Case Study
DeskGlow
Overview
DeskGlow is an ambient desk clock for the phone that sits under your monitor. It's a Progressive Web App: install it, go full-screen in landscape, and it becomes a clock, a slow-moving background and a small music player — offline, with no account.
The Problem
Spare phones make good desk displays, but most clock and ambient apps want an account, show ads, or sync settings to a server for no real reason. We wanted something that did one job well and kept everything on the device.
Our Approach
DeskGlow has no backend at all. Settings live in LocalStorage, uploaded images and audio are stored in IndexedDB, and the app works fully offline once installed. State is handled with Zustand; the interface is React and Tailwind CSS, built with Vite.
Architecture & Features
The clock supports 12- and 24-hour formats with optional seconds and date. Backgrounds can be your own images or animated presets such as Aurora and Space, with canvas-rendered rain, snow and fireflies layered on top at adjustable intensity. A local MP3 player adds album art and a real-time visualiser. DeskGlow is live, open-source, and installable on Android, iOS and desktop.
Role
Product design, Frontend
Related services
Technology
React, Vite, Tailwind CSS, Framer Motion, Zustand, IndexedDB