Alarm Clock

In creating my alarm clock (terpconnect.umd.edu/~mleist/t5/), I first thought about what features I thought it necessary to have. It needed to display the time, have a way to set the time, have a way to turn on the alarm, have a way to set an alarm, have a way to differentiate between AM and PM, and have a power source. Features I thought would be good to include were alarm sound options and volume control, although I ultimately did not include volume control in my design because I envisioned my alarm as fairly small and didn’t want it too cluttered. I had also thought about including a USB port, or an iPhone port, or something else along those lines so that a user could select their own alarm sound, but again, I thought it overly complicated for purposes of this alarm design.

My alarm clock design is specifically designed to be an object, as opposed to digital. I liked the idea of designing an alarm separate from a mobile phone alarm that could be used in the home or while traveling. I have been in situations where I needed to turn my phone off to save the battery, but still needed an alarm. The clock is designed as a cube to fit easily on the majority of flat surfaces. Each side of the cube has different features for the clock. The features are described in the image, but are also described in further detail below with usability comments:

Front:

Analog clock face-- possible usability critique in the final design is the decision to use an analog clock versus a digital clock, but my user preference is the analog clock
AM/PM indicators light up during the appropriate time of day-- can be clearly read

Left Side:

Sliding button to select alarm sound (choice of bells, birds, or musical tune)-- image allows user to see what he/she is selecting
Screen indicates alarm time currently set-- no confusion when setting the alarm
Sliding button to select AM/PM for alarm time-- no confusion when setting the alarm
Up/Down push button to set alarm hour-- clearly setting the hour
Up/Down push button to set alarm minute-- cleary setting the minute

Right Side:

Turning knob to set clock time-- dial knob similar to ones found on watches will be familiar to the user

Back:

Sliding On/Off button to turn alarm on or off-- on back of alarm clock so it cannot be accidentally turned off if the user is not fully awake
Detachable power cord-- can use cord if desired, can remove it if traveling

Top:

Large push SNOOZE button-- button covers the entirety of the top for easy access

Bottom:

Opening to insert batteries-- can use batteries if traveling/no outlet access

Great design! There are three usability aspects that really stood out to me when I was looking at your alarm clock. The first was that you had an indicator on the screen to show whether the alarm was on or off. It is great that the user can get so much information just by looking at the main screen of your alarm. The second was that your design was applicable to two different formats and would be usable in either format. The third was that the inclusion of the simple directions right on the buttons makes so much sense and really eliminates the need for referring to an instruction manual. If I came across this alarm clock in a hotel, I think I would be able to use it without any frustration.

I like JARDINE's alarm clock. The major tasks of an alarm clock, seeing the time and setting the alarm, are facilitated by the design of the alarm clock. I especially like the sliding, on-off switch. It is very clear when the alarm is on. Having a display of the alarm time and illumination of the alarm time when the alarm is set is a nice feature. I'm assuming when the +buttons are pressed, the numbers keep circling so that after 12:00 you get 1:00. I wonder if there could be cultural issues with the + sign. Perhaps this is a user preference limited to some cultures. I don't know. Just a thought. There are no conceptual model issues. Buttons are for pushing. There are no visual affordance issues. The clocks work as other clocks work that I have used.

Leist's alarm clock is wonderfully simple. I think the way to change time being like a watch has transfer effect, and also the fact that a knob is for turning with the visible feedback of changing the time.

The only aspect that I think would take a little bit of time to learn is what the symbols for the alarm sound mean, though I love the option of having different sounds. I think it being an analog clock is great for those who dislike digital clocks.



I love the explanation for large numbers. The use of rocking buttons is very clever - it is efficient because you can go both up and down in time with one button (unlike mine where you can only go one direction!). The only thing I would like to see is a simpler way to turn the alarm on and off - but this is something that, once learned, is very memorable, so I don't think it's a big issue!

My terrible "art" skills in Powerpoint are here: terpconnect.umd.edu/~stuszyns/t5/

(Thank you mliest for the "individual sides view" idea. I couldn't have drawn this as a single object!)

Most alarm clocks are way too hard to use, especially in hotels, so mine is all about big buttons and nothing extraneous. No radio, just the alarm. I used all three sides available to put the controls, so that the front is only the time and indicates what time the alarm is set for and whether the alarm is on or off all at once without having to look anywhere but the front of the clock.

The top has a big snooze button and also the button to shut the alarm off, which is in two places, in case you want to shut the alarm off without having to turn it back on tomorrow. Or you can shut it off and not have it go off again.

The right side (right as you are looking at the front) is a toggle switch that goes either backward or forward in time. Easy to manipulate with one finger while looking at the front of the clock to see what the alarm is set at - when you flip the toggle in either direction the front of the clock shows the alarm time and it begins to move. (I should cop to stealing this from my current alarm clock at home. I've found it a lot easier than dealing with buttons.)

The left side is the alarm on and off button, clearly labeled.

I believe clear labels are the key to good design. Assuming a person will know when they pick up an electronic device how to work it is dangerous, since a wide range of experience with clocks is out there. Given the usual complexity of alarm clocks, which mostly make it difficult to impossible to tell how to turn things on/off or set them, I wanted this to be as clear as possible, especially if it's a hotel room clock that's going to be used by a lot of different people.

The three sides with controls have clear constraints - only two options each.

The toggle switch in particular has mapping, as pulling it toward you goes backward and pushing it away goes forward (while you are looking at the front of the clock anyway).

Casuality is pretty straightforward here, I think. On and off and the toggle each do a particular thing. The "stop" button is the only one that involves any complexity and requires the user to look at the front to see that the alarm has stopped without being shut off entirely.

I tried to minimize transfer effects since so many people get frustrated with alarm clocks, but the snooze button does rely on people knowing what a "snooze" is.

The cultural messaging is in the underlining - the alarm is on and the am/pm designations depend on understanding the Western alphabet and that underlining emphasizes something in text.

My alarm clock is in residence at terpconnect.umd.edu/~mgarnett/t5/.

I put my description on the page as well, but a run-down of the features follows:

The face of the alarm clock is analog - a basic personal preference; I've always found them easier to read. The clock is more cubic than most, to make it harder to knock over accidentally. It is also intended to be small, sturdy, and simply-shaped enough to be tossed in a suitcase or backpack for travel. The controls are all labeled in English; icons might be better, but for this presentation I thought the words would be clearer.

The front-most button on the top operates both the snooze function and the light (to illuminate the dial from behind). (I once had an alarm clock like this; at first it struck me as odd, but then I realized that you never use the two at the same time, and both need to be large and easy-to-find in the dark.) The hash marks represent a rough or pebbled surface to aid in identification. Behind this is a bar which wraps around the back face. It is pushed up when on, down when off. The ridges as well as the position - stretching across half the top - are intended to make it easy to set (and to check that it is set) in the dark.

The left side of the clock holds the alarm controls. There is a simple dial for setting the alarm; below it is a slider which controls the volume of the alarm, with a corresponding triangular wedge to indicate louder (bigger) and softer.

The right side of the clock has only one control, a dial for setting the time on the clock. I located this on the right since that is where the majority of the (right-handed) population is accustomed to finding the dial on their watches (when worn on the left hand).

The back side shows the way in which the alarm on/off bar wraps around the back. There is a compartment for a battery as well as an AC connection for those who prefer to plug their alarm clocks in.