Dev Diary: Simple Mode: Designing for the Worst Day

A behind-the-scenes look at how we build 3mpwrApp.

The feature request that became Simple Mode came from a community member who told us: “I want to use your app but when I’m actually sick, it’s too much to navigate.” That single sentence became a product brief.

We did not want to build a stripped-down “lite” version that patronized users with cognitive disabilities. We wanted a mode — something that respects that the same person can have vastly different capacity on different days without requiring them to reinstall anything.

The five features in Simple Mode — Evidence Locker quick-add, Crisis Resources, Symptom Log, Benefits Deadline Alerts, and Energy Check-in — were chosen by the community in a direct vote. That is the version of Simple Mode that shipped.

Technical Details

  • Simple Mode originated from a direct community request about cognitive load during flares
  • Five core features selected by community vote — not by the dev team alone
  • One-tap switching from full interface to Simple Mode at any time
  • All features remain installed — Simple Mode hides, never deletes
  • Remembers your last Simple Mode state on reopen

In Practice

  • A user with brain fog can enable Simple Mode and still reach crisis resources instantly
  • Someone in a pain flare can log evidence without navigating complex menus
  • Simple Mode’s larger targets and reduced interface work even during migraine episodes

What We Learned

  • The measure of accessibility is how an interface performs on the hardest day, not the easiest
  • Simplicity on demand respects that capacity changes day-to-day for chronic illness
  • The five core features were chosen by the community because they know what they need

Follow Our Development

We believe in building in public — the community we serve has been failed by opaque institutions too many times.