I wanted to create a unique solution to a common problem that stemmed from my personal life. By completing this project, I learned how to translate an idea, such as “improving the user’s waking up routine,” into something with a measurable effect. In order to define what constitutes a “more effective” alarm clock, I studied the experiences of potential users, addressing their pain points and fulfilling their needs in the form of a mobile app.
In my efforts to create a seamless experience, I first thought that users wanted an app that essentially set up everything for them. Through usability testing, however, I discovered that users actually wanted greater control over every aspect of navigating through an alarm clock app. I learned that designing something aesthetically pleasing AND functional is a real challenge. If I were to continue developing this project, I would test the app with users in a more accurate context, such as observing how well the app performs at waking up users.