Experiment 2
A weekend attempt at a habit tracker with no streaks, no notifications and no numbers going up. It turns out that removing the pressure also removed the reason to open it.
Paused, and why
Used it daily for three weeks, then stopped. Without any of the mechanics I had deliberately removed, there was nothing pulling me back.
That is a genuinely useful result, even though it kills the idea. The streak I found manipulative was also the thing doing the work, and I do not currently have a better answer than "some pressure is the point".
Leaving this here rather than deleting it. A clear negative result is worth more than a vague idea I might otherwise try again in a year.
Deliberately boring
Built the whole thing around one rule: never make the user feel bad. No streaks, no red squares, no reminders.
The result is calm and slightly pointless. Interesting to look at, hard to argue is better.