BlogJul 10, 20266 min read
Designing Around Apple Intelligence Writing Tools Beta
Why ViviDiary disabled system-level AI writing tools in our core mood logs to protect the raw authenticity of your emotional tracking.
Ethan ColeRead Topic
Product Decisions
6 articles
BlogEthan ColeRead 
BlogJul 5, 20266 min read
Designing Against AI Slop in Wellness Apps: Why We Made AI Opt-In
How ViviDiary rejected unreviewed AI drafts and generic platitudes to build a mood tracker that prioritizes human reflection over AI slop.
Ethan ColeRead 
BlogJul 2, 20266 min read
Designing Against TikTok Wellness App Fatigue (Summer 2026)
As wellness app fatigue peaks on TikTok in Summer 2026, our Head of Product explains why ViviDiary rejected the bloated AI-diary trend in favor of 3-second, modular emoji logging.
Ethan ColeRead 
BlogJun 29, 20265 min read
Why 5 Emojis Are Not Enough: Mood Tracking UX Design
We tried the standard 5-emoji scale for mood tracking, and our users hated it. Here is why ViviDiary abandoned the Likert scale for modular emoji logging.
Ethan ColeRead 
BlogJun 25, 20267 min read
Dopamine Menu App Design: Rethinking Routines for Depleted Brains
Discover why ViviDiary replaced strict habit streaks with a dopamine menu design, creating low-friction routines that adapt to your mood instead of punishing you.
Ethan ColeRead 
BlogMay 17, 20268 min read
Building Vividiary's Memory: LLM Architecture for Diaries
We tested multiple ways to give our AI journal long-term memory. Here is why we rejected standard context windows and built a privacy-first cloud architecture instead.
Ethan ColeRead