Human Conscious Software
Human Conscious Software
Human Conscious Software is a philosophy to build digital experiences which preserve attention, protect dignity, and restore meaning.
Software has become integral to our lives, but not always for the better, and with the exponential growth of AI, we risk embedding these downsides even deeper.
Human Conscious Software is a philosophy to build digital experiences which preserve attention, protect dignity, and restore meaning.
Software has become integral to our lives, but not always for the better, and with the exponential growth of AI, we risk embedding these downsides even deeper.
6:38hrs
is how long people
spend online each day,
this is almost 40%
of waking hours
58%
of people say they are
addicted to smartphones,
we need to regain
our freedom
73%
of people are worried
about online privacy,
we must protect privacy
by design
92%
of developers are
using AI tools, today
anyone can ship
software
We are at a tipping point.
To address the challenge we have developed a set of principles based on an underlying philosophy of keeping humans at the heart of the software lifecycle.
Technology should serve the human spirit,
not the other way around
We are at a tipping point.
To address the challenge we have developed a set of principles based on an underlying philosophy of keeping humans at the heart of the software lifecycle.
Technology should serve the human spirit,
not the other way around
The Six Principles of
Human Conscious Software
The Six Principles
Depth Over Distraction
Depth Over Distraction
Depth Over Distraction
We design for focus, not infinite scrolls—every pixel earns its place, helping people complete tasks and then return to real life.
We design for focus, not infinite scrolls—every pixel earns its place, helping people complete tasks and then return to real life.
Privacy by Design
Privacy by Design
Privacy by Design
Data dignity is our baseline: we collect the minimum, store it responsibly, and give users transparent control at every step. |
Data dignity is our baseline: we collect the minimum, store it responsibly, and give users transparent control at every step. |
Clarity Over Speed
Clarity Over Speed
Clarity Over Speed
Velocity without vision breeds re-work; we ship at a human tempo where craft, comprehension, and quality can flourish together. |
Velocity without vision breeds re-work; we ship at a human tempo where craft, comprehension, and quality can flourish together. |
Cadence With Care
Cadence With Care
Cadence With Care
Products and teams need healthy rhythms—interfaces pulse with effort and rest, and our sprints guard against burnout, not glorify it. |
Products and teams need healthy rhythms—interfaces pulse with effort and rest, and our sprints guard against burnout, not glorify it. |
Calm By Default
Calm By Default
Calm By Default
Good software whispers when helpful and disappears when not, reducing cognitive load and leaving space for thought.
Good software whispers when helpful and disappears when not, reducing cognitive load and leaving space for thought.
Intentional AI
Intentional AI
Intentional AI
Artificial intelligence is our co-dreamer: it augments human skill and reflection instead of amplifying manipulation or noise.
Artificial intelligence is our co-dreamer: it augments human skill and reflection instead of amplifying manipulation or noise.
The Philosophy of
Human Conscious Software
The Philosophy
Most software today is built to accelerate. To optimize. To constantly engage.
But not all growth is good. Not all engagement is meaningful. Not all metrics reflect value.
Most software today is built to accelerate. To optimize. To constantly engage.
But not all growth is good. Not all engagement is meaningful. Not all metrics reflect value.
We advocate for software experiences that foster calm, clarity, and conscience.
We protect the human spirit in an age of saturated engagement and algorithmic
overload.
Our mission is to create digital tools that reconnect people with their values, attention, and autonomy.
We advocate for software experiences that foster calm, clarity, and conscience.
We protect the human spirit in an age of saturated engagement and algorithmic
overload.
Our mission is to create digital tools that reconnect people with their values, attention, and autonomy.
AI has lowered the barrier to creating software. More code is being written today than ever before.
But acceleration without reflection risks deepening the very crises we're facing: burnout, surveillance, manipulation, and distraction.
AI has lowered the barrier to creating software. More code is being written today than ever before.
But acceleration without reflection risks deepening the very crises we're facing: burnout, surveillance, manipulation, and distraction.
We don’t just need more software.
We need better software.
Not software that hijacks attention, but software that helps us come back to ourselves.
Our Techno-Philosophy has been influenced by the following people:
We don’t just need more software.
We need better software.
Not software that hijacks attention, but software that helps us come back to ourselves
Our Techno-Philosophy has been influenced by the following people:
Byung-Chul Han
Byung-Chul Han
Byung-Chul Han
Philosopher Byung-Chul Han diagnoses today’s digital culture as a Burnout Society: where self-exploitation, algorithmic control, and toxic positivity wear down our inner lives. In Psychopolitics and The Transparency Society, he shows how modern platforms subtly coerce us through nudges, likes, and surveillance, not force. We become both product and participant, willingly exploited.
Philosopher Byung-Chul Han diagnoses today’s digital culture as a Burnout Society: where self-exploitation, algorithmic control, and toxic positivity wear down our inner lives. In Psychopolitics and The Transparency Society, he shows how modern platforms subtly coerce us through nudges, likes, and surveillance, not force. We become both product and participant, willingly exploited.
Mike Cooley
Mike Cooley
Mike Cooley
Irish Engineer and Trade Unionist, Mike Cooley argued in Architect or Bee? that technology, designed under logics of control and profit, fragments human work and alienates us from our creative potential. He called for a new organisation of technology that values skill, dignity, and social good.
Irish Engineer and Trade Unionist, Mike Cooley argued in Architect or Bee? that technology, designed under logics of control and profit, fragments human work and alienates us from our creative potential. He called for a new organisation of technology that values skill, dignity, and social good.
