I’m a UX designer, and my favorite app looks like it was built in 1999.

I’m Lily, a UX designer with a CS background. I spend my days thinking about smooth user flows, but I have a funny confession: My absolute favorite tools to use are usually the "ugliest" ones.

I’m talking about the tools with zero micro-interactions, no fancy gradients, and an interface that looks like a spreadsheet. Why? Because they have a 100% success rate at solving my actual problems instantly.

I’ve realized that a lot of "beautiful UI" in the startup world is just a mask for "bad business logic." I’m now on a mission to build and use tools that prioritize structural clarity and cold, hard logic over aesthetic hype.

Let’s share some love for the ugly tools: What is the "ugliest" tool in your daily stack that you absolutely cannot live without?