awhile

The Problem with Meditation Apps

Calm and Headspace started simple. A timer, some guidance, maybe a few ambient sounds. Then they became content platforms. Celebrity narrators, sleep stories, daily reminders, workout classes. The thing that was supposed to help you slow down now competes for your attention the same way everything else does.

That felt like a design problem worth exploring. Not a business opportunity, just a question: what would a meditation app look like if you refused to add things to it?

Designed by Subtraction

awhile app screens showing the minimal timer interface, streak tracking, and ambient sound selection. The visual language draws from Dieter Rams' Braun product design.

The visual design borrows heavily from Dieter Rams' work at Braun in the 1960s and 70s. The round timer references the ABW 30 wall clock. The grid of ambient sound controls is a nod to the speaker grilles on Braun hi-fi equipment. Rams' principle was "less, but better." That felt like the right starting point for something meant to help you do less.

The timer is the whole interface. There's no onboarding flow, no account creation, no content library. You open the app and you're looking at a timer. Pick a duration, pick an ambient sound if you want one, and start.

Streaks keep it honest. A simple streak counter tracks consecutive days. It's the only piece of data the app surfaces. No charts, no minutes logged, no badges. Just "did you show up today."

The app is built natively in SwiftUI with CloudKit syncing streaks across devices. Native felt right here because the interaction is so minimal that every frame of animation and every haptic response matters.

Status

awhile is still in progress, built on nights and weekends. The core timer and streak functionality works. I'm refining the ambient sound system and visual polish before sharing it more broadly.