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Brian Vaughnbri@nvaughn.info LinkedIn ↗@br___ian on X ↗Designer

I like asking what a thing wants to be, what shape lets a product serve the person using it most beautifully. Lately, I want to do that in software.

How long do you have for a portfolio right now?

← drag to look up the desk

What would it look like for a phone to actually care about you?

01A Phone That Cares

One project made of four experiments, each asking one question about the phone.

1Offscreen

Your phone goes gray. Hold for color.

Set up on Android ↗

Actual Argos settings for morning offerings and daily rituals — Morning offering settings.

Argos morning offering in Telegram: Henri Matisse’s Still Life with Blue Tablecloth, 1909, with a note and a question — Morning offering settings.

3The Scroll Lab

Overlays that keep you aware you’re scrolling

Download the extension ↓

4ArgOS

The ArgOS lock screen

A lock screen built around one gesture: ask, message, or open your apps.

Scroll Lab · Offscreen · Argos the bot · ArgOS ↓

The ArgOS lock screen — ArgOS A phone OS that puts all four together

Offscreen Your phone goes gray. Hold for color.

The Scroll Lab Overlays that keep you aware you’re scrolling

Argos morning offering in Telegram: Henri Matisse’s Still Life with Blue Tablecloth, 1909, with a note and a question — Argos the bot An LLM with careful context about you

The ArgOS lock screen — ArgOS All three, as one phone OS

The ArgOS lock screen — ArgOS The phone OS

Built from three experiments:

OffscreenYour phone goes gray. Hold for color.

The Scroll LabOverlays that keep you aware you’re scrolling

Argos the botAn LLM with careful context about you

02ur notebook

A notes app made to make writing more fun.

Try the pilot →

ur notebook on desktop in dark Ink, showing a note titled welcome to ur notebook — Point at itTap it to change its look

The same note on a phone — Point at itTap it to change its look

A few of its features, in its own words

Sixteen palettes, four moving patterns

There’s a game where the more you write, the faster you close on your prey, to motivate free writing.

03JLab Mobile

I redesigned JLab’s earbuds app. It went from about 1.7★ to 4.2★ on Google Play, with 1M+ downloads.

The previous JLab Sound app on a phone, showing JBuds Air Sport controls — The old app. Most bad reviews: people who couldn’t connect.

The expanded connection flow in FigJam: remembered devices, category and model, pairing, recovery — Then mapping every path in FigJam

Connect New Device: headphones, earbuds or speakers — What shipped: three steps, then it connects.

Pair Earbuds grid — What shipped: three steps, then it connects.

04The Lab App

I designed JLab’s 3 gaming lines, then a desktop app for them and our work products.

Before: the previous JLab desktop app, grey images of mice and a keyboard with an English language selector — Home screen: only what’s plugged inHome screen: every device you’ve ever connectedAfterBefore /

After: the Lab App home screen with Nightfall Wireless headset, Epic Mechanical Keyboard and Epic Mouse — Home screen: only what’s plugged inHome screen: every device you’ve ever connectedAfterBefore /

Before: a Flow keyboard behind a long menu of functions — Changing a key: drag a command onto itAfterBefore /

After: on the Daybreak keyboard, drag Browser › Refresh from the command list onto F5 — Changing a key: drag a command onto itAfterBefore /

The Lab App home screen with Nightfall Wireless, Daybreak Keyboard and Epic Mouse cards — Try the working demoTurn your phone sideways for a bigger view ⟳

05Past work

Products I designed at JLab.

Daybreak headset

“Out of the box, JLab’s Daybreak headset is one of the most comfortable wireless headsets I’ve put on.” Gaming Trend

Daybreak headset

Daybreak keyboard

“leans cleanly into a modern, minimalist look rather than overly aggressive gamer styling” Techaeris, on the Daybreak series

Reviewed by MacSources: 90%, Excellent ↗

Daybreak keyboard

Nightfall mouse

Nightfall mouse

Work Buds

Winner of two Best of CES awards, from TechRadar and Reviewed.

JBuds Sport ANC 4

“Bargain sports buds with strong bass” Tom’s Guide

JBuds Sport ANC 4

Flow keyboard and mouse bundle

“for less than $75, this may be the most cozy typing experience I’ve ever had.” How-To Geek

Flow keyboard and mouse bundle