The Like Button Design

You're building a social network focused on discussions and conversations. Looking at the comments on posts, you notice a pattern: roughly 70% of all comments are single-word acknowledgments like 'cool,' 'wow,' 'yeah,' or 'neat.'

These one-word comments are cluttering actual discussion threads. You want people to be able to acknowledge they've read something without diluting the quality of real conversations. The product problem is clear: you need a 'one-click comment' feature.

Your first prototype uses a heart icon - it feels warm and positive. However, a team member gives you strong feedback that seeing hearts on every post would be 'vomit-inducing' - too saccharine and overwhelming.

Additionally, when you simulate the heart icon on different types of content, you realize it doesn't work universally. For happy family photos, it's perfect. But for serious posts - like an article about a tragedy or a difficult news story - the heart feels inappropriate and tone-deaf.

You need something positive but as neutral as possible within the realm of positive sentiment. It needs to work across widely different types of content - from celebration to serious news.