As computing becomes more ubiquitous in our objects, designers need to be more aware of how to design meaningful interactions into electronically enhanced objects. At the University of Washington, a class of junior Interaction Design majors is exploring this question. These pages chronicle their efforts.

Monday, April 6, 2015

Alarm Clock // Tess Manthou & Jordan Kiga

      The portable clock/alarm clock sparked our interest because it’s a very typical object in our society that resides in just about every home. Even with the growing use of smart phones for clocks and alarms, physical clocks still surround us day to day and we had never given much thought to how they actually operated. Before we took apart the clock we guessed about a very simple system inside the clock. It turned out that we were basically right as only a small number of parts make up the machine. The battery starts the operation by enabling the on/off switch, which drives the motor to control the clock hands. The clock hands are also operated by the alarm setting and the manual hand controls. Although the interior was simple, It’s enlightening to discover how exactly this basic object functions. Next time though, we may pick something a little more complex.




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