The Four Foundations of Conscious Product Design
I was reading an ancient Buddhist text called the Satipatthana Sutta (don't worry, I had to Google how to pronounce it too) and I had this weird realization: it's basically a UX framework.
The text outlines four "foundations of mindfulness" four areas where you should focus your attention during meditation. But if you squint, they're also four areas you should consider when designing any product that touches human experience.
1. The Body (Kaya)
How does your product affect the user's physical experience? This sounds obvious, but most apps completely ignore it. Does your app make people hunch over? Does it keep them up past healthy bedtimes with blue light? Does it encourage "just one more scroll" until their neck hurts?
We try to design for comfortable, sustainable use. That means readable fonts, dark mode that actually reduces eye strain, and features that encourage natural stopping points instead of endless engagement.
2. Feelings (Vedana)
What emotional state does your product cultivate? Instagram cultivates comparison and inadequacy (hello, highlight reels). Twitter cultivates outrage and anxiety. What emotional aftertaste does your product leave?
We aim for calm satisfaction. When you close Samanvaya, you should feel clearer about your priorities, not more anxious about everything you haven't done. That's a subtle but important distinction.
3. Mind (Citta)
How does your product affect mental clarity? Does it sharpen focus or scatter attention? Does it leave the user's mind quieter or noisier?
We avoid features that create mental clutter. No notification badges creating low-grade anxiety. No algorithmic feeds that fragment attention. No gamification that hijacks motivation. Just clean tools that do one thing well.
4. Mental Objects (Dhamma)
What values and thought patterns does your product reinforce? LinkedIn reinforces that career success = worth. Dating apps reinforce that humans are products to be swiped on. Every product has implicit values, whether we design them consciously or not.
We try to reinforce self-reflection, balance, and the idea that you already have everything you need you just need tools to help you see it clearly. That's a very different value system than "there's always more to achieve/buy/consume."