Post
Thinking about the UI I'd design for a "dumbphone", we can essentially split the functionality I'd want in my pocket into a small handful of separate tools:
1. Call & text with an address-book, this is primary!
2. Viewing your treasured files.
3. A (bad) camera.
4. A calendar with alarms.
5. A calculator.
6. Configuration options.
For human I/O on a small device I'd use an eink screen, 2 primary buttons, a joystick. Which as I explored last week could be enough for convenient typing.
1/4?
In its sleep state I'd display a clock in your chosen timezone(s), whether you've received texts, & your chosen wallpaper. With epaper... No point in having a wake button!
Moving the joystick in a configured gesture would unlock the device. Maybe I'd let you configure a 2nd "distress" gesture to discretely send a text?
The main screen would list your unread texts, letting you arrow to a specific text to reply to whether via voice or text. Press joystick to dismiss.
For other tools...
2/4?
The main screen could have the primary buttons open the file-viewer & address-book. The address-book could let you call, text, or view past comms for any contact. Or view additional data you've recorded on them.
The address-book could have the right button create a new contact. Just as the file manager would use it to provide options for recording a new file.
Files would come from an SD card, or you could treat the device as a USB stick.
In such menus the left button would be "back".
3/4?
To access the calendar/alarms, calculator, configuration options, & sleep-mode I'd have (on the main screen) moving the joystick left, right, up, or down whilst pressing it open those menus.
In sleep-mode I'd have the primary buttons open the camera (also available via files) or reuse its flash as a light. Also pressing joystick from sleep could offer to turn the device entirely off, leaving a label onscreen for which button turns it on.
4/5!
The calculator could reuse a variant on our 8pen-inspired text-entry for typing math formulas. Whilst the calendar would be a 2D menu resembling what we're used to seeing.
Otherwise the UI would boil down to using the joystick to arrow to an option & select it, at which point you'd be prompted to type by moving the joystick in loops.
The 1st boot-up would ask for a locale, optional menu sound (including read-aloud), password, introduce the keyboard, & ask if you want read-aloud there.
5/5!
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