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A self-developed phone safe designed to counter smartphone addiction. Place one to four smartphones inside, set the timer and enjoy time without distraction. The product was halted by high start-up costs, but the campaign went viral and created lasting impact by bringing this social issue into public view.
People spend too much time on their smartphones, yet find it difficult to change that behaviour, both privately and in social situations. In 2015, this problem was still under-discussed. Our goal was to draw attention to the issue and give people a direct tool to address it.
Maarten was co-founder and responsible for product development, from design and prototypes to setting up production lines and attracting investment through Kickstarter and VCs. He also set up and managed marketing campaigns. Later, in partnership with BananaGun, a high-end redesign was created for smaller production runs.
Mass production never started because start-up costs were too high, but the project made impact by going viral in 2015-2016, including more than 50 million views on the demo video and coverage in countries such as the Netherlands, Canada and Japan. DistractaGone helped make smartphone addiction a topic of conversation, and the product evolved from a gimmick into an example used in therapy. It is still referenced by keynote speakers today.