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 then 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 diffrent 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 alot 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 teh first step visible. Now I want to read teh 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 then 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 alot 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 of 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