Personal Notes
under review
KCBDR
In regards to sending personalized notes, and given that customizable avatars are already confirmed, in an environment with multiple Inkus, or perhaps simply within the Inku network (perhaps people can friend each other via the settings app), I think it would be charming to be able to send each other messages, as a sort of "personal mailbox" or "special reminder from your friends" function, complete with featuring a custom mailbox/letter sprite, and/or actually importing and displaying a friend's avatar for the message instead. Possible applications include: wishing a friend happy birthday or other holidays, offering personalized encouragement before a big milestone (could be impactful with lots of submissions), or coordinating schedules/planning future events (the change in avatar would serve as a reminder of WHO the event is with).
These messages could take the place of the standard periodic encouragement messages, and should be able to be regulated to certain times of the day to eliminate distractions (any extra messages could be viewed at the end of the day during relax time, or during designated breaks as set by the schedule).
This would make Inku a kind of rudimentary social media, which is a little bit contrary to its design focused on simple, distraction-free function, but at the same time, offers a way for loved ones to send simple messages of encouragement or uplifting greetings on a one-to-one scale. Obviously, how and when these messages are received would be entirely dedicated by the recipient, and there should be a simple way to disable this feature or otherwise display a "Not receiving messages" status to one's friends.
KCBDR
The main limitation I could see with this system (other than the previously mentioned potential for distraction, which is somewhat mitigated by one's ability to limit social connections and set the frequency that the messages appear) is simply how often the screen refreshes. Presumably, changing avatars takes longer than simply printing a few lines of text, and doing so every few minutes might lessen the quality of the transition between messages, since a much larger portion of the screen needs to be updated between refreshes. That being said, if the screen is fast enough to accommodate different sprites for each message, I think this would be a nice feature to have for the more socially inclined. Rather than just a single Inku avatar cheering you on, imagine what you could do with dozens, or more! Especially when the avatars are also people you know and recognize.
Cassandra Lim
Personalisation for gifting is a lovely idea! Custom word swaps for unique messaging would work too such as ‘hello’ to ‘hihi’ or ‘thanks’ to ‘thx’.
Imagine couples gifting Inku to each other, complete with personalized avatars and messages that accompany their partner throughout the day!
This would appeal to a broader audience, from friends wanting to add a playful tone, to couples wishing to maintain their unique language.
V
Valid Name
It would also be nice to send ai prompts like that. So you can "let the inko quote you" (without ai just putting the string in quotes and perhaps name the device it comes from) or let them say whatever you said/took as a note in its own words. (Promoting the ai manually while taking the note or whitch some system prompt the inku comes with)
J
Jakub Sypiański
Wouldn't that open a Pandora box of Inku becoming a distraction? It's not a counter-argument, I'm just thinking.
Harshyt Goel
under review
Moving to "Under Review" to look at more seriously.
A genuinely delightful feature for people who have inku's. Could be like sending a letter. Maybe even a simple in app way to do this could be cool.
Harshyt Goel
Hmmm - not gonna lie, i've also thought of this before.
S
Sara L.
Idk how feasible it is, but this would be SO cool. Imagine two different people on two separate Inkus sending messages to each other (or like OP mentioned, a phone text).
There'd need to be a way to establish a trusted external device, or in the case of phone texts, filter messages so you don't get spammed with EVERY text you receive... not sure the best way to implement something like this but I'm so in love with the idea!
Carina Rosa
THAT is so cute I love that idea