SKYVIEWER

Operating systems are what shape the way we interact with our devices. Consider how we moved from pressing tiny buttons on a Nokia 3310 or a BlackBerry Classic to swiping, tapping, and pinching on a smooth glass screen. Early mobile systems like those on Nokia had to prioritise efficiency due to a limited number of input methods. Then iOS arrived and changed everything. Fixed buttons gave way to a more flexible, multi-touch canvas. Suddenly, the phone wasn’t just a tool following predetermined input pathways; It became an adaptable surface, where gestures, swipes, and taps became the language we spoke with our devices.

Skyviewer is a design experiment exploring app control through BlackBerry’s capacitive gesture system. It presents a modern weather app, built with the interaction style once characteristic of formal BlackBerry applications.

In today’s world, where multi-touch has made app design effortless and intuitive, limiting interactions to purely gestures demands a far more deliberate approach.

Every swipe and tap must be carefully considered, ensuring that essential functions are always accessible without overwhelming the user with unnecessary motions. This constraint encourages a refined, purposeful UX where simplicity and efficiency must coexist seamlessly.

Skyviewer is an attempt to capture that balance, and you can explore that in my Figma prototype.

Backgrounds are courtesy of Pexels, Pixabay, Tiff Ng, Louisy.

June 1, 2025