products with personality
let me tell you about my crush
Hey there, internet friend,
I have a confession: I’ve got a crush.
His name is Chrissy. I’ve known him for about a year now, and let me tell you, he’s nothing short of gorgeous.
Every time I’m near him, my heart races, my breath sharpens—it’s like my whole body is screaming, “Your crush has arrived!”
Chrissy’s got the heart of a queen. The second he shows up, the whole vibe shifts—his electric confidence lights up the room. One minute, he’s dancing to 90s disco tunes, the next, he’s telling goofy stories. With a personality that’s fully bloomed, he shows what it means to embrace your fullest self without holding back.
And that’s why I’m crushing on him - he’s unapologetically himself. He resists blending into the average, refuses to shrink down into what's “normal”. He is Chrissy-ing.
“Does he feel the same?” you might be wondering...
Well.
Sadly, not:/
This love is unrequited.
But!
He is obsessed with a part of me.
Or better yet—he’s obsessed with two parts.
One part is my left foot, and the other is my right.
Every time my feet squiggle, he slaps them and commands:
“Svitlana, no sickling!” And then, he adds: “Svitlana, I need you to care about your toes as much as I do.”
Chrissy is a character, and that’s exactly why I am crushing on him.
Now that I’ve still got your attention, let me sprinkle you with another confession.
I tricked your imagination.
Chrissy isn’t my romantic crush.
He is my acrobatics crush.
And it’s been a gift having him as my handstands teacher.
And here’s something I’ve observed: people like Chrissy—those unafraid to fully express their seasoned personalities—are rare these days. Too many folks shrink themselves to fit into some pre-packaged schemas of “normal.”
Look at the coaches at Barry’s, CorePower, or any of the other franchised fitness chains.
They’re trained to follow the Business Protocol, and it shows. It’s like they’ve all blended into some “optimal average,” stripping away any trace of individuality.
It’s the curse of standardization. And, sure, I get it—it’s easier to scale a business and guarantee consistent revenue when you offer an efficient, uniform experience.
Software’s no different.
You see the same user flows.
The same time formats.
The same discovery panels.
The same bland [submit] buttons.
The same file navigation.
Many software patterns have became an unquestionable standard, an attractor that many embrace.
And sure, there’s beauty in uniformity. As humans, we love familiar predictability—it helps us get things done quickly and appeals to our Lazy Selves.
But maybe it’s time for our Infant Tech to grow up and explore a plurality of ways to be?
What if our products, too, became more personality-filled, like Chrissy?
Take Unearthu, for example—a seven-day digital experience crafted from recycled media.
In it, Maya dances in the center.
Buttons are replaced by leaves.
And it features the most beautiful habit tracker you've ever seen.
Unearthu is an artful experience because its creators were unafraid to express themselves.
Of course, not all apps need a be like Unearthu — I don’t want my Uber to dance or confuse me with the car-like submit button.
However, I do believe that more applications will soon be infused with strong personalities because of the three following forces.
First, digital products are direct manifestations of their creators' personalities. As AI democratizes skillsets, we're likely to see a much more diverse range of creators shaping our digital experiences. Currently, apps are predominantly developed by a narrow pool of male geeks with years of specialized training. However, as the barriers to coding fall, I believe the creative landscape will expand, leading to richer, more varied applications. More diverse minds mean more diverse apps.
Second, Infant Tech has been highly effective at addressing our fundamental physiological and safety needs through utility apps that streamline daily tasks. As we ascend Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, there's an untapped opportunity for technology to evolve beyond utility. We can create more playful, expressive, and personality-rich experiences that transcend the quick, bland [submit] button.
Third, AI adds a powerful layer to software, bringing with it its inherent personality. As AI continues to evolve, Software Anthropomorphism, the tendency to project human characteristics onto technology, will likely become one of the dominant paradigms in human-computer interaction. AI Companions is just one example of it that we can imagine.
I am eager to contribute to this shift and poke my predictions with reality.
In the meantime, here is Chrissy’s rich obsession with my toes for our continued inspiration from great masters
What personality would you like your products to take on?