Why we are starting with a desk object

A desk is a forgiving place to start.

Nothing sits closer to your attention than the few things on your desk, and a small object there can be useful without needing much. It stays in one place, so it does not have to survive being thrown into a bag. It can be a little bigger and a little simpler than something that has to live in a pocket.

A pocket device is where we would like to end up. It is also where the hard problems pile up: battery life, charging, heat, size, and a much longer list of ways to get it wrong. We would rather learn on the easy version first.

So the first object is a small desk companion: a small screen with expressive eyes and a focus timer. Physical buttons are planned. It is a concept today, not a product. We are students, we are building it around school, and nothing here is for sale.

What we do not know yet: how big it should be, how many buttons it needs, and whether the eyes help you focus or just distract you. Finding that out is the point of building it.

Next, we will write down the parts we think we need, and why.