KARIN NIEMANTSVERDRIET

FLEX

2013   |   Master Graduation Project   |   Coached by Joep Frens

FLEX concept phone Concept phone FLEX

FLEX is a concept phone that resulted from an exploration on how to design for attachment with physical-digital products. FLEX was designed to adapt through use: this adaptation is open-ended and affects the phone in appearance, in interaction, in functionality, and digital content.

In the phone, in- and output components (camera, LED, speaker, microphone, GPS, and keyboard) are located at the border of the screen, surrounded by a flexible rim. By gently flexing the rim of the phone around one of the hardware components, the applications that are relevant for that component appear. For example, by flexing the speaker, applications like Spotify, Soundcloud, and myRadio come up. The applications appear in order of relevance: the more they are used, the sooner they appear and the larger the icons.

Explanation of the interaction with FLEX

Since applications are not stored on the phone but are offered depending on use, the phone invites people to explore different types of functionalities. The rim of FLEX is made of a silicone outside with a highly viscous core. The core slowly moves to the sides in the places that are used a great many times, which deforms the rim in those areas. The deformed locations in the rim are thinner and more flexible, leading to more direct selection of most-used applications. Also, the deformations make the phone unique and show something about the identity of its owner to other people.

FLEX has been presented at the 2015 DesForM conference.

FLEX concept video

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Last update: March 2018
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