How Pepper thinks

Pepper helps you carry less.

It does that by helping answer one simple question: what deserves attention right now?

Here is why it answers that question the way it does.

What Pepper does with your household

It does the thinking, and stops before acting.

Pepper decides what deserves your attention, what an event actually needs, and who could cover a clash. Then it stops. It does not buy, book, send, pay or invite on its own. The decision that belongs to your household stays with your household.

Pepper proposes, and waits for you.

Understanding first

It tries to understand before it advises.

Before deciding that something deserves attention, Pepper looks at the context: who is involved, what is already handled, and what is coming next. The goal is not more alerts. It is better judgement about when your attention is actually useful.

Preparation, not reminding

It asks what needs to be true first.

Pepper is not mainly trying to tell you an event exists. You already know. It works backwards from the event to what has to happen before it, so the week stops arriving all at once on the morning.

Ivy's party, Saturday the full list

RSVP to the party hostyou
A present to choosewith Alex
Card to buy and signwith Alex
Drop off at two, pick up at fouryou

One line from you. Pepper works out the rest, and keeps it together.

Why you can see into it

A suggestion you can question is a suggestion you can trust.

When Pepper offers a view, it shows what it understood, what it still needs, and why it landed where it did. You are never handing your week to something you can't see into.

Facts and judgements

It separates what's true from what it thinks.

Facts might include

household members
appointments
commitments
preferences

Judgements might include

what matters most
what can wait
what may create stress
what deserves attention

Facts can be true. Judgements can be wrong. Pepper treats those differently, and does not let one quietly become the other.

Honesty

It does not know everything.

Pepper knows what your household shares, what you let it see, and what it can reasonably work out from that. There will always be things it does not know, and it can be wrong. When Pepper is unsure, it should say so rather than sound certain.

Correctable

It expects to be corrected.

Families change, and so does the context. Pepper should not assume it always understands, and you should be able to disagree with it. Correcting Pepper is part of how it becomes useful, not a sign something has gone wrong.

What it means to hand something over

When Pepper is carrying something, that means something.

Handing something over should not create a new thing to check. So when Pepper is holding something, you can see what it is holding, why it is still open, and what will bring it back to you.

If nothing is asking for you, that is not an empty screen. It is the answer.

Pepper has this actively carrying

I'm carrying these routines and waiting work. Where a next date is not known, I'll keep it visible here.

LunchboxesRepeats every Monday
Washing powderProbably due again, no date known
Excursion permission slipStill open, Pepper will keep it visible here.

Held, with the honest unknown left honest rather than guessed at.

Shared responsibility

Responsibility moves. Nobody keeps score.

When Pepper suggests someone else could take something on, enough context goes with it that they can actually do it, without the first person managing it from the background. Pepper is not counting who does more. It is not a scoreboard for your home.

Less to carry. Not less of you.

Pepper is not trying to replace you, or to become the manager of your household. It can do more of the noticing, remembering and preparing. The calls that belong to your family stay with your family.

Pepper's goal

~~More productivity.~~

~~More notifications.~~

~~More information.~~

Less mental load. More room to breathe.

Follow along →

Pepper 3.0 is coming to iPhone.