leann
New Member
Posts: 17
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Post by leann on Feb 28, 2013 16:07:12 GMT -5
Jenn - I like that you have put all of the functions on the back of the clock. This leaves a clean display for the user when they are looking for the time or to see whether the alarm is set. I also like that the alarm on/off switch is near the top, so that it'd be simple to reach your hand behind and toggle it. I see your boyfriend's point about the date, but I think for the most part people assume that they are looking at the current date, and that it would be a leap of assumption to think it was the alarm date. [Is your brand of clock Pepsi?  ] |
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leann
New Member
Posts: 17
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Post by leann on Feb 28, 2013 16:12:21 GMT -5
Emily - Your clock is great for straightforward, main purpose use - like you said, it gets the job done, and not every alarm needs all the fancy bells and whistles (and attachments). I like that the buttons are mapped closely to what they control, as you said, and that there are not too many buttons. I am a little confused about one thing though: how do you turn the alarm on or off? Is that what the circle on the side that says "alarm off" is supposed to control? I also wasn't sure what the power toggle on the top of the clock is for - is that to control the alarm? I don't remember ever actually turning off a clock, so I wasn't sure what a user would want that for. |
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Post by justinthomas on Feb 28, 2013 17:32:04 GMT -5
terpconnect.umd.edu/~jthoma24/t5/index.htmlI wanted to design a simple and user-friendly alarm clock without any frivolous features (not that there is anything wrong with frivolous features--I just wanted to design a really straightforward alarm clock). I based it off of this one I found when I typed in "cute alarm clock box" into Google's Image Search. In my opinion, this alarm clock would perform well with users in regards to speed, efficiency, learnability, and memorability because I believe it is very streamlined in its design, display, and the operations of its function. As for how it would do with user preference, it's possible it might not fare as well since in a post-smartphone era, users who opt to still use an alarm clock might actually want something more flashy and with more features.
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Post by mccallen on Feb 28, 2013 20:26:34 GMT -5
terpconnect.umd.edu/~mccallen/t5/This alarm clock has three main features: current date, current time, and alarm. These features can be controlled on the sides for easy hand-held manipulation, allowing the user to look at the display while pressing buttons. Alarm feature: The alarm is controlled on the right side. Both the hour and minutes have separate buttons. AM or PM time is set by a slide button, simply push the button to what you would like to set. To confirm AM or PM, check the display front. The volume of the alarm can also be controlled and will be displayed on the front. Lastly, the alarm can be turned on or off. A red light will appear on the front display when the alarm is on (as reflected by the red “on” section of the control button). The snooze button is on the top for easy access and is large enough to limit missing for those who are dexterously challenged upon waking. Time: Setting the time can be done on the left side. Hour and minutes have separate buttons. AM and PM will adjust as you set the hour (this may result in the user having to press the button several times, but if the user holds down the button and the hours will scroll faster). On the back the user has the option to use 12 or 24 hour (military) time with a slide button. Date: Day, Month, and Year can be set with buttons on the left side (the day of the week will set based on these details). Other: The back has a battery compartment (I just realized now that a battery life display would have been prudent!) and a hole for a power cord.
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Post by mccallen on Feb 28, 2013 20:37:22 GMT -5
terpconnect.umd.edu/~msanphil/t5/My clock is based on my own alarm clock which I love. I did choose to add a feature that I noticed on one of the old designs posted. I think it would be a great idea to have a USB port for plugging in my cell phone to charge. One of my favorite features of my alarm clock is probably one of the silliest. The days of the week are listed across the front and there is a little light that lets you know what day it is at a glance. The fun part is that the weekdays have a red light but the weekend shows a green light. I can glance at the clock and if I see the green light, I know I can roll back over. The design is very simple with a large display of numbers and easy to hit buttons. There are two alarms for two people or one person with different schedules. You can also choose to wake to music or buzzer. The best thing about my clock is that it sets itself. No more fixing it after we lose power! I like the color coded days of week. Very cool. I also like the idea of having multipul alarms. I know several people to have this need. Additionally, the low battery light is excellent. The only real issue I can see happening is people accidentally messing with the buttons when they go to hit snooze. So I would recommend putting them on the side. |
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Post by mccallen on Feb 28, 2013 20:51:57 GMT -5
terpconnect.umd.edu/~andrea15/t5/With all the integration of smart phones, it seems only natural that your alarm clock should utilize the power of a smart phone. It uses the phone to set time and date, reminds you of important dates as well as the first appointment of the day. I tried to keep the selection options to a minimum, as I find them more of an issue to deal with than useful. Having the clock and all the features set by a smart phone is great! Makes things super easy! I'd definitely use a clock like this. I'd like to see the snooze button by itself, as people can hit other things if they are not careful. Putting the alarm section on the left side would prevent any accidental button pushing (if I am understanding correctly that those are buttons?). This move would also allow for a bigger snooze button. Another possible issue is people knocking the smartphone from the dock when they hit snooze. Maybe a sideways design might be more preventive. Like this: www.amazon.com/Areaware-JDCD-Alarm-Dock/dp/B005ZUPB4U |
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Post by ferline on Feb 28, 2013 21:33:58 GMT -5
terpconnect.umd.edu/~ferline/t5/Here's my alarm clock. I wanted to keep it simple, so this alarm has 2 primary functions: telling the user the time at a glance, and allowing them to easily view and set an alarm. Everyone's had the experience of forgetting to set an alarm, or setting it and then not turning it on, and waking up in a panic. This way, you can glance at the clock and see "alarm on" or "alarm off" and the time it's set for. It's easy to learn, because everything is labeled. Buttons can be pushed, sliders can be slid, and the settings are located on the bottom of the clock so you don't accidentally change anything when you're fumbling with the alarm after just waking up! A nifty feature that I've included to enhance efficiency and user preference is the blue glowing snooze bar. It only glows when the alarm is going off in the morning, so you can hit it easily in the dark. The LCD display is also able to be dimmed or brightened according to preference. A user can also set the length of time that the snooze period lasts from 1 minute to 6 minutes (I would have it go up to 10 in the final design).