Alex Karp
Alex Karp
Alex Karp
Alex Karp, founder of Palantir, argues in his book, The Technological Republic, that generations of skilled engineers and tremendous amounts of capital have been allocated to build trivial software, rather than addressing the most important challenges of our time. Although his solutions are rooted in defence and state-level tech, his diagnosis—that we’ve been building small software for small ends—is undeniable.
Alex Karp, founder of Palantir, argues in his book, The Technological Republic, that generations of skilled engineers and tremendous amounts of capital have been allocated to build trivial software, rather than addressing the most important challenges of our time. Although his solutions are rooted in defence and state-level tech, his diagnosis—that we’ve been building small software for small ends—is undeniable.
Amber Case
Amber Case leads the Calm Technology Institute to encourage devices that inform us without demanding our constant focus. Through her work, Case outlines design principles—contextual awareness, peripheral notification, graceful failure—that let technology stay in the background of life instead of at its center. Her vision of tech as a polite, unobtrusive companion directly informs our commitment to Calm by Default.
Cal Newport
Computer science professor and author Cal Newport champions a more intentional relationship with technology. In bestselling books like Deep Work and Digital Minimalism he argues that our capacity for sustained focus is a competitive—and human—advantage. Newport warns that friction-free “anytime, anywhere” connectivity fractures attention and fuels burnout. His research-backed routines for crafting concentration and curating screen time show how software can support depth, not distraction—an essential pillar of Human-Conscious Software.
Amber Case
Amber Case
Amber Case leads the Calm Technology Institute to encourage devices that inform us without demanding our constant focus. Through her work, Case outlines design principles—contextual awareness, peripheral notification, graceful failure—that let technology stay in the background of life instead of at its center. Her vision of tech as a polite, unobtrusive companion directly informs our commitment to Calm by Default.
Cal Newport
Cal Newport
Computer science professor and author Cal Newport champions a more intentional relationship with technology. In bestselling books like Deep Work and Digital Minimalism he argues that our capacity for sustained focus is a competitive—and human—advantage. Newport warns that friction-free “anytime, anywhere” connectivity fractures attention and fuels burnout. His research-backed routines for crafting concentration and curating screen time show how software can support depth, not distraction—an essential pillar of Human-Conscious Software.
Examples of
Human Conscious Software
Examples
Apple
Apple
Apple
Launched in iOS 14.5, ATT asks users for consent before tracking. Most say no. This simple interface shift cost ad platforms an estimated $10 billion—showing the power of meaningful defaults. Privacy isn’t about fine print. It’s a moment of respect, designed into the flow.
Launched in iOS 14.5, ATT asks users for consent before tracking. Most say no. This simple interface shift cost ad platforms an estimated $10 billion—showing the power of meaningful defaults. Privacy isn’t about fine print. It’s a moment of respect, designed into the flow.
Firefox
Firefox
Firefox
Firefox’s tracker blocker runs silently in the background, stopping over 6 trillion attempts without bothering the user. No pop-ups. No interruptions. Calm technology doesn’t need applause—it just works. When software protects without demanding attention, it restores a sense of safety and space. |
Firefox’s tracker blocker runs silently in the background, stopping over 6 trillion attempts without bothering the user. No pop-ups. No interruptions. Calm technology doesn’t need applause—it just works. When software protects without demanding attention, it restores a sense of safety and space. |
UK Government
UK Government
UK Government
The UK Government rewrote its digital services using short, simple language. Avoidable calls dropped by 9%, saving millions annually. Plain English is more than a style choice—it’s infrastructure. Clarity reduces confusion, builds trust, and respects the reader’s time. Speed without understanding is just noise. |
The UK Government rewrote its digital services using short, simple language. Avoidable calls dropped by 9%, saving millions annually. Plain English is more than a style choice—it’s infrastructure. Clarity reduces confusion, builds trust, and respects the reader’s time. Speed without understanding is just noise. |
Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Japan trialled a 4-day work week. The result: 40% productivity increase, 23% less electricity, and happier teams. The lesson? Healthier rhythms don’t reduce output—they unlock it. Cadence With Care means designing time with intention, not extraction. Better software starts with better working lives. |
Microsoft Japan trialled a 4-day work week. The result: 40% productivity increase, 23% less electricity, and happier teams. The lesson? Healthier rhythms don’t reduce output—they unlock it. Cadence With Care means designing time with intention, not extraction. Better software starts with better working lives. |
GitHub
GitHub
GitHub
GitHub Copilot helps developers code faster and with more joy. Studies show a 55% speed boost—and 85% of users feel happier. This is AI as an ally, not a master. When used with care, AI can elevate creativity, not automate it away.
GitHub Copilot helps developers code faster and with more joy. Studies show a 55% speed boost—and 85% of users feel happier. This is AI as an ally, not a master. When used with care, AI can elevate creativity, not automate it away.
BMW
BMW
BMW
BMW’s Driver Attention Assistant (Fatigue-Alert Break Recommendation) quietly watches steering input, lane position, speed and trip length. When patterns suggest drowsiness—typically after 90 minutes of steady driving—it flashes a coffee-cup icon and highlights the nearest rest stop. With drowsy driving linked to 7 % of crashes and ~5 000 U.S. deaths yearly, this gentle nudge turns cadence into care.
BMW’s Driver Attention Assistant (Fatigue-Alert Break Recommendation) quietly watches steering input, lane position, speed and trip length. When patterns suggest drowsiness—typically after 90 minutes of steady driving—it flashes a coffee-cup icon and highlights the nearest rest stop. With drowsy driving linked to 7 % of crashes and ~5 000 U.S. deaths yearly, this gentle nudge turns cadence into care.