there were a first ui based upon 'the activity theory principe' made by psychologist Vygotsky.

The aim was to utilize information on how people combine tasks and communicate with each other,
and thus support these ways of working instead of forcing people to adopt technology-based
working models. The system would adapt to the way the user interacts eith it, to ensure
reciprocated interaction.
Showing running applications as shortcuts, which was a popular feature in the N900, was utilized
when designing the user interface for Harmattan. The requirements for the concept of the
Harmattan user interface included support for mobile internet, awareness of social media,
multitasking, personalization and beginner and expert user modes. It had to be clear to the user
how to personalize the device to their taste.
The view was supposed to display the operator, third party applications, the state of the device and
give the user a feeling that he has control over the system. The user should be aware of the state of
the battery, the network signal and the date and time. All the notifications and their previews were
supposed to be shown in one designated place.