3 Strategies to Bring People Back at the Right Moment
Know When Not to Send the Reminder
Copies it for your coding agent, which checks the fit and builds it · The whole record, as markdown
Notifications that repeat or arrive at the wrong moment get switched off: Apple warns that sending several for the same thing leads people to “turn off all notifications from your app”, and lab work found interruptions mid-task raise frustration (Apple; Iqbal and Bailey).
Direct research included. Read the findings and limits.
- 3 entries · direct research
- 1 entry · related research
- 3 entries · company accounts
From Apple, Duolingo, HeartSteps, JOOL, Drink Less, Oasis
Overview
Send the reminder only when it can still help: at a time the person chose, not once today's task is done, not during quiet hours, and not again for something they ignored. Simple rules any app can run: no sensing, no experiment platform.
Fits when
- Any app with a daily or recurring reminder and a clear record of whether today's task is done
- Reminders the person opted into, at a time they chose
- Non-urgent reminders that can wait for scheduled delivery rather than interrupt
Evidence & sources 7 entries
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Good to knowFit and evidence notes
- Fit to consider
- A done-today check that reads stale or unsynced data sends a reminder for something already done: the exact case the rule exists to prevent.
- About the evidence
- Platform guidance supports avoiding repeated alerts; Duolingo documents user-chosen reminder times. The suppression rules’ effect on completion and opt-outs has not been isolated.
Copy includes 4 more limitations, 3 failure modes, the full evidence, and adaptation guidance.
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