Learnings
Physiological flooding correlates strongly with message length and frequency rather than content valence alone. A rapid sequence of long messages — even neutral ones — can trigger withdrawal in avoidant-attachment users. Our "typing indicator" design may inadvertently amplify this by signalling incoming volume.
Early prototype testing revealed that users reject any intervention they perceive as "telling them how to talk." Framing matters enormously — "Would you like to pause?" works; "You should take a break" does not. Autonomy-preserving language is non-negotiable.
The most powerful design pattern in authentic relating is the sentence stem: a partial structure that channels expression without controlling content. This maps directly to guided conversation interfaces where prompts shape without constraining.