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A vending machine, on the internet
These days, every new business seems to be a SaaS. I remember when software worked differently: you bought it, installed it, and used it without having to create an account, remember a password, or even connect to the internet. Your data lived on your C drive, and you were in control. Software was a tool, like a hammer or a chair. Buy a chair, and you could sit on it for life. No monthly fees required.
My alien sticker vending machine abduction (and experience building SaaS software) has helped solidify the mental model for how I want ThreeKindWords.com to work. I wouldn’t say the alien sticker vending machine inspired Three Kind Words, but it definitely helped me frame how I want it to work. If it needs to remember you, it should do so with tokens and one-time links, not user accounts or forgotten-password flows, and never ever a “Sign in with Google” button.
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