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
友才是我们工作室的一位产品设计师，也是一位长期关注人与数字界面情感连接的探索者。 在效率工具泛滥的今天，他反其道而行，开发了一款名为 Ben 的独立 App。这不是一个追求增长或功能的商业项目，而是一场关于感觉的实验。 我们和他聊了聊：当一个设计师决定抛开数据指标，纯粹为了捕捉一种愉悦的瞬间而设计时，究竟创造出了什么？
Q：友才，是什么契机让你决定开发 Ben？
最初的灵感其实源于我在 Origami Studio 练习交互设计时的探索，深受 Mike Matas 和 Facebook Paper 那个黄金时代的影响。我一直坚信，好的软件不该只是冷冰冰的功能堆叠，它应该像一本精美的画册、或是一件趁手的器具，能引发人的情感共鸣。
我就想做一个实验：如果完全抛开商业效率和用户增长这些功利指标，只专注于如何让记录这件事变得更美、更舒服，一个日记 App 最终会长成什么样？Ben 就是我对这个问题的回答。
Q：你在 Ben 的设计里非常强调数字触感，这具体指什么？
简单说，就是给软件找回一些人情味。现在的 App 大多像高效的数据录入机，追求绝对的理性和速度，但这种极致的快往往也意味着冰冷—你感觉不到你在和什么东西互动，只是在对着屏幕戳数据。
我很喜欢工业设计，尤其是椅子。一把椅子不仅仅是为了坐，它包含了人体工学、材质、造型甚至文化维度的表达。不同的设计师设计椅子，会有完全不同的风格和性格。
早期的独立 App 也是这样，无论是笔记、天气还是录音机，设计师们会从材质、信息架构、交互和视觉上去做各种尝试。但很奇怪，现在的手机性能明明越来越强了，App 却做得越来越极简、越来越雷同了。Ben 其实是对那个独立 App 黄金时代的一种复兴。我希望它像一把精心设计的椅子，有它的材质、纹理和脾气，是一个实实在在的物件，而不仅仅是一个功能的容器。
Q：这个比喻很有意思。如果把 Ben 看作是一把椅子，你在信息架构和交互上是如何设计它的？
最直观的区别就在导航上。iOS 主流的推入式（Push）导航—点一下进新页面，点一下退回来—这其实是非常高效、清晰且标准的系统行为。但问题也恰恰在于它太标准、太系统了。当你打开每一个 App 都是一样的左滑右滑、一样的转场动画时，软件的个性就被抹平了，剩下的只有功能。
Ben 想要打破这种千篇一律。我采用了连续空间隐喻：当你打开一篇日记，它不是生硬地切换页面，而是像从桌面上拿起一张卡片；关闭时，它会自然地落回原处。这种把玩实物的交互能给你带来一种独特的心理感受—你不是在操作一个冷冰冰的系统，而是在与一个有物理反馈的、熟悉的空间互动。
Q：除了交互上的空间感，在视觉布局上你又是怎么体现这种个性的？比如为什么选择了堆叠而不是常见的列表？
列表和网格确实高效，适合快速扫描，但它们是给机器看的数据库。记忆不是整齐排列的 Excel 表格，记忆是散落在桌面上的一叠老照片。
堆叠（Stack）的设计，其实是向早期 iPad 相册的一种致敬。它引入了 Z 轴的深度，模拟了真实物体堆叠在一起的自然凌乱感。这种稍微慢一点的翻找过程，打破了冰冷的时间线，让每一篇日记都像是一个独立的故事，而不是数据库里的一行代码。这种低效，恰恰是人情味的来源。
Q：说到人情味，Ben 的背景设计似乎也承担了这种情感表达的功能？
是的。在大多数 App 里，背景只是空白的画布。但在 Ben 里，背景是氛围。无论是雨滴滑落的轨迹，还是云层流动的光影，都不是为了炫技，而是为了通感。当你重温一篇旧日记时，当时的天气、光线和心境会随着背景动画一起浮现。这种视觉与情绪的通感，是纸质日记做不到的，也是数字媒介独有的浪漫。
Q：听说 Ben 即将上线一个新的标题画布功能，能聊聊这个设计吗？
在效率工具里，标题只是一个带着闪烁光标的文本框，但在 Ben 里，它是微型的创作画布。
这就像我们在纸质笔记本上写日记一样，很多时候，当文字不足以承载当下的心情时，我们会本能地开始涂鸦，或者贴上一张贴纸。Ben 把这种直觉带回了数字世界。我设计了涂鸦和贴纸功能，把标题区变成了可以自由创作的空间。这是一个刻意的停顿。Ben 邀请你花几秒钟，跳出逻辑的文字，用线条、色彩去概括你的一天。这就是 Ben 品牌里提到的 Heart & Pencil—让感性在指尖流淌。
Q：最后，作为一个反效率的实验，你想通过 Ben 传达什么样的核心理念？
Ben 是我做的一个反方向的实验。在这个加速的世界里，它不试图帮你管理人生，也不催促你提升效率。它只想做一个安静的角落，一个让你愿意慢下来、喝杯茶、写几个字的地方。
通过在冰冷的玻璃屏幕下重建温暖的触感和空间，Ben 只是我试图在这个加速世界里保留的一点人情味。技术可以很快，但感受可以很慢。如果它也能让你在某个瞬间找回那种细腻的感觉，那这个实验就算成功了。
下载 Ben / 关注 友才的 Twitter