the reasoning. The figure below should show the thing this paragraph describes.

Note what you would do differently next time. Point out the edge case that surprised you. Close the thought before the next figure picks it up.