I made a clock!
Analog clocks are surprisingly hard for kids to read and require higher cognitive processing (it’s even a common test for dementia). I wanted a clock that my young kids could read and couldn’t find one that was both useful and beautiful, so I made one.
Analog clocks are surprisingly hard for kids to read and require higher cognitive processing (it’s even a common test for dementia). I wanted a clock that my young kids could read and couldn’t find one that was both useful and beautiful, so I made one.
2—Yes, there are digital clocks, but numbers are just as meaningless to young kids. Plus, I’m a visual thinker (we all are) so I went down a rabbit hole on the history of clocks and ended up going back a few thousand years to history’s first clocks for inspiration.
3—This is an analog 24hr clock where the hour hand circles the dial once a day (rather than 2x on a 12hr clock). The design is actually a return to history’s first clocks—the 24hr sundial from Mesopotamia around 1500BC. The face is divided into night & day with 12 noon at the top
4—There is no minute hand because young kids regularly get the hands mixed up. Besides, time is a single dimension—you only need one hand! The second sweep is included as a reminder that time is always moving forward.
5—My favorite feature of the clock is the red “bedtime” marker so the kids know exactly when it’s time to start their bedtime routine.
6—It’s made from baltic birch plywood with exposed edges. The typeface for the numerals is Neumatic Gothic by @andrew_footit
7—I’m proud to say that even our youngest 3yr old can now tell what time it is and, most importantly, whether or not it’s her bedtime! As a side effect, like other inclusive design efforts, I’ve found it’s made understanding the time we have each day a bit clearer for all of us.
Here are a few shots of how it came together…
Design process in @figmadesign…
Figma file if you want to see how I put it together: figma.com/file/2IxBmw7H6…
