ZONE Productivity Timer
A timer for intentional work. No pressure from seconds counting down, soft to the touch, and customisable to any workflow.
- Year
- 2025
- Role
- Founder, design & engineering
- Client
- New Things Lab
- Outcome
- iF Design Award 2025 · $306,380 on Kickstarter
- $306,380
- raised on Kickstarter
- iF 2025
- Design Award
- 1–99
- minutes per side
Featured in
I was frustrated by overwhelming timers and constant digital noise: ticking seconds, harsh alarms, a red countdown. So I set out to make time-blocking feel calm, tactile and intuitive. ZONE only shows minutes, and when a session ends it lets you know with a gentle chime or a silent vibration.
One thing, done well
Each side of the cube holds its own time block, from 1 to 99 minutes. Flip it sideways to start a block, flip it upwards to pause. No screens to tap through: the object itself is the interface. A small icon on each side tells you which block you’re holding.
Inside the cube
The concept started in September 2023. From mid-2024 the prototypes grew from loose parts on the cutting mat into a working cube: a pixel display behind a glass front, a battery, a vibration motor and a soft silicone cover.
Into production
ZONE launched on Kickstarter on 3 June 2025 as a Kickstarter Project We Love, and reached its funding goal in 99 minutes. It raised $306,380 from more than 2,500 backers, making it the most-backed Dutch tech project on Kickstarter in 2025. Then came production. I went to China to oversee it myself, and every batch was inspected during assembly.
On the desk, and everywhere else
By bringing clarity and rhythm to your desk, ZONE turns your day into a series of intentional moments, one time block at a time. In 2025 it won an iF Design Award. The New Edition added an hourglass mode, brightness settings and a fully silent mode.
Design protection
The cube is protected in China by design patent CN 309484259 S, and its unique screen design is registered internationally through WIPO.