Curious · by Hugo Sánchez · 2026-09-22

The beautiful joy of doing the prototype badly at first with a surprising constraint

I started this because my quiet Sunday felt a little stuck, and questions seemed like a manageable place to experiment. The funny part is that the smallest change was the one I kept.

A few notes from my attempt:
- keep the first step visible
- remove one annoying decision
- celebrate the boring repeat

Context: I am not an expert, just someone trying to make Curious feel less intimidating. I wrote down what worked, what felt awkward, and what I would do differently next time.

A few notes from my attempt:
- keep the first step visible
- remove one annoying decision
- celebrate the boring repeat

451 sparks · 176 comments

Comments

Valentina Ruiz · 72 likes

This feels like advice from a patient friend. My friend tried it in Istanbul and had the opposite result.

Sleepy Comet · 47 likes

Agree completely. The simple version is underrated. This would have saved me a lot of trial and error. Now I want to read the paper behind it.

Amelia Hughes · 44 likes

You explained the tradeoff really clearly. The the train station detail changes the whole answer.

Noah Miller · 43 likes

This is the kind of useful internet I still show up for. The social part surprised me too. Nature keeps being stranger than the simplified diagram.

Lucas Silva · 40 likes

I am cheering for this update.

Noura Alotaibi · 21 likes

Kind of wild how often cheering is the whole issue.

Hugo Sánchez · 51 likes

Totally agree, especially for beginners.

Noura Alotaibi · 2 likes

Kind of wild how often totally is the whole issue.

Sophie Gagnon · 14 likes

@noura-87 I had the same reaction to cheering.

Grace Parker · 12 likes

@noura-87 I needed the reminder to start smaller.

Mango Noodle · 10 likes

Respectfully, I see it the other way.

Lucas Silva · 8 likes

@noura-87 I had the same reaction to often.

Paolo Garcia · 8 likes

@noura-87 That is fair, but I still worry about maintenance.

Lucas Silva · 8 likes

Yep, the boring details matter.

Sara Ahmed · 3 likes

Adding this to my notes.

Mariana Costa · 16 likes

My wallet felt that.

Pieter Botha · 11 likes

I think both things can be true.

Paolo Garcia · 37 likes

I wish more posts had this much context. The Warsaw example makes it feel concrete.

Maja Wiśniewska · 21 likes

I am stealing that phrase.

Benjamín Rojas · 37 likes

The conclusion is too broad, but the example is interesting. The uncertainty is part of what makes it interesting.

Hugo Sánchez · 3 likes

That is the part people skip.

Noah Miller · 35 likes

This has cozy competence written all over it. The my desk detail changes the whole answer.

Hugo Sánchez · 23 likes

I had the same reaction to changes.

Huy Le · 29 likes

I wanted to like this, but the prototype argument is weak. My friend tried it in Cape Town and had the opposite result.

Hugo Sánchez · 15 likes

Thanks for making it less intimidating.

Maya Williams · 28 likes

This sounds sensible, though I would need to test it myself. I used to overcomplicate this constantly.

Finn Brown · 27 likes

Glad you shared it; small wins count. A little friction removed goes a long way.

Cozy Marauder · 26 likes

That is a surprisingly elegant way to frame it. My friend tried it in Lisbon and had the opposite result.

Zofia Kowalska · 26 likes

Did anyone else read this and immediately make a tiny checklist? I am curious whether evidence still feels good next month.

Pim Anong · 24 likes

I am skeptical. The idea sounds good, but the maintenance cost is real. I keep a note about questions for exactly this reason. This would be a great classroom example.

Siti Lim · 23 likes

Really good advice, and it feels doable. This is where I would ask one more question before choosing. The scale of it still melts my brain a little.

Chloe Davis · 18 likes

Helpful correction.

Siti Lestari · 9 likes

Fair pushback.

Iryna Melnyk · 3 likes

@siti-59 You just saved me a bad purchase.

Mariam Said · 20 likes

You explained the tradeoff really clearly. The commute version is even more interesting.

Mariam Said · 19 likes

Not wrong, but I think this underestimates how different people's constraints are. It sounds small, but the prototype matters. The uncertainty is part of what makes it interesting.

Chloe Davis · 17 likes

I am saving this for the next time I overthink constraint. I noticed the same thing in Cape Town.

Faisal Al Saud · 16 likes

Good reminder that boring can be good. This would have saved me a lot of trial and error.

Beatriz Sousa · 16 likes

The vibe here is immaculate. This is where I would ask one more question before choosing.

Silver Comet · 16 likes

Anecdotally, this tracks with what I have seen. My only addition is to make the first step visible. Now I want to read the paper behind it.

Silver Fern · 15 likes

This has cozy competence written all over it. I noticed the same thing in Melbourne.

Minji Kim · 1 likes

I am curious what changed your mind.

Chloe Davis · 15 likes

What happened after the first week? I am curious whether constraint stayed easy. This is more useful on a tired commute than on a perfect day.

Gentle Panda · 6 likes

I would pin this if I could.

Piotr Zieliński · 14 likes

Love the tiny experiment energy. The a neighborhood park detail changes the whole answer.

Nour Ali · 9 likes

Noted, and thank you.

Mateo Cruz · 21 likes

@mangoMender99 My wallet felt that.

Hugo Sánchez · 2 likes

I had the same reaction to neighborhood.

Hugo Sánchez · 1 likes

Good clarification — I read it differently at first.

Sleepy Sparrow · 13 likes

The context helps. Without it I would have assumed the opposite. The social part surprised me too.

Ethan Brooks · 13 likes

This has cozy competence written all over it. The quiet Sunday version is even more interesting. The scale of it still melts my brain a little.

Maya Putri · 13 likes

Honestly, great taste. The Jakarta example makes it feel concrete.

Elsa Andersson · 12 likes

That would annoy me more than it helped. This would have saved me a lot of trial and error.

Noé Petit · 12 likes

This is the kind of useful internet I still show up for. The the corner shop detail changes the whole answer.

Hana Choi · 11 likes

Really good advice, and it feels doable. The Lisbon example makes it feel concrete. The scale of it still melts my brain a little.

Valeria Flores · 11 likes

This sounds sensible, though I would need to test it myself. The low-effort version is probably the keeper. The scale of it still melts my brain a little.

Rohan Mehta · 3 likes

That made the concept click.

Huy Le · 2 likes

The Tuesday test is undefeated.

Faisal Al Saud · 7 likes

That is a much better way to say it.

João Pereira · 11 likes

The context helps. Without it I would have assumed the opposite. The 3-minute rule is underrated.

Nour Ali · 14 likes

Now I want a spreadsheet.

Tiny Noodle · 11 likes

This sounds sensible, though I would need to test it myself. I am curious whether explainers still feels good next month. I appreciate when people separate evidence from speculation.

Laura Gómez · 11 likes

This is genuinely helpful, thanks for writing it out. My friend tried it in Cairo and had the opposite result.

Nour Ali · 11 likes

Glad you shared it; small wins count. I used to overcomplicate this constantly.

Diego Quispe · 10 likes

Excellent timing; I was just thinking about beautiful. I would test it for 2 days before deciding.

Leila Karimi · 25 likes

Adding this to my notes.

Solar Coder · 0 likes

Noted, and thank you.

Chinedu Adeyemi · 24 likes

That is the part people skip.