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Post by emyers on Feb 28, 2013 23:45:27 GMT -5
Emily - Your clock is great for straightforward, main purpose use - like you said, it gets the job done, and not every alarm needs all the fancy bells and whistles (and attachments). I like that the buttons are mapped closely to what they control, as you said, and that there are not too many buttons. I am a little confused about one thing though: how do you turn the alarm on or off? Is that what the circle on the side that says "alarm off" is supposed to control? I also wasn't sure what the power toggle on the top of the clock is for - is that to control the alarm? I don't remember ever actually turning off a clock, so I wasn't sure what a user would want that for. Ah, I should have made that more clear. The actual power switch for the entire clock is on the top with the snooze button. You can turn the alarm on with the "set alarm" function, but if you simply want to shut your alarm button off, you can do that with the "alarm off" button. |
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Post by rachaels on Mar 1, 2013 9:30:17 GMT -5
terpconnect.umd.edu/~rshapira/t5/I went slightly crazy trying to design one on the computer, finally gave up and drew one by hand - so sorry for the elementary-school drawing. My clock has simple buttons and options, so it is fast to use and efficient in not having too many buttons to hit. The simplicity of the buttons should make it easy to learn and remember as well. The face of the clock displays the time. On the right is AM or PM. On the left, bottom, it will indicate if the alarm is on. Along the top are number buttons, 1-12. On the bottom left of the top panel are two buttons – one for setting the time, the other for setting the alarm. On the bottom right is a switch for AM and PM. And that’s it. There shouldn't be any problems in using the clock - there aren't excess buttons, everything is clearly labeled. It tells time and provides and alarm, and that's it. edited to add: I just realized my major design flaw - no snooze button or way to turn off the alarm other than the little 'set' button. I guess this is where user-testing comes in?
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Post by rachaels on Mar 1, 2013 9:38:42 GMT -5
terpconnect.umd.edu/~ferline/t5/Here's my alarm clock. I wanted to keep it simple, so this alarm has 2 primary functions: telling the user the time at a glance, and allowing them to easily view and set an alarm. Everyone's had the experience of forgetting to set an alarm, or setting it and then not turning it on, and waking up in a panic. This way, you can glance at the clock and see "alarm on" or "alarm off" and the time it's set for. It's easy to learn, because everything is labeled. Buttons can be pushed, sliders can be slid, and the settings are located on the bottom of the clock so you don't accidentally change anything when you're fumbling with the alarm after just waking up! A nifty feature that I've included to enhance efficiency and user preference is the blue glowing snooze bar. It only glows when the alarm is going off in the morning, so you can hit it easily in the dark. The LCD display is also able to be dimmed or brightened according to preference. A user can also set the length of time that the snooze period lasts from 1 minute to 6 minutes (I would have it go up to 10 in the final design). I would totally buy this clock. I love the glowing snooze bar, and the clean design so you're not accidentally hitting buttons because they're on the bottom. |
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Post by rachaels on Mar 1, 2013 9:42:15 GMT -5
terpconnect.umd.edu/~andrea15/t5/With all the integration of smart phones, it seems only natural that your alarm clock should utilize the power of a smart phone. It uses the phone to set time and date, reminds you of important dates as well as the first appointment of the day. I tried to keep the selection options to a minimum, as I find them more of an issue to deal with than useful. What an interesting clock. You went in the opposite direction from me - I tried to make it *only* tell the time and have an alarm go off. I think your incorporation of what else we really want our clocks to tell us is great - and I think it's particularly interesting because I use my smartphone as my alarm, so I sort of have that integration already. My alarm goes off, I seen the time, but then I see the alerts of the day, like that it's someone's birthday. |
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Post by emyers on Mar 1, 2013 10:55:55 GMT -5
terpconnect.umd.edu/~lreynol2/t5/I designed my Alarm Clock interface in mind based on the primary principle of usability design: what is the one thing the user wants to do, and for an alarm clock that is tell and keep track of time  My design, posted above, is fairly straight forward, since after our last discussion we all concluded the most straightforward sites had the best usability. My alarm clock breaks its features down based on the alarm clock's most important tasks: The first is the Time, the second is Alarm. You see both Time and Alarm have their own buttons that allow you to set them: they're are obvious and clear visibly, and next to them, equally obvious are the time set features: Hours and Minutes. To accomplish the task of Time is simply: one holds down the time button and presses on the Hour and Minute buttons respectively until they've set the clock for their desired time. For example, if I wanted to change my clock from 9:15 am to 12:45 PM, I hold down the time button and press Hours three times changing it from 9 to 10 to 11 to 12 and because the alarm clock has a PM light feature I can check to make sure it is the correct time set, so I AM setting it for 12 PM not 12 AM. Then while still holding the time button, I press on minutes