Cookie Tin

My role

I developed the product concept, designed the interactions, built the prototype with AI coding tools, and iterated on its motion, sound, and controls.

The problem

I wanted to make a funny gag product. In many South Asian and immigrant households, our grandmothers kept Danish cookie tins filled with sewing supplies. As kids, we would open them hoping for cookies and find needles and thread instead.

This is my desktop version of that joke: open the familiar tin and find the messy documents from your desktop instead of cookies.

What I built

I built a Mac prototype with a photographic tin, a lid opened by a circular mouse gesture, and a tray for browsing and searching files. The native version supports folder selection, opening files, and positioning the tin near the desktop.

Users can move the tin, drag the detached lid, and drop it back into place. Recorded metal sounds accompany opening and closing. A browser preview demonstrates the interaction with sample files.

Key decisions

• Use a circular gesture to make opening the lid feel physical.
• Let the detached lid move freely and snap back into place.
• Use recorded opening and closing sounds, with silent dragging and a sound toggle.
• Hide resize handles and keep settings inside the tin.

Results & what’s next