Pause
Pause
Category
Industrial Design
Technical Complex product
Services
User Research
Product Design
3D CAD models & Concept Development
Prototyping & Engineering (CMF)
Year
2025
Role
Developed from concept to production-ready design
Category
Industrial Design
Technical Complex product
Services
User Research
Product Design
3D CAD models & Concept Development
Prototyping & Engineering (CMF)
Year
2025
Role
Developed from concept to production-ready design
Pause — A tactile device to reclaim attention Filters digital noise, celebrates stillness, and invites creativity.
Pause A tactile device to reclaim attention Filters digital noise, celebrates stillness, and invites creativity.
Always On. Rarely Present.
We are overwhelmed by constant digital noise, leading to mental fatigue, lost focus, and shallow living. Our ability to be present, creative, and connected has been replaced by endless, mindless scrolling.
Always On. Rarely Present.
We are overwhelmed by constant digital noise, leading to mental fatigue, lost focus, and shallow living. Our ability to be present, creative, and connected has been replaced by endless, mindless scrolling.
Problem & Insight
Methods: 10 in-depth interviews • 7-day diary studies • Screen-time audits • Intercept tests.
Through conversations with users and diary-style research, we uncovered five recurring moments that kept drawing people back to their phones.
Alarm / Wake-up: Immediate checking on waking.
Between Tasks: Mindless filling of short gaps.
Rest Time: Curiosity + relaxation turns into endless updates.
Downtime / Procrastination: Escape from effort.
End of Day: Algorithm traps and reward-seeking.
Methods: 10 in-depth interviews • 7-day diary studies • Screen-time audits • Intercept tests.
Through conversations with users and diary-style research, we uncovered five recurring moments that kept drawing people back to their phones.
Alarm / Wake-up: Immediate checking on waking.
Between Tasks: Mindless filling of short gaps.
Rest Time: Curiosity + relaxation turns into endless updates.
Downtime / Procrastination: Escape from effort.
End of Day: Algorithm traps and reward-seeking.
Solution
Pause is a no-screen, no-scroll companion that creates deliberate space for reflection, boredom, and creativity. You don’t escape reality—you reconnect with it.
Pause is a no-screen, no-scroll companion that creates deliberate space for reflection, boredom, and creativity. You don’t escape reality you reconnect with it.
Pause is a no-screen, no-scroll companion that creates deliberate space for reflection, boredom, and creativity. You don’t escape reality you reconnect with it.
Pause is a no-screen, no-scroll companion that creates deliberate space for reflection, boredom, and creativity. You don’t escape reality you reconnect with it.
Core Principles
Friction by design — minimal, tactile controls.
Signals, not streams — only essential information passes through.
Guided intention — gentle nudges toward a daily goal.
Calm aesthetics — brushed aluminum, soft light, quiet haptics.
Friction by design — minimal, tactile controls.
Signals, not streams — only essential information passes through.
Guided intention — gentle nudges toward a daily goal.
Calm aesthetics — brushed aluminum, soft light, quiet haptics.
Hardware Features
Low-profile dot-matrix LED for status and glanceable info.
Rotary dial for mode switching and intention setting.
Task button (AI-enabled) to capture/commit to a single focus.
Custom button configurable from the app.
Work Mode slider: Social / Work / Rest.
Haptics for subtle feedback; passive radiator speaker for ambient tones.
Low-profile dot-matrix LED for status and glanceable info.
Rotary dial for mode switching and intention setting.
Task button (AI-enabled) to capture/commit to a single focus.
Custom button configurable from the app.
Work Mode slider: Social / Work / Rest.
Haptics for subtle feedback; passive radiator speaker for ambient tones.
App Features
AI-filtered alerts: Only the essential messages you define.
Smart Screen Blocking: Gentle lock to prevent reflexive unlocks.
Personalized Nudges: Timely reminders of your daily goal.
Progress Tracking: See time reclaimed and distractions avoided.
AI-filtered alerts: Only the essential messages you define.
Smart Screen Blocking: Gentle lock to prevent reflexive unlocks.
Personalized Nudges: Timely reminders of your daily goal.
Progress Tracking: See time reclaimed and distractions avoided.
Outcomes
Early results indicate meaningful behavior change: participants reported a 35% increase in deep‑work blocks per week, evening screen time dropped by 40% within the first 14 days, and self‑reported calm and clarity rose by 25%. Extrapolated over a year, that daily 30–45‑minute reduction in unfocused screen time adds up to roughly two months reclaimed.
Early results indicate meaningful behavior change: participants reported a 35% increase in deep‑work blocks per week, evening screen time dropped by 40% within the first 14 days, and self‑reported calm and clarity rose by 25%. Extrapolated over a year, that daily 30–45‑minute reduction in unfocused screen time adds up to roughly two months reclaimed.
Sketches & prototype
Designing the handheld device started with rapid ergonomic sketches—testing proportions, grip angles, and button layouts across dozens of variations. These drawings weren’t about a final form, but about mapping possibilities and understanding how small shifts in geometry could change comfort. Insights from this stage—like where the thumb rests or how weight distributes in the hand—guided the transition into 3D-printed prototypes, where ideas could be held, tested, and refined in detail.
Designing the handheld device started with rapid ergonomic sketches testing proportions, grip angles, and button layouts across dozens of variations. These drawings weren’t about a final form, but about mapping possibilities and understanding how small shifts in geometry could change comfort. Insights from this stage like where the thumb rests or how weight distributes in the hand guided the transition into 3D-printed prototypes, where ideas could be held, tested, and refined in detail.
Designing the handheld device started with rapid ergonomic sketches testing proportions, grip angles, and button layouts across dozens of variations. These drawings weren’t about a final form, but about mapping possibilities and understanding how small shifts in geometry could change comfort. Insights from this stage like where the thumb rests or how weight distributes in the hand guided the transition into 3D-printed prototypes, where ideas could be held, tested, and refined in detail.
