--- title: Core utility apps process update description: 'Well done to everyone working on the core utility apps – we’ve made amazing progress so let’s celebrate that! We all want to see what’s coming up so here’s a summary of where we have been, where we are now and where we are going in our design process. Right hand side image : our […]' url: https://canonical.com/blog/core-utility-apps-process-update?format=md --- 1. [Blog](https://canonical.com/blog) 2. Article --- [Canonical](https://canonical.com/blog/author/canonical "More about Canonical") 5 April 2013 # Core utility apps process update [app design](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/app-design) [Design](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/design) --- Share the article Well done to everyone working on the core utility apps – we’ve made amazing progress so let’s celebrate that! We all want to see what’s coming up so here’s a summary of where we have been, where we are now and where we are going in our design process. *Right hand side image : our typical user experience design process.* ## Where have we been? ### Scope and objectives We started with a [call for core app proposals](https://canonical.com/blog/wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuPhone/CoreApps/Design "Core apps project") from the Ubuntu Community team which received great responses! We chipped in on the effort and started thinking about our strategy for apps which we see as core utilities for Ubuntu Touch. What we really want to do with these utilities is not just to make them work, but to use them as an opportunity to explore and express our [Design Vision](http://design.ubuntu.com/apps/get-started/design-vision "Design Vision"): * Focus on the content * Fast and natural interactions * Sophisticated style Based on these we set out to establish the most essential user needs. Development began, laying the groundwork for envisaged functionality. ### Research, concept development and requirements We undertook different research activities to understand what we want these apps to do: * Researched mobile app usage and behaviours * Looked at our competitors – What are people using? What works and what doesn’t work? * Workshopped design ideas in the office and in the community *Read more [here](http://design.canonical.com/2013/02/app-patterns-applied-core-utilities-for-ubuntu-on-phones/ "Core utility concepts").* What emerged from all this research and exploration? [Rituals](http://design.canonical.com/2013/02/app-patterns-applied-core-utilities-as-rituals/ "Rituals blogpost"). We then wireframed key user journeys to unpack these concepts: * [Calendar](http://design.canonical.com/2013/02/app-patterns-applied-calendar-key-journeys/ "Calendar key journeys") * [Calculator](http://design.canonical.com/2013/03/app-patterns-applied-calculator-key-journeys/ "Calculator key journeys") * [Clock](http://design.canonical.com/2013/03/app-patterns-applied-clock-key-journeys/ "Clock key journeys") * [Weather](http://design.canonical.com/2013/03/app-patterns-applied-weather-key-journeys/ "Weather key journeys") ## Where are we now? ### Visual exploration *Our Visual designers are looking at both inspirational designs, and what it means for an app to feel Ubuntu.* ### Iterative prototyping Through hangouts, irc chats and emails with our community developers, sharing ideas and feeding back on design and development, we have iterated the concepts. Throughout this process we’ve taken the opportunity to use real code to prototype ideas for everyone to play around with on an actual device. The progress we have made already is astounding! For example, here is how the Clock, Calendar and Calculator were shaping up at the start of last week: Nekhelesh Ramananthan has posted a video of his teams latest work on the clock app [here too](https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=xUoRgsPYkbQ "Clock app"). (Weather is coming soon too!) ## Where are we going next? From here we will be iterating our designs through [Launchpad](https://launchpad.net/ubuntu-phone-coreapps "Launchpad") to **capture bugs** for development and design. We will soon be **testing the prototypes** with users and **sharing visual designs** to communicate style of the apps from textures to layout of information. After a fair amount of iteration, we will have both functional and aesthetically beautiful apps! [Get in touch Interested in running Ubuntu in your organization?](https://ubuntu.com/about/contact-us/form) ## Sign up for our newsletter Get the latest Canonical news and updates in your inbox. Work email: \*I agree to receive information about Canonical's products and services. By submitting this form, I confirm that I have read and agree to [Canonical's Privacy Policy](https://canonical.com/legal/dataprivacy). Sign up ## Share on --- ## Related posts [### Challenges designers face in open source (and how to fix them)](https://canonical.com/blog/challenges-designers-face-in-open-source-and-how-to-fix-them) Open source powers up to 90% of modern software, yet many projects lack usability. Canonical’s Design team surveyed 115 cross-functional professionals to uncover the 4 core... [Kola Ojoodide](https://canonical.com/blog/author/kola-ojoodide) 26 June 2026 [### Why web engineering is great](https://canonical.com/blog/why-web-engineering-is-great) Hi, I’m Johann! 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