WHAT DOES AN INTERFACE REQUIRE?
It is easy to forget that clocks are not the only solution for telling time. Many alternative methods exist, but perhaps not to the level of specificity as a clock. For example, when a cowboy challenges someone to a shootout at "high noon", that is a very generalized indication of a time of day informed using the position of the sun. The smell of coffee in the morning could indicate the time of day by plus or minus an hour, and of course, church bell towers indicate time by changing melody. By breaking down the elements of these more abstract methods of telling time (alongside breaking down the essence of a clock), the pathway to a new time-telling interface begins to emerge.

ANY TIME-TELLING
​INTERFACE REQUIRES...

• Descriptive increments that breaks the day into distinct moments.

• A phenomenon or action that gives identity to those increments.
​
• A human sense that interprets the aforementioned phenomenon.

SPECIFICALLY, AN INTERFACE IS A "CLOCK" WHEN...

• It reads out time in numerical digits.

• Is designed to clearly distinguish or identify said digits.
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• Generally requires little to no thinking to interpret the time.

EVALUATING SENSES - WHICH TO DESGIN FOR?

SENSE
AVAILABLE INTERFACES
PROS
CONS
Sight
  • Circle-hand interface
  • Written Word (half past four)
  • Written Numeric (digital face, 8:48)
  • Sun Dial / Moon Dial
  • Falling Ball (new years eve)
  •  Easiest to work with
  •  Most sensible option
  • Several opportunities for large and small interfaces
  • Interfacing using sight has been well-mastered / no real obvious benefits to making a new visual interface.
Sound
  • Bell Tower Chime
  • Spoken Word
  • Morse Code
  • Unique choice, interesting opportunities for innovation
  • Could work well for the blind
  • May cause disturbance among people depending on the environment
  • Bell tower and spoken word basically perfected sound interfaces
Feel
(selected Sense)
  • Braille Watch (Circle-hand method)
  • DOT Watch (braille readout)
  • Morse Code (Apple Watch)
  • Perfect solution for the blind
  • Could work well for average folks trying to be discreet
  • Lots of opportunities to flex creativity
  • Needs for blind generally well met with existing solutions
Taste
N/A
  • Open opportunity to make something completely new
  • Taste requires smell for specific flavor distinctions, would have to design using 2 senses.
Smell
N/A
  • Open Opportunity to make something completely new
  • Electronically simulating smell requires a device that can make contact with the sinus walls - ergonomic issue