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Web Brutalism and Apps for Helping You Think

Posted by Matt Birchler
β€” 1 min read

When that task is thinking, the best tools reflect the way that thinking happens, a meandering, back-and-forth process of exploring and refining our hunches and questions and notions.

Web Brutalism, Seamfulness, and Notion

This is the essence and opportunity of Web Brutalism: more than a utilitarian aesthetic, it’s a way of creating spaces for thought and expression on the web that reflect the nature of thought and the web. The best tools β€” digital or otherwise β€” give enough structure and flexibility for the task at hand. When that task is thinking, the best tools reflect the way that thinking happens, a meandering, back-and-forth process of exploring and refining our hunches and questions and notions.

I love this idea. When the tool is helping you think, it doesn't make as much sense for it to be incredibly simple and opinionated in how it works, because that's not how your brain works. I suspect this is a reason that Roam Research resonates with me so much.