Redefining the future of smartphone experiences with NTERLNK.
At one point in time, phone designers vied for market share with innovative form factors, functionalities, and movements. Since the introduction of touchscreen ecosystems, innovation has stopped. You are challenged with designing a speculative phone of the future.
Discovery
• Tech & Trends
• Behavioral Insights
• Expert Perspectives
Ideation
• Sketching & Ideation
• Concept Refinement
• Storyboarding
Design
• Physical Form Testing
• Behavioral & UI Testing
• Mid-fi Development
Handoff
• UI Finalization
• Animation Development
• Hi-fi Development
Our team started by investigating the landscape, focusing on research and interviews to uncover opportunities to drive our design.
Focus Areas
• Tech & Trends
• Behavioral Insights
• Expert Perspectives
Conducted secondary research on existing forms, emerging technologies, and current trends.
Conducted 20-30 minute interviews with three experts in their respective fields for insights on design direction.
Collected 80 responses from Georgia Tech students through an online survey.
Conducted brief 1-5 question surveys at Georgia Tech, Ponce City Market, and Lenox Square Mall.
We kicked off our project with desk research, focusing on understanding the current mobile device landscape.
Key Focus Areas:
• Emerging tech & trends
• Everyday phone behavior
• Upcoming, niche phone companies
Aaron Yan
Smart Product Designer @ Nothing
Lisa Yaszek
Prof. of Science Fiction Studies @ Georgia Tech
George Kedenburg
Head of AI Software Design @ Humane
We then conducted interviews with three industry professionals to gain insights on how to approach the design of a “future phone.”
Key Takeaways:
• Emphasize physical feedback
• Reduce screen dependence
• Prototype bold ideas early
Finally, we carried out a series of in-person interviews across three different locations and also conducted an online survey to understand user phone behavior and pain points.
Many people recognize that their phones are a major source of distraction, but rarely take any meaningful steps to limit their use.
of survey respondents
acknowledged that phones were a major distraction.
• Phones have too much of a presence in social settings
• People often lose track of time when using their phones
of overall participants
preferred distraction control over restriction.
• Trends such as returning to flip phones are too extreme
• 'Dumb phones' have the same issue as flip phones, just rebranded
of field interviewees
were dissatisfied with existing forms of distraction limitation.
• Do Not Disturb & Screen Time are too easily bypassed
• These features can be inconvenient and lack contextual awareness
How might we design a phone that encourages mindful interaction and helps users stay present?
After gaining a deeper understanding of our problem space, we moved on to developing and refining concepts, translating early ideas into clear directions for prototyping.
Focus Areas
• Concept Refinement
• Storyboarding
• Sketching & Ideation
We first created over 80 thumbnail sketches to capture a wide range of initial ideas. We then organized these sketches into categories and evaluated their pros and cons.
Building on the insights from our evaluation, we developed 12 refined concepts, drawing on earlier ideas and incorporating findings from our user research.
After developing 12 refined concepts, we presented them to current designers, professors, and peers for feedback.
User Preferences:
• transformable features
• separate "activity modes"
• rectangular forms
• wrist wearables
After evaluating user feedback, we chose to develop a transformable device that adapts to the user’s environment and intent, featuring three core modes:
Social Mode
A wrist wearable with a simplified interface that allows users to stay present in the moment.
Focus Mode
A deep work mode, displaying only work-related notifications to minimize distraction.
Leisure Mode
A traditional form for relaxation, giving users a balance between personal downtime and work.
To help communicate our chosen concept, our team created a storyboard that contrasts the experience of using a standard smartphone with ours. This visual narrative highlights the shifts in user behavior, focus, and presence enabled by our design.
After selecting our concept, we conducted user testing to better define our final design. The results were used to developed mid-fidelity models, which were used to validate our design direction.
Focus Areas
• Physical Form Testing
• Behavioral & UI Testing
• Mid-fi Development
In this test, we had users interact with a variety of wrist wearable models, which varied in terms of attachment style, band width, sizes, and shapes.
User Preferences:
• Rectangular, medium-sized displays
• Velcro + cuff attachment types
• 2 cm band width
In this test, we presented users with a variety of models which differed in curve harshness, curve location, shape, and size. Users were sat down in a simulated desk environment and physically interacted with each model.
User Preferences:
• Rectangular, medium-sized models
• Later curve location (70% vs 50%)
• Softer, rounded curves
For this test, we focused on fine-tuning the proportions and dimensions of the sidebar, screen, and pull tab. We used a velco backing to allow users to both interact with a full-scale model of the phone and swap between differently sized components.
User Preferences:
• 6 cm screen
• 2.25 cm sidebar
• 0.25 cm pull tab
To test Focus Mode, we simulated a work environment using typing tasks while presenting three UI views: Mini View (notifications & minimized previews), Full View (notifications & full previews), and Work View (work notifications & full preview). To simulate work notifications, users recited incoming codes, helping us assess which layout minimized distraction.
Key Takeaways:
• Mini View had the most distraction
• Work View had the least distraction
• Minimized previews caused more distraction
Using our results, we then created mid-fi models with basic UI screens to test multiple variations and confirm that earlier feedback wasn’t affected by low-fidelity constraints. After another round of testing, we found that our initial insights remained consistent.
After gaining insights from our testing phase, we finalized the UI to create high-fidelity prototypes. In addition, we developed animations to help communicate specific use cases and interactions.
Focus Areas
• UI Finalization
• Animation Development
• Hi-fi Development
Social Mode offers a compact, wearable version that reduces visual clutter and discourages mindless use.
Its extendable wristband allows it to adapt to multiple wrist sizes without affecting the dimensions of the phone.
In Social Mode, interaction is limited to notification handling and phone calls.
Users respond via voice-to-text or simple button inputs, discouraging users from getting distracted.
Focus Mode transforms the device into a desk-friendly setup optimized for work.
The later curve location optimizes visibility when seated, supporting focus and productivity.
Similarly, focus mode is limited to work notifications (user-adjustable) and phone calls only.
The sidebar can be used to filter notifications, which are fully expanded on tap.
Leisure Mode provides the balance between work and personal time, providing the same features as a traditional phone.
The rubber lettering on the back doubles as branding and grip, while the indented pull tab allows for easier expansion.
Leisure Mode features a customizable sidebar dock that displays favorited apps alongside a scrollable feed of recent ones.
When an app is opened, the sidebar intelligently adapts to support the selected experience.
