When we shipped Mimi's private beta in February, we expected to learn a lot. We did not expect how much would surprise us. After 100 supervised sessions across living rooms, kitchen tables, and a few church basements, here are the patterns that stood out.
1. The fear is rarely about the technology
It's about being seen failing. Almost every participant mentioned, unprompted, a specific moment in the past where they felt embarrassed in front of a younger family member. That memory governs everything they do online afterward.
Mimi's first job, before any task, is to be a witness who doesn't judge. Tone matters more than features.
2. "Plain language" is not one thing
We started with a single plain-language pass on Mimi's output. It wasn't enough. People needed different registers for different moments: quick reassurance when scrolling, step-by-step walkthrough when filling a form, narrative explanation when something unexpected happened on screen.
We now generate three drafts per response and select live based on the user's last few interactions.
"You're the first thing that talks to me like I'm not stupid." — beta participant, week 3
3. Confidence is a leading indicator
We tracked task success rates, but the more interesting metric was the latency between "I want to do X" and the first action. After three Mimi sessions, that latency dropped by an average of 38%. People stopped second-guessing themselves before they started.
4. Scams hide in the everyday
The most dangerous moments weren't the obvious phishing emails. They were the legitimate notifications that looked like scams: bank security alerts, MFA prompts, insurance reminders. Several participants ignored real notices because they had been so well-trained to be suspicious.
Mimi now actively verifies and explains real notifications, not just flags fake ones.
5. The pet on the couch is part of the design
Sessions went best when the participant had something to anchor to — a pet, a cup of tea, a TV in the background. We've stopped designing for a sterile "user at a screen" and started designing for a person in their actual home.
Where we go from here
- Expanding to 1,000 sessions across six geographies through the summer.
- Publishing our trust-and-tone style guide as an open document later this year.
- Working with NDEC and other community partners to study long-term retention.
If you'd like to be part of the next cohort, our beta sign-up is open.