Design notes

Why oatmilk works
the way it does.

oatmilk started as a small UX exercise and grew into a real tool. These are the few decisions that shape how it feels, and why.

Stir

The AI suggests. You decide.

oatmilk is for people who already feel overwhelmed, so Stir never acts on its own. Press it, it sorts your list, and you Keep the new order or Undo it. Each task comes with a short reason for where it landed.

Stirred · 3 tasks movedSorted by Claude Sonnet 5.5UndoKeep

Up nextPrep for the 10:00↑3Your meeting starts in an hour

Pay the invoice↑1Due Friday, and it takes two minutes

Get oat milk↓2Easy to grab on the way home

The UX whyWhen you're overwhelmed, choosing what's first is the hard part. One tap and a yes or no takes that off your plate. And a reason you can read, and disagree with, is how trust gets built.

Noticed

A memory you can see.

When you move a task, oatmilk takes note. Once a pattern shows up, it writes it down in plain words and the next Stir uses it. Delete any note, or add your own.

What oatmilk noticed

You leave errands for the end of the dayNew×

You do quick admin first×

Family dinners matter mostyou×

See 2 more

The UX whyHidden learning feels like being watched; shown learning feels like being remembered. So the notes are written to you, and the AI never says "I": no chat, no avatar, just a list that knows you a little.

Calm

Calm by default.

Most to-do apps grow into planning tools. I kept oatmilk to one list, where the order is the priority. It opens and you start typing.

Left out, on purpose

Things I tried, or chose not to build, to keep it calm.

A whole desktop versionI built one, with a sidebar and three panes. It was more than anyone needed: the kind of creep that turns a to-do app into a job. For a first version, one simple list felt calmer.

Red urgency flagsSuddenly everything looked urgent, which is the opposite of the point. The order says enough.

A "Noted!" popupIt used to pop up every time it learned something. It felt like being watched, so now the brain button just glows for a second.

An AI that does it for youNever built, on purpose. When you're already overwhelmed, you want help deciding, not something moving your stuff around.

The UX whySmall, warm details carry the feeling: an empty glass waiting, "All clear." when you're done, and a soft sage for everything the AI touches, so it reads as a light hand, not an alert.

Take a stir.

oatmilk is free, private and still growing. I'd love to hear how it works for you.

Try oatmilk