🐻 Bear Turns 10
Shiny Frog:
Over the years, one thing we hear again and again is that Bear just feels good to use. So for this special occasion, we want to share the principles behind every design decision we make.
Bear is, by far, my favorite app for writing and taking notes. Every blog post I write is written in Bear; most of them on my Mac, some of them on my iPhone. It does, indeed, feel good to use on any device, and it's felt that way for many years now.
Regarding their process:
The feedback discussion can be brutal. “No” is a very welcome answer here, with one house rule: you have to give a reason. Wall of text and hour long slack huddles come and go, then the paring up buddies return to the improvement part and provide a second round, a third round, until we are all happy with it. There are lucky days that some ideas get a big yes on the first try. Others spark weeks and months of debate and never ship at all. We’d rather be a little stubborn about what feels like Bear than chase every trend.
For developers, the temptation to add features is strong, and the discipline required to only add things sparingly and with conviction is rare. In most apps, new features tend to diminish simplicity, harm usability, and contribute to bloat.
Bear is not bloated. It remains simple, usable, and delightful. I applaud Shiny Frog for their restraint and careful consideration, and look forward to using Bear for many more years to come.