Touch grass

"Touch grass" is what people say online when someone has been inside too long. I took it literally, and then built the wrong version on purpose: grass you can touch without leaving your desk.

What it does

A hillside of grass fills the window, thousands of blades drawn in code. Wind moves across it in slow waves, so the surface never sits still even when you do nothing. Move the pointer through it and the blades give way under your hand, lean aside, and rise back up behind you a moment later. That is the whole interaction. There is a pause button and a small switch for the light, and nothing else to learn.

Why it calms

Part of it is the motion: wide, slow waves at the pace of breathing. Part of it is that the field answers you but never asks for anything. You cannot lose, finish or optimise it. You draw a line through the grass, the grass forgets it, and you draw another one. After a minute of that, my shoulders drop. I did not expect a browser tab to do that.

What it is for

A small moment outside, on days without one. I can see it as the idle screen of a product that deals with stress, as the waiting state before a call, or simply as a page you keep open next to your work. Next: other seasons, longer grass, and a version for touch screens where your finger does the brushing.