Subscribe
Sign in
Saent — A device to help you focus and be less distracted
28
Replies
Becca Edwards
Does it sync with your mobile phone? A mobile app would be handy. For instance, when you start a session, it turns your phone on airplane mode for the duration. Then, if you turn off airplane mode you pause your session. I'm as distracted by my phone as the apps on my computer (maybe more so).
Share
@beccamedwards Hi Becca, We'll definitely have mobile apps (for iOS and Android to start). We're still investigating exactly how much control we can exercise over things like notifications. iOS especially can be a bit restrictive, but there are potential workarounds we're testing to build the functionality you describe. At worst, the app would remind you when you start a session to switch into Airplane mode and to switch out when you're done. TL;DR - yes we'll have mobile apps and sync with your phone to track your focused time, but how it functions exactly is somewhat dependent on what the platform allows.
@denull Hey Dimo, I think Saent is actually complementary to products like Headspace, which focus on mindfulness. Saent can help you focus and get more done in less time (and at a higher quality), while Headspace, Calm.com, etc. can help you recharge and take better advantage of breaks and extra time created by being more productive. They can go together to help you have a more happy and balanced work life.
@benjaminnetter Haha! That's one way to look at it. ;) The reason for the hardware aspect is that research has shown that behavior modification is more effective when you have a physical connection to what you're trying to accomplish (in this case: instilling better work habits). Sort of like why having a Fitbit still makes sense even though your phone can probably accomplish most of the activity tracking that it does. You can use the Saent software on its own -- and we hope people who want to do it that way will! -- but we think you'll have more success if you use the button alongside the app.
Plus, if you work in an office or busy coworking space, the Saent device acts as a visual "Do Not Disturb" sign, which our user research has told us is a very attractive concept for people!
@catone @benjaminnetter I really like the concept behind it, however, as mentioned it is a little pricy... I would personally pay a maximum of $50....
@diligentdil Hey Dilyar, Thanks for the kind words! Our Indiegogo campaign has some lower priced options for a single device, though you won't get lifetime premium software. http://www.igg.me/at/saent for the full list.
@benjaminnetter Ditto. $99 is too much. If this 1 button keyboard did something more with visual cues to represent focus and/or get you to focus then maybe I could see the value in $99.
I was in the kickstarter, I used it for a day and that was the end of that.
Pros:It works
Cons:It *just* works, quality is not great.
@samuelcouch Right now, the Saent app has two main "modes" -- Police and Training. In Training mode, the software will ask you (with a polite nag screen) not to break your focus session by switching to any app listed as distracting. In Police mode, you'll simply be blocked from opening restricted apps until your focus session is concluded.
@catone @samuelcouch Stayfocusd ( http://www.producthunt.com/tech/... ) has a pretty cool setting called "Nuclear Mode," where you have to type an exact paragraph in order to disable it.
@kenrossi Hey Ken, Definitely a fair question. While there is always a possibility of production or shipping delays, the ultimate result of our crowdfunding campaign won't affect our production plans. More pre-orders = better, of course, for a number of reasons, but we have outside investment, some larger corporate orders in the works and a few other things that don't necessarily reflect in the crowdfunding total. All told, that means we'll be able to go into production as planned.
Hi Product Hunt, Saent (pronounced “saint”) is a connected productivity device and companion software application. We're building Saent because we believe that our always connected digital world has stretched our attention spans to the breaking point, and that means it’s harder than ever to focus and get work done.
Saent helps you focus by blocking distractions, tracking focused work time and enabling you to work in sprints (like the Pomodoro technique). In addition, you get points for completed work sessions so you can compete with friends and colleagues.
Our hardware is feature complete and ready for manufacturing, and we expect to go into production with our partners later this fall. We'd love to hear more about how you work and what your major pain points with productivity are, as well as answer any questions that you have about Saent!
@jtown_ Yep. The software will work without the button, but button has some added benefits: a) reinforces behavior change by creating a physical connection to productivity, b) is a visual indicator of the progress in your current focused work session (via the light), c) acts as a "Do Not Disturb" sign to those around you, d) has programmable touch gesture support so you can create "quick" launch gestures to the apps you use most for work (e.g., "swipe to open my calendar" or "double tap to close archive a task in Trello," etc. -- the sky's the limit!)
Obviously, I'm in need of this product, since I'm here writing comments on Product Hunt instead of working. Kidding. Not kidding.
@leasemolina Haha! You can definitely mark Product Hunt as "unproductive" in Saent to keep yourself from succumbing to the temptation. But the beauty of working in sprints: you can spend your break time however you want; like by commenting on PH. :D
@catone I think this product is superb!! It has many applications!! I think it can be applied in various ways to different demographics such as but not limited to: children, children with ADHD, afults with ADHD, adults with disabilities who need assistive technology in the workplace, ect.
@leasemolina My father (a school psychologist and adult with ADHD himself) believes the same thing! Definitely is something we'll look into closely as we expand beyond our current "work" use case. Thanks for the feedback!
Cool!
Get my Saent button at the bottom of the page does not work. Fix it as it is one of the most important buttons :-D
@nechiporuk_a Hey, Andrew. Thanks for the note! We've just fixed that (it was a quirk of Unbounce getting a little confused the tracking code Product Hunt added to the URL, but we've made a change so it should work now).
The "more info" link seems to be broken. After a quick Google, I found this working link: https://www.indiegogo.com/projec...#