until it goes from 15 to 45. Also going over the minutes does not affect the hours. Say I passed 45 and stopped at 50 by mistake and had to start over, if i keep holding down minutes, it will go from 59 to 00 automatically but the Hours will still remain at 12 unless i press the hour button. The Alarm feature is identical to time with two exceptions. Obviously, you hold down the hour button instead, and second when you've set your alarm to the time you want, you slide the ALARM button from Off to On (See picture) this turns the Alarm on and tells the clock to go off at the set time. You can also check the Alarm light to see if the alarm is on the same way you check the PM light. And to stop the Alarm, you and either turn the Alarm off, or if you wish to keep the Alarm set (like have it permanently set so it goes off at the same time every day without you having to switch it from on to off) Just hit the Snooze button. Since the snooze button is the most desired user task when one wakes up, note that the snooze button is the longest and widest button, for easy convenience. Lauren, Your clock is quite similar to mine in that I designed it to do two main tasks, and two main tasks only: tell time and serve as an alarm. I think yours is also quite aesthetically appealing, and would be useful to those who just want a simple alarm clock and aren't concerned about plugging in mp3 players and such. Like myself and others, you also made the snooze button prominent, which is good for the majority of users who are going to hitting the snooze button in their sleep. My only suggestion would be to maybe switch around the "time set" and "alarm set" functions so that the "time set" buttons are on top. I thought about doing that with my own clock after I made it, since the obvious thing to do when buying an alarm clock is to set the time first and THEN the alarm, but it was too late once I drew and uploaded it. Just might make things that much easier for the user. |
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Post by elizabethland on Mar 1, 2013 11:20:04 GMT -5
terpconnect.umd.edu/~eland/t3-5/When it comes to design, I've always found that the simplest designs are the best. As long as they serve the user's need, then keeping a design simple is the best way to create a usable product. With that in mind, my alarm clock serves two main functions: to display time and to alert me when a particular time has arrived. For me, telling time is its main function, and so it takes up most of the display. Buttons are labeled in a way that they can be read when facing the front of the clock, as opposed to needing to turn the device to look at the buttons from different angles. This makes it much easier to quickly find the button needed to do what you want to do. It also makes for high learnability and memorability. As far as efficiency is concerned, similar functions are grouped. Clock and Alarm settings are on the same side, and volume and radio settings are on the other. There are two aspects that fall under my own user preference: 1) The alarm offers two settings, a must-have for my alarm clocks since my husband and I rely on two different alarms to get us up for our very different schedules. 2) The snooze button is huge and designed so that you can sleepily tap your hand anywhere on top to snooze the alarm. This is important for me since I am not always awake enough to find more complicated snooze buttons and I personally rely on the snooze to help me wake up in stages. That's it. In my opinion, alarm clocks need not do anything else. In fact, my current alarm clock (received as a gift) does many other things, but I never use those functions and in fact, their presence makes my clock very difficult to use. I have even stopped using it as a alarm clock and instead use my phone because it is difficult to set my clock. This is why I sought to keep my design as simple and intuitive as possible.
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Post by lauradavidson on Mar 1, 2013 11:40:34 GMT -5
terpconnect.umd.edu/~ldavid1/t5/ Speed Users are able to accomplish their goals quickly using this design - users are able to see the current time as well as what time their alarm is set for. Efficiency Users will hopefully not make as many mistakes because things are clearly labeled. Alternatively, after examining my interface, the 'Alarm Off' button could be seen as turning the alarm off - as in during a non-work day - or turning the alarm off if it is chirping. Learnability My design relies heavily on previous alarm clock usage. Hopefully users will be able to transfer skills over and learn how to use it quickly. Memorability Similiar to the learnability, drawing off past experiences using alarm clocks will make this interface easy to remember. User Preference I personally like alarm clocks which are just that - alarm clocks. This design does not allow for the use of radio or any electronic music devices to be plugged in.
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Post by lauradavidson on Mar 1, 2013 11:48:53 GMT -5
That's it. In my opinion, alarm clocks need not do anything else. In fact, my current alarm clock (received as a gift) does many other things, but I never use those functions and in fact, their presence makes my clock very difficult to use. I have even stopped using it as a alarm clock and instead use my phone because it is difficult to set my clock. This is why I sought to keep my design as simple and intuitive as possible. You bring up a really great point! I, too, like the simplicity of your design. I once had an alarm clock that dimmed the light based on how bright you wanted it, it made rippling brook noises, hooting owl noises, and waves crashing noises. It was all to help lull you to sleep. I never used it because it was annoying to set up and to turn off. |
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