The Simplification of the Cellular Experience

According to, “Google Designs ‘Digital Wellbeing’ Envelope that Hides your Phone from Yourself”, an article published by Design Boom, a digital magazine that focuses on architecture and design, a special projects studio under Google is working on a new, innovative way to limit users’ screen time. The solution? A surprisingly low-tech fix consisting of an envelope designed to limit the usefulness of google’s latest edition of the Pixel (Design Boom).

To utilize this function, the user simply downloads an app on their Pixel and seals their phone within the paper envelope. From this point, depending on the type of concealment, “one envelope turns your phone into a very basic device which can only make and receive calls, while the other turns your phone into a photo and video camera with no screen” (Design Boom).

I believe that this concept does have some value behind it. Utilizing a physical object to hinder one’s usage of their phone will most likely be more effective than an individual setting a personal goal of limiting their screen time. Furthermore, I especially like the fact that the envelope is relatively inexpensive and easy to use, so much so that it almost makes reducing one’s screen time an easy feat.

Sources:

“Google Designs ‘Digital Wellbeing’ Envelope that Hides your Phone from Yourself” (Design Boom):https://www.designboom.com/technology/google-digital-wellbeing-envelope-hides-phone-special-projects-01-22-2020/

Discovery Article, “Google Designed an Envelope you can use to Hide your Phone from Yourself”, (Not Used in the Blog Post): https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/21/21076204/google-digital-wellbeing-envelope-activity-bubble-screen-stopwatch

Media- “Envelope – Temporarily Transform your Phone into a Simpler, Calmer Device” by Special Projects on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Au14zEGkRaQ

4 thoughts on “The Simplification of the Cellular Experience

  1. The idea of cutting back on screen time is certainly respectable. Many people today feel that they spend too much time staring at screens, so it makes sense that businesses are now looking into ways to help users limit their screen time. Such a feature can be found on most smart devices including phones and tablets. While I understand this concept of this envelope, I do not think it is going to be very popular. A person’s entire life can be stored on a smart phone or tablet, and I don’t see people signing up to limit themselves from their own technology. The idea behind the concept is great, but I don’t see it gaining traction in today’s world.

    https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/27/opinions/cut-back-on-screen-time-in-2019-alaimo/index.html

  2. I also first thought about the screen time feature on iPhones. It seems like this has already been identified as a problem (people using their phones too much) and Apple created a setting for it. This envelope seems like over kill and unnecessary to me. I think the technology behind it is interesting and it was an interesting idea however I do not see it serving more of a purpose than the settings in Apple phones would. If you really wanted to put your phone away, you would. Also, putting your phone in the envelope does not stop someone from just taking it back out.

    https://experiments.withgoogle.com/envelope

  3. The first thing that came to my head when learning about this is the Apple screen time feature. This allows you to set limits on certain apps for how long you can use them each day. However, this feature is not very useful as it allows you to easily go past the warning and select “Just one more minute” “remind me in 15 minutes” or “Ignore for today.” I find myself using these options often.

    This feature on the Pixel 3A seems extremely helpful to those who feel addicted to their phones. This requires more commitment than a feature that can easily be disabled. Each time you want to take out you phone, the envelope has to be destroyed according to the Verge. I think this can help parents a lot in limiting their child’s screen time because they can still allow their child to have a phone in case of emergencies. The reason for this being the feature that allows calls while the envelope is in place. However, this can be improved by making a version that could be used for multiple types of phones.

    https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/21/21076204/google-digital-wellbeing-envelope-activity-bubble-screen-stopwatch

  4. I personally think this idea is a little bit silly (just look into their Paper Phone project, which simulates your favorite apps by printing them out in paper), but as the studio and Google have stated, this is more of a design experiment than a selling product. I don’t believe that this is better at achieving a smartphone detox than using an older-style phone. Whereas that actually rids the user of their smartphone, an Envelope can be ripped easily to reach back into the chemical rush that smartphones apps can provide. Sure, its a creative deterrent and experiment, but ultimately unlike to work well. A great takeaway from this is that there may be some merit to the use of an app or program that disables access to most nonessential features, or at least something that sets limits on how much you can access digital media. The app-based projects this studio has actually produced seem much more promising. For example, their Desert Island project launched last October, which makes the user pick their most essential apps and limits the phone to only those apps, for 24 hours, and challenges them to pick less apps each time (Experiments with Google, 2019). It’s definitely more convenient than buying a separate phone.

    Sources:
    https://experiments.withgoogle.com/paper-phone
    https://experiments.withgoogle.com/collection/digitalwellbeing
    https://experiments.withgoogle.com/desert-island

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