The challenge was translating an abstract emotional narrative into a functional digital product.
The project required transforming the symbolic world and atmosphere inspired by Spirited Away into an intuitive user experience, while preserving its emotional depth and sense of transition.
The core idea behind the project was to translate Chihiro’s spiritual journey into a digital experience. My thinking process began with the notion of transition, not just between screens, but between emotional and symbolic worlds.
I wanted the experience to move from a simple, familiar, almost childlike environment into a mysterious and immersive space where time feels alive. This contrast became the conceptual foundation of the app:
a passage from the ordinary world into a mystical one, mirroring the emotional and spiritual transition present in the film.
From the earliest stages, I focused on how shifts in atmosphere, identity, and interaction could create the feeling of crossing between worlds rather than simply navigating between interfaces.
The solution translated this concept into a two-world interface system, where each screen state reflects a different emotional reality. Transitions between screens were designed as passages between worlds, expressed through changes in visual language, logo transformations, and evolving usage scenarios.
A central part of the solution was treating time as an active presence within the interface, using motion, form, and atmospheric transitions to make it feel almost like a living entity. This approach allowed the product to communicate the spiritual and emotional depth of Chihiro’s journey while remaining functional as an alarm clock experience.
To further strengthen the concept, I designed a physical product as an alarm clock that embodies the same time entity present within the app.
