There’s a new notification about enabling notifications. The email client tells of three unread spam messages. The settings app has exactly one new system update. Twitter’s tab title counts five new tweets, as always. The home screen is littered with red badges. There’s no value in a predictable notification.

Unread counts are everywhere in modern interface design. They are tasked with retention and growth, often implemented without restraint, and typically end up ignored by most users. But just as in computer science, when it comes to what’s unread, there are only three amounts that count: zero, one, and some.

Most unread counts should stay at zero. This is the kind of feature that works best as opt-in. Better to err on the side of not-annoying. Even if important, many prefer to check counts themselves, at set intervals. And instead of counting to one, show a dot. But not a dangerous red dot. Make it blue, or green.

If there are some notifications, show, at most, a more more prominent dot. There’s probably no actionable difference between 4 or 8 or 16 unread items. However, if there are always some notifications, just remove the indicator. Nobody needs another ignored attention grabber. Leave the user alone.

Web design is a study in accidental complexity. For example, while there’s no inherent aesthetic value in putting text on top of images, it’s a mainstay. Instead this kind of layering creates complexity. It constrains the text, the image, and sets up a duel for the user’s attention. Two dimensions ought to be enough.

Few habits complicate web design quite like undue layers. There are enough maligned modals to declare position: fixed forever broken — not technically, but in practice. We’ve permanently lost viewport height to a storm of sticky headers. And each layer burdens both design and code. Poor z-index.

Luckily, we have superior alternatives to every layer. Place text before or after images. Move modal content inline or extract it to a new page. Let headers remain on top. Instead of adding a loading overlay, make your site so fast that it can do without. And if the end result looks empty, redesign.

The web works best for designers, developers, and users alike when it is constrained to a single plane. We can shift the time spent on layering content to be used on improving the content itself. There is no need to compete with your own interface. Don’t draw attention more than once per pixel.

Software is a multiplier — it can empower users but it can’t induce behavior. Behind every successful app stands a pre-existing motivation. In other words, while you can lead users to your landing page, you can’t make them pay. Great software makes people better at things they already want to do.

However, on the road to great software, finding an idea that serves an existing motivation is just the first step. We may know which market to fit, but how do we product? How should each feature be designed to best help the user?

An early decision is whether or not the interface should mandate a workflow. This is the difference between a wizard and a spreadsheet, or a chatbot and a text editor. Wizards constrain users: first do this, then do that. It’s the same with chatbots: answer this question and I’ll ask you the next. On the other hand, spreadsheets mandate nothing: it’s a blank canvas — an empty slate.

If you know the domain better than the user, for example if the software is an interface to your organisation, go for a wizardly approach. Be a guide, provide hints, and correct mistakes along the way — all in as few steps as possible.

On the other hand, if your idea covers a process the user knows well, be a tool. Provide the features they need, monitor usage, iterate and improve. Aim for a flat set of orthogonal but complimentary features. Provide the tools as best you can, then get out of the way. Your users already know what they want to accomplish, because technology trails incentive.