In my previous article about Siren Software, I basically said, Good software is something that lets the user be themselves and still gets work done. The user does not have to change their behavior, their workflows at all, and still we get the work done. At the same time, we provide emotional amplification, meaning whatever emotions they might be feeling during that activity, we amplify it. We take them to a high.
Another principle I have developed is that you want to create instant gratification by compressing time to value and time to effort, and be very conscious of the existing workflow of the user. That means, if something takes 10 minutes to be done, how can you make it happen in 2 minutes? If something takes 10 steps, then, how do you make it happen in 5 steps? But while you are compressing this, you are supposed to respect their workflow. What are the tools they use and what are the steps they are used to? Like, if let’s say it is a 10-step workflow, and in step 3 they are supposed to press a button to go to step 4. How can you create a software that resides in step 3 in the form of a button so that when you just click that button, it automatically does the next steps (or next few steps) and resumes right where the original workflow might have left. For example, if our tool can automate steps 4-6, then they should end up at a place that is identical to if they had done those steps manually. That helps with integration.
Then, this workflow constraint means you cannot also mess around too much with whatever tech stack they have going on. You must respect what applications they are using. You cannot create an independent platform and then expect users to just join in. That’s asking too much. That means it would be better if you went out there and found out which are the most universally used applications and built around them.
That’s why I want to limit my domain to the most used applications because even for small offices, their whole office does not run a specialized tool. HR and operations are done on the Microsoft Office suite. I want to narrow down my definition or scope to applications which almost everyone uses. Like, Browser, then comes the Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and then Google Office and Google Drive. That means I’m most probably going to be a plug-in merchant or an extension merchant. Maybe down the stream I will figure out how to transform those things into a web app, but I don’t want to spook them off.
The core universal applications are:
| Application | Market Size | Dominant Players | Typical Daily Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Browsers | 4.7B+ users | Chrome (65%), Safari, Edge, Firefox | 6+ hours |
| Email Clients | 4.6B+ users | Gmail (1.8B), Outlook (400M), Yahoo, ProtonMail | 4-5 hours |
| Microsoft Word | 750M+ users | Microsoft Word (dominant), Google Docs | 2-3 hours |
| Microsoft Excel | 750M+ users | Microsoft Excel (dominant), Google Sheets | 2-3 hours (varies by role) |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | 500M+ users (30M presentations/day) | Microsoft PowerPoint (dominant), Google Slides | 1-2 hours (spikes before meetings) |
| Cloud Storage | OneDrive (400M), Google Drive (1.5B) | Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox | 30-60 minutes (background) |
| Chat/Messaging | 1B+ users | Microsoft Teams (6x larger than Slack), Slack | 2-3 hours |
| Calendar/Scheduling | Integrated with email | Outlook Calendar (Office 365), Google Calendar | 30-45 minutes |
| Google Workspace | 1.5B+ users | Google (Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, Gmail, Meet) | 3-5 hours (alternative to Microsoft) |
That means if you create some plugin or extension for the software as mentioned above, you inherently target a lot of users and have scope to integrate into a lot of existing workflows instead of demanding that new ones be created that accommodate you. Plus the output you generate will also be your form that the users are already familiar with. If step 7 expects text in a Word file, then you can create a Word file.
From Claude
Siren Software Principle: Good software lets users be themselves, doesn’t require behavior change, gets work done, amplifies emotions
Instant Gratification: Compress time-to-value and effort. 10 minutes → 2 minutes. 10 steps → 5 steps.
Workflow Insertion: Don’t add steps, insert yourself INTO existing steps. If step 3 has a button, become that button. Automate steps 4-6 seamlessly so they resume at a place identical to manual completion.
Tech Stack Respect: Don’t create independent platforms. Users won’t leave their existing tools. Must build around universally used applications.
Plugin/Extension Strategy: Since universal apps are the domain, become a plugin/extension merchant. Don’t demand users come to your platform—you go to them.
Output Format Consistency: If step 7 expects a Word file, output a Word file. If it expects an email, send an email. Respect the form users expect.