Youcai is a designer at our studio who’s always been drawn to the emotional side of product design. You might know his previous work on these projects. Recently, he’s been exploring interaction design through a personal side project called Ben, a journaling app built entirely around “feel” rather than features. We sat down with him to understand what happens when you throw out the growth playbook and design purely for delight.
Q: Youcai, what inspired you to create Ben?
Ben started as a side project while I was practicing interaction design in Origami Studio. I was deeply influenced by Mike Matas and his work on Facebook Paper. He once said that the best designs don’t just solve problems, they resonate with you emotionally. That got me thinking: if we completely ignored commercial efficiency and growth metrics, and focused purely on the experience, how far could we push a simple journaling app?
Q: You talk about “digital tactility.” What does that mean?
It’s about bringing back a sense of physical presence in software. Modern apps are optimized for speed and throughput, but they often feel cold and transactional. I wanted Ben to feel like handling a real object, something you pick up, hold, and put down, rather than clicking through a database interface.
Q: How does Ben’s navigation differ from typical apps?
Most iOS apps use push navigation. You tap, a new screen slides in, and the previous one disappears. It’s efficient, but it feels like walking through tunnels where you only care about the exit.
In Ben, I built a continuous spatial metaphor. When you open a journal entry, it doesn’t “jump” to a new page. It floats up from the stack. When you close it, it settles back into place. This object permanence creates a sense of security. You’re not being shuttled around by the system; you’re in a familiar room, picking things up and putting them down.
Q: Why did you choose a “stack” layout instead of a grid or list?
Grids and lists are efficient, scannable, infinitely scrollable. But they’re also emotionally flat. I chose stacking as a tribute to early iPad photo albums, which used this skeuomorphic approach before it was replaced by flatter designs.
Stacking introduces the Z-axis. It mimics photos scattered on a desk. It breaks the strict timeline and suggests that these entries exist as a collection, not rows in a database. This “inefficiency” is precisely where the warmth comes from.
Q: Tell us about the dynamic weather backgrounds.
In most apps, backgrounds just support the foreground content. In Ben, the background is an environment.
I used a particle-based weather engine that renders rain, flowing clouds, and twinkling stars in real-time. When you revisit an old entry, the weather atmosphere resurfaces alongside your words. This multi-modal memory recall is something paper journals can’t do. It’s a unique advantage of digital media.
Q: How does gesture-based interaction change the experience?
Traditional GUI relies on discrete taps: tap a button, trigger a command. It’s a conversation with the machine.
Ben emphasizes direct manipulation. Most actions use swipes. Pull down to close, drag to reorder, long-press to lift. Gestures are analog, not binary. You can drag a card halfway down, hesitate, then let it spring back. This “in-between state” makes the software feel soft and forgiving.
Q: What’s the “Title Canvas” feature?
In productivity tools, titles are just input fields with blinking cursors. Ben transforms the title area into a micro creative canvas using PencilKit.
When you start sketching, your brain shifts from “logical recording” to “creative expression.” It’s an intentional pause in the workflow. Instead of rushing to fill out a form, you’re invited to spend a few seconds visually summarizing your day.
Q: What’s the core philosophy behind Ben?
Ben isn’t trying to be a super-app that solves everything. It’s an experiment in the opposite direction.
Building it confirmed my belief: efficiency isn’t the only measure of good software. By preserving spatial awareness in navigation, introducing physical metaphors in layout, and emphasizing gestural intuition in interaction, we can rebuild a warm, tactile “digital feel” beneath the cold glass screen.
It’s not just nostalgia. It’s about carving out a space where users can slow down and feel something in an ever-accelerating world.
Download Ben from App Store / Follow Youcai on Twitter