AI Weekly Malaysia

Ploum argues that requiring a smartphone app for basic products and services imposes at least 10 hidden assumptions on users—from device ownership and battery to Google/Apple account validity and data plan limits. He counted 18 apps he was pressured to install in one year, including apps for a toilet seat, flush, and ventilation, estimating that even 3 minutes per app per day costs 22 waking days per year.

Why: If you build app-only or QR-only flows for your product, you are silently excluding anyone who fails any one of the 10 assumptions listed—no phone, dead battery, no data, terminated Google account, no storage. Design a non-app fallback (web, paper, staff-assisted) for at least your core transaction path, especially in markets where data plans and device storage are constrained.