First Post! And it’s about time.
That was a pun... It’ll all make sense later. *cryptic science fiction movie main character voice*.
I’m here because I saw a really beautiful project and I need to say some things about it.
Designer: @syhyin.design, a recently graduated product designer, created a new way to tell time specifically for people with nearsightedness or glasses when they wake up/
A little box where the clock face resembles a dainty fan folded 60 times, one for each minute and I'm not entirely sure of the schematics but it would make sense that it tells time mechanically much like old analog clocks. The gif in her blog should give you a good idea. Another feature is that there's a small drawer in the box to pick up your glasses when you wake up for the day.
From the get-go, I loved how she made me realize how strong of a visual a clock is. That a simple paper cut in different sections can let us know the time of day at a glance. It reminded me of how powerful of hold time has on all of us, and how much power we unknowingly give it. It set a great tone for me understanding the other layers of the project.
The second aspect she shed light on was the anxiety linked with time, something that is extremely relevant in today's fast-paced lifestyles. By removing the numbers and the little minute dashes, we are no longer instantly aware of the exact time. This was a bold choice that really makes this project shine. Suddenly this small device doesn't just give you the function of telling the time... it changes the way we wake up in the morning! How many of us wake up to looking at our phones and with the exact time blaring in our eyes? This also further justifies the design in that, although a clock's basic function is to inform us of the exact time of day, we do not need accuracy as soon as you wake up.
Thirdly, I found a super detailed clock online - one that shows the day, time, date, month and year all at once, blinking as each minute ticked by. These clocks are made for people suffering from dementia, to reduce disorientation and confusion as quickly as possible. That makes sense to me, but digital clocks now showcase room temperature like a casual add-on feature, some have neon light readings and USB ports. It brings home the fact that we have all the information now, it's about the curation of this vast info-chunk we need to sift through to get the most out of things. Anxiety in relation to electronic clocks has not been quantified yet but perhaps this direction of curiosity could open up a whole other section on the wellness industry, maybe it already has and I haven't learnt of it yet.
All in all thoughtful design like this pushes the idea that as things technologically improve and our everyday devices become faster, more accurate and dense in detail - we must hold onto our humanity and keep up with our intuitiveness and our moral/ emotional capabilities. As many designers hear and say: Empathy is always the way forward.
THOUGHTS & QUESTIONS THIS PROJECT INSPIRED:
What are the daily rituals I follow (waking up/ shower/ breakfast) when I wake up? How does it affect my mental state by the time I start to work?
I need to look more closely at the devices I choose to use and assess whether all the function provided are beneficial to me, and actually putting a cost or CON to having additional features for the sake of it.
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