UI/UX · 2024
Atom OS
A phone OS that strips your screen down to what actually matters.
ROLE
Sole designer across concept, UI, and prototyping.
THE GAP
Atom OS strips the smartphone back to four intentional widgets. The goal was to make the phone feel deliberately limited, not broken.
OUT OF EXAM SEASON
The idea came out of exam season, where existing solutions either deleted apps outright or were too rigid to adjust. I mapped two users: students under academic pressure and professionals with social media anxiety.
Neither delete nor endure
Existing solutions either deleted apps outright or were too rigid to adjust. Two users: students under academic pressure, and professionals with social media anxiety.
THE DECISION
What does a dumb phone mode look like without giving up utility? Black and white to psychologically reduce the pull of the screen, and limitation that reads as designed.
Limited, not broken
Black and white to psychologically reduce the pull of the screen, and limitation that reads as designed.
- Screen time
- Usage breakdowns
- Focus mode
- Four widgets
DECIDING WHAT TO WITHHOLD
The gradient in the screen time dashboard signals which apps help and which hurt without being prescriptive, and Focus mode stays user-configured to preserve autonomy.
WHAT SHIPPED
A four-widget home screen with screen time visualisation, usage breakdowns, and a toggleable Focus mode that blocks chosen apps for set periods.
WHAT STUCK