This early prototype was the first time the concept existed as something you could actually watch rather than imagine. The sequence moves through several key states, idle mode in the top right corner showing the time, a navigation to music playback, and then into a photo library where a selected image fills the entire display. Simple on paper. Surprisingly revealing on screen.
What it confirmed immediately was that the movement mechanic worked better than expected. Seeing Pane OS condense, travel across the wall and expand into a new state made the concept feel credible in a way the sketches never quite did. The gravitational surface logic read naturally without needing any explanation.
What it also revealed was where the work still needed to happen. The visual language at this stage was underdeveloped and the transitions, while functional, lacked the Flubber elasticity and spring stop character that the movement sketches had established. The prototype proved the concept. Development now needed to prove the brand
Screen Recording 2026-04-20 at 13.50.32.mov
Rather than attempting to prototype every possible state Pane OS could exist in, I made a deliberate decision to focus on eight key screens that together communicate the full range of the concept. The standby state establishes the product at rest. The wake state shows its ambient intelligence. The home screen demonstrates the navigation model. Drawing mode captures the emotional heart of the concept and speaks directly to Noah as a user. The mitosis moment is the most original mechanic and needed to exist as a tangible screen rather than just a described idea. Media playback, home controls and photo display round out the practical everyday use cases and ensure the prototype represents the full family rather than just one user. Eight screens, each doing distinct work, felt more considered and more honest than a larger prototype where half the screens were padding.
The idle state was the first screen I designed and in many ways the most important one. It sets the tone for everything Pane OS is. When nobody needs it, it should not demand attention. It should simply exist in the room the way a clock on a mantelpiece exists. Present but unobtrusive.
The decision to make this a perfect square was deliberate and connects directly back to the glass block reference that runs through the brand. A single module. Self contained. The time, the date and the temperature are all the information anyone needs at a glance and they sit together as one quiet card on the wall. Nothing more is needed and nothing more is shown.
What this screen communicates more than anything is restraint. Pane OS is not constantly asking for your attention. It is simply there when you need it. That quality, of a technology that knows when to be invisible, felt like the most important thing to establish first.
An early consideration for this prototype was whether Pane OS needed a dedicated wake state, a transitional screen between idle and the home screen. After reflection I decided against it. The idle state already carries enough information and personality to act as the entry point into the full interface. Moving directly from idle to the home screen on interaction removes an unnecessary step and makes the product feel more immediate and more intelligent. Pane OS should not make you wait through a transition screen to get to what you need. The idle card is already Pane OS. Tapping it or calling to it simply expands what is already there. That directness felt more honest to the concept than adding a layer in between.