2026 · The Attention Economy
ROTARI
By Kelly Chan (Tian Jiaqian) · placeholder, awaiting media upload
We observed that the speed and ease of access to a phone and its apps reinforces mindless distractions and habitual scrolling. Rotari was created to be the thought-provoking 'pause' in that endless cycle.
Rotari provokes the idea about how smartphone design contributes to habitual and unconscious phone use. Rather than viewing distraction as a personal failure, this project frames it as a design issue, that issue being how phones are built for speed and immediacy, encouraging users to unlock and access apps without reflection. This design choice reinforces repetitive behaviours, where users check their devices out of habit rather than intention. To challenge this, Rotari intr
Rotari provokes the idea about how smartphone design contributes to habitual and unconscious phone use. Rather than viewing distraction as a personal failure, this project frames it as a design issue, that issue being how phones are built for speed and immediacy, encouraging users to unlock and access apps without reflection. This design choice reinforces repetitive behaviours, where users check their devices out of habit rather than intention.
To challenge this, Rotari introduces a physical-digital interface that disrupts the standard unlocking process. A rotary dial mechanism is placed over the screen, requiring users to manually search for interactions such as navigations buttons and input dynamically generated passcodes. Essential applications remain relatively easy to access, while more distracting apps require greater effort through more complex and shifting inputs. Even after access is granted, app interfaces are intentionally limited, only core functions are available, accompanied by visible timers and prompts that create a secondary layer of ironic distraction.
By deliberately slowing down interaction, Rotari interrupts automatic behaviour and prompts users to reconsider their actions. Instead of removing access, it reframes it, transforming a quick, passive habit into a conscious decision, and highlighting how restrictions in design can influence everyday digital behaviours.