Why you stopped using Notion?
I wrote the article that I wished I could find
When I started to use notion to organize my life, I came across many people who stated that they stopped using notion for many reasons, and to be honest, I’m not here to discuss them; I’m here to explain, as a designer, why people like you and them stopped using this app and what my explanations are for the bad experience for you.
It shifts your focus from your main purpose.
Many ex-notion users said that they found using the product unproductive, and they found themselves spending days and even weeks building systems without making any kind of progress toward their goals, goals that led them in the first place to use the product.
Notion was built in this way to convey a sense of value to the users and increase retention and loyalty. This is known as the “IKEA Effect.” The implementation of this effect was brilliant, and it worked for many people, including me. My engagement with the product increased significantly when I made my own systems, and at the end, I found myself kind of emotionally attached to it. On the other hand, there were a decent number of people who hated it, but if this effect was good, why are there users who have had bad experiences with the product?
It will work, but only when…
Well, the IKEA effect is good; nobody can deny it, but only if the ecosystem of the product supports it, in which case it doesn’t, with simpler terminology. Notion was for the sake of providing productivity to people; they created on-demand complexity, and what I mean by “on-demand complexity” is If you want to build complex systems with databases and connect them in a way that nobody understands and sometimes even you don’t, then go for it, and if you just want simple task lists, check boxes, and a place to write without any distractions, you can also go for it. Both approaches are supported by the product, and this will put us in the second problem. 
Notion did not ask for your approach
Some users started using notion and in their minds the goal of only achieving productivity by the it’s simplest means, but they end up getting overwhelmed in learning “the basics of Notion” and they may purchase courses, tutorials, guides and templets that costs them hundreds of dollars, the problem exists because of how the onboarding for newcomers works, it lacks for the proper guidance and it misses the ability to apply the customization concept in the product experience based on the user preferred approach causing them to think they are using the product in the wrong way when they see other people making esthetically pleasing systems with complexity in the backend, or they will end up paralyzed and not able to make any decision or any sort of actions in the product due to the huge amount of options they can do and have, at the end they will bounce away when they realize how much mental calories and energy it will costs them to use notion while there are simpler and convenient alternatives like obsidian.
Notion failed to make you feel the pleasure of productivity.
When you first met notion, you expected that it would help you increase your productivity, but when you started using it, it failed to satisfy your needs. According to Aron Walter’s hierarchy, which is a modified version of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs but for product design.
Every product should fulfill three layers of user needs. ”It should be functional, reliable, and usable,” so you can get to the final layer, “feeling the pleasure.”. The product’s experience and how it was built made it hard for you to learn, and learning a tool is a cornerstone to making you able to handle any kind of problem that could happen to you while you are using it. If you don’t learn how to use the tool, it won’t be functional nor reliable to you, and at the end, you will bounce away to continue your journey to find better alternatives.
But Notion is Good
To be honest, these reasons won’t make it bad, but they will make the product appeal to people with specific mental structures and criteria, which, in my opinion, Notion is targeting them specifically on purpose, and those who do not meet the criteria will feel the product is very complex and can cause them to feel unproductive. The reason that made me think about it in this way is how I see and use notions, while other people around me find it complex.
It is built for high-effort people.
People who are ready to dig deep down into every detail of what they are trying to use and ready to spend hours just to understand how they can make the most out of notion so that they can win the day are those who really use notion and are very loyal to it. My best proof on this thing is ME, and don’t worry, I’m subjective in this story about my opinions and how I see the product, and I always say that if you don’t feel comfortable using it, you can try other alternatives.
What if notion wants a wider audience?
Notion, though, can make some adjustments to its experience so they can appeal to a wider audience and remove the feeling of complexity they are talking about. Despite the business strategy considerations, I’m talking solely about their product experience.
Better onboarding
Creating an onboarding system that helps users understand how they can use the product based on what they want and guides them by creating an experience that adapts to their needs and approach will surely solve the problem and save a lot of users from bouncing away. Because, let us be realistic, if I were a human who wanted simplicity in what I would use for the next six months, why would I use a very complex product?
Better Value Communication
Well, if they wanted to keep their experience as it is, they could change how they deliver their value to people. If those people understand properly the value of notion, they will see that investing time and effort to figure out how they can learn and use notion can be justified, and the effort won’t become an obstacle in the way of using the product.
Final words
In navigating the complexities of Notion’s user experience, it becomes clear that its appeal lies in catering to individuals willing to invest substantial effort into mastering its functionalities. However, for wider adoption, refining onboarding processes and improving value communication are crucial steps. By aligning Notion’s intricacies with user needs, Notion can create a more inclusive and satisfying product for people, regardless of their approach to productivity tools.
