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Post by geleskie on Mar 1, 2013 19:31:44 GMT -5
terpconnect.umd.edu/~vsmith15/t5/index.htmlI based my alarm clock on my old clock from LL Bean that I used all throughout childhood and college. Very simple. No music, just a set chime. No snooze option (which was really important in college!) Because I live in an area that has frequent power outages, I made sure to include places for both batteries and an electrical plug. The clock and alarm settings are very intuitive, which I like because then I don't have to pull out the manual to figure out how to reset it when the power has gone out. I really like the simplicity of your alarm clock. It has a function, and that's what it does. I really wish I'd done something more like this without music and radio and junk.
I also happen to like the analog display. It forces a person to be more awake to determine what time it actually is. I think others might be a bit less enthusiastic about the analog though, particularly since it can be very difficult to read those in the dark if some part of it isn't luminescent. (Or is it? The specs don't say...) It also seems a little strange to set an analog clock by pushing hour and minute buttons, but it is definitely unambiguous in the design how to go about setting it, so users shouldn't have any difficulty in setting it.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. The display for this clock is really great, and the enormous snooze button's pretty funny, but I can't figure out how you differentiate between snooze and "okay I'm awake you don't need to go off again." I also feel like all those buttons along the side would be sort of difficult to work with since the values they'll be changing are on a different face of the clock, which means turning it back and forth to check to make sure everything's correct, though possibly this will become less difficult as a user become more familiar with the design.
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Post by eojuri on Mar 1, 2013 21:12:22 GMT -5
terpconnect.umd.edu/~eojuri/t5/My alarm clock has a simple, sleek design and features a light on the top that simulates a natural dawn-like experience. It's simple design makes it easy to set up and edit the settings quickly. The user presses the buttons in the center to edit settings. The time, time of day (am/pm) and day of the week are centered and illuminated to supply that information quickly and clearly to the user. There are three sound settings for the user to choose a preferred alarm sound: waves, birds or chime. The alarm has several settings to change the alarm for use everyday, weekends or weekday. In the center towards the bottom, there is an auxiliary port to connect to a mobile phone, ipad, Kindle or other device and play MP3's. With two built-in speakers, the alarm clock has an even, balanced (surround) sound system that extends its usage beyond just telling the time. The illumination level of the dawn simulator can also be changed to the users preference. With a simple design and essential functions, the alarm clock is easy to learn to operate. With its small size, it fits easily on a side table or luggage.
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Post by eojuri on Mar 1, 2013 21:16:24 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! The days of the week feature is a great one and one that I haven't seen much on actual alarm clocks. How many times have you woken up, glanced at an alarm and started to rush to get ready just realize that it's Saturday or your day off. It's nice to easily see the day of the week up at the top.
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Post by eojuri on Mar 1, 2013 21:23:13 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. Linking the alarm clock to the appointment calender on a smart phone is a great feature. It makes it really clear what a person has planned for the day right when they wake up. You could enter that you have a test or doctor's appointment, which is really useful. With this clock so closely connected with a smart phone however, I wonder how likely a person would be to use it instead of or along with a smart phone. Many people already use their phones as an alarm clock. I'm not sure that they would buy another product that basically does the same thing that their phone can do.
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Post by elizabethland on Mar 1, 2013 22:20:58 GMT -5
I have a mixed opinion of all the buttons on your clock. At first I decided that the number of buttons could decrease learnability and memorability, but then I realized that being able to input exactly the number you want could boost speed when setting your alarm. I suppose as an alarm clock user, once I've learned which button to push, the speed at which I'm able to set my alarm would easily offset any lost time due to poor learnability. I do have a user preference comment that addresses the idea of the blue light. Some studies show that blue light can keep you up at night (This Harvard study is old, but still valid: www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2006/02.09/01-blue.html). My husband had an alarm clock that glowed blue and I definitely found myself having more trouble getting to sleep with it. The weird part is that I found some recent products touting blue lights as a way to get to sleep, saying they are soothing. Of course, my own experience and some scientific experiments land me squarely against blue light.
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Post by elizabethland on Mar 1, 2013 22:25:29 GMT -5
I like the simplicity of your alarm clock. It could be very easy to learn and therefore very easy to remember how to use. My problem is one of user preference. Analog clocks might not have been the best choice. I myself prefer digital for speed of reading the time (I can read analog, obviously, I'm just so used to digital now). I know some people who either can't read or can't quickly read time from an analog clock. As I said, this is user preference, but it's a factor that can also affect speed and learnability, depending on the user.
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aton
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Post by aton on Mar 1, 2013 22:59:01 GMT -5
terpconnect.umd.edu/~aton1/t5/I thought about adding features that I would like in the perfect alarm clock, but felt that too many features really bogged down usability. In the end, I decided on the simplest alarm clock with just a time setting, 2 alarm settings, and a snooze button. (Sidenote: I included a faded out "Alarm 2 On" and "PM" on my drawing, but in reality they wouldn't be visible unless alarm 2 was on and it was PM.) Each dial/button/switch is labeled so the user can quickly do what they want. I didn't add extra functions so it would be easy to learn and hard to make mistakes. Because each button/dial/switch gets "turned on" differently, there is less potential to unintentially change something. Since everything is labeled, it would also be hard to forget how to use. As for user preference, I think someone who wants the simplest alarm clock would like it. Obviously it is not for someone who wants extra functions or a more customized clock.
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aton
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Post by aton on Mar 1, 2013 23:16:00 GMT -5
I think there may be a slight learnability compromise with Justin's clock if the user doesn't have instructions, but the simplicity of the design makes up for that. Again due to the simple design, I don't think the small learnability issue would affect its high usability very much. The front of Laura's clock looks a bit busy, but everything is simple enough (and labeled) so that the user should not have much trouble with it. I actually think the labels help learnability enough the user doesn't need to have dealt with alarm clocks before as Laura mentioned. The one confusing thing that may affect memorability is how to turn the alarm function on and off if the user doesn't want to set an alarm at all. I think that is easily remedied if the alarm time could be set to 0:00.
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Post by Mary Sanphilipo-Ward on Mar 2, 2013 12:22:57 GMT -5
Leann - I really enjoyed the simplicity of your design. I especially loved the fact that the radio is digital. The one thing I hate about most alarm clocks is trying to tune in a station.
Jennifer - I have to agree with your boyfriend about the front of your clock however the back is wonderful. I also think you were the only one to leave a space for brand info.
I do have to agree that I found this assignment fascinating in the variability of our designs. It must say something about what we each hold important and maybe we should look more closely to see if the changes we designed into our clocks could translate into our lives.
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Post by andreab on Mar 12, 2013 9:35:20 GMT -5
What I found interesting was the similarities - i.e. how many people had snooze buttons (seems we all like to sleep in just a little) and the number of alarms that had radios or music options (a better wake up noise than . . . noise?). The most difficult thing is to really reinvent something - If we were creating an alarm clock today, and they had never existed before, what would they look like? Those preconceived notions are had to lay by the wayside.
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