Adrian remarks on the Aperture case, stating that while removing a phone case may not be significant in the grand scheme of life, it introduces a level of friction that prevents constant removal and replacement. Clara adds that the concept changes a compulsive action into a conscious decision.
Currently, the Aperture case is more of an art project with no physical existence. Special Projects, the team behind it, hopes it encourages people to reflect on their phone usage more thoughtfully. They envision an approach similar to an app that dissuades excessive phone scrolling by presenting consequences, such as “killing a digital tree.”
Adrian points out that the struggle with phone overuse is common, and although there are various solutions, something about this concept resonated with them.
Special Projects draws inspiration from a Teenage Engineering ethos in their pursuit of digital wellness. The idea for the Aperture emerged during their work on the Paper Phone project, which was an app allowing users to print essential information from their phones onto a sheet of paper for daily use.
During this project, the Westaways observed that the window carved out for phone camera lenses closely resembled the size of an Apple Watch. Seeing the compact amount of information Apple managed to fit into such a small device provided them with the insight that a similar approach could be applied to smartphones by flipping the phone case.
Adrian explains that they explored the idea of using existing items people own to create a new device-like experience. However, the initial vision—transforming any phone case into an Aperture-enabled helper—is unlikely to be realized. This is mainly because the reverse fitting might not work with all phone cases, as some manufacturing styles may not accommodate this switch or could inadvertently press phone buttons.
