Pocket is a tiny device that captures your mind. It can record conversations, calls, or passing thoughts, and turn them into summaries, reminders, action items, and more.
Why build a separate device for this? Well, for starters, it has no screens or notifications so you stay focused. And your thoughts don’t compete for attention with other things.
So with that core principle to help people focus, we designed the companion app for Pocket. Our goal was to carry over the simplicity of the device and make every action feel intuitive and simple.
Pocket - A new interface for your thoughts
Making first contact
Onboarding was one of the most important parts of the whole experience. A new user needed to pair their device and learn how Pocket works - all in one go.
So we wanted to build an experience that felt connected to the physical device. Once paired, the app picked up the device color and reflected it throughout the journey. From there on, users experience how the device works by actually interacting with it. And as they did, the app responded in real time to reflect what was happening.
Onboarding sequence for Pocket
Once onboarding is complete, we wanted to extend those same patterns over to the home page as well, where everything is just one tap away.
Pocket home screen
Turning conversations into insight
For the times when a user starts recording something from within the app, we designed it to shift everything else away so that they can focus on their thoughts.
And since no two thoughts are the same, we also added a unique set of gradients at the base of the screen for each memory, which pull together at the end of the recording to become the memory's identity.
Once everything is processed, Pocket surfaces action items, answers questions about the conversation, and lets you search back through everything you've captured.
Recording & summary view of a memory in Pocket
Keeping things delightful
We wanted to build things in a way that felt more delightful when you least expect it. Let me explain with some examples:
We built a calendar view that broke down a day, meeting by meeting. And when a meeting time approached, it surfaced options for you to record right from there. And for past memories, it automatically mapped them to the appropriate meetings.
Calendar view of a user's day
We also wanted to make consistency feel rewarding, so we built out a small interaction that plays when a user records consistently over multiple days, a small moment to celebrate the fact that they've been on a roll.
We also extended the love outside the app to the widgets. It matched the color of their Pocket device.
Streaks animation and iOS widgets in Pocket
Building this was largely about exercising restrian. To craft something that quietly fits into the flow of your day, but still feels thoughtful at every turn.
Thanks to Akshay Narisetti, Mihir Penugonda, and Avkash Shah for helping shape this.