Why We Built Notion — A Story of Typewriters, Steve Jobs, and the Future of Work (notion.so)
over 6 years ago from Max Lind, sometimes Maxwell
over 6 years ago from Max Lind, sometimes Maxwell
I really love the hustle and heart shown by the Notion team.
They're pushing boundaries with their product design and their marketing is helpful and sincere.
Great work.
I really like the illustrations, but I think the layout is quite boring (maybe using a zig-zag disposition of image/text would make it more interesting).
And regarding the story, it's a non sequitur, I see they're trying to relate themselves to Alan Kay, Engelbart, Jobs... but... feels forced. I don't think their product is at any point as revolutionary as what these people do. And moving from using several different services to just one service with dozens of LEGO-style building blocks doesn't really sounds like progress as they will have to spread thin in all these functionalities instead of focusing in doing one great one.
This is hard for me to decipher:
They dreamt a future where computers could amplify imagination, augment intellect, and expand our thoughts far beyond text on paper ... But things didn't turn out that way. As the legend goes, when Steve Jobs "borrowed" the ideas behind personal computing from Xerox PARC, many subtle, but crucial, differences were lost.
Is the message here that Apple's involvement quashed the original ideas about computing?
As far as I understood it, Steve Jobs and Apple's vision of the GUI was different than the vision Xerox had of the GUI (and computing in general). Steve Jobs and Apple's vision afterwards became the dominant one. This is not to say that they were necessarily wrong, rather that they were different.
I love this piece of software. I have been one of the first adopters. I don't remember how I found them, but since day one, they have been listening to the users, adding new features and solving issues with a speed to admire. It has become my digital notebook. Keep up the good work!
I really like Notion, and I'm trying or rather sometimes forcing myself to use it. But every time, I find it not very easy to use for some reason.
Nice work! The style of this page reminds of the book Understanding Comics, both in terms of illustration and narrative style.
Designer News
Where the design community meets.
Designer News is a large, global community of people working or interested in design and technology.
Have feedback?
Login to Comment
You'll need to log in before you can leave a comment.
LoginRegister Today
New accounts can leave comments immediately, and gain full permissions after one week.
Register now