Apple alarm clock
Redesigning Apple's built-in app for every type of morning person
by a not so morning person.
Overview
As an extremely heavy sleeper, waking up in the morning is a mission. I find myself setting multiple alarms and snoozing all of them anyway. While I do understand that my sleeping habit is the main problem here, I rely a lot on my phone to try and change that.
What makes the Apple alarm great?
For iPhone users (like myself), the simplicity of the Clock app's alarm feature makes it easy to set and customize alarms. Having multiple alarms can be confusing but having options for custom labels and sounds make a big difference in organization.
Also, Apple introduced the Bedtime feature way back as part of iOS 10's new update. I personally love this feature because it helps me track how many hours of sleep I'm getting when I sleep and wake up at a certain time. It also notifies me an hour before my set bedtime to make sure I'm getting the proper sleep I want/need!
What makes the Apple alarm not so great?
Although Apple's built-in alarm is awesome, I can't help but dislike how cluttered it looks like especially for sleepyheads like me who has over 15 alarms. As I said earlier, a heavy sleeper like myself needs multiple alarms with 5-10 minute intervals before I roll out of bed. Apple makes it tedious to add new alarms (not to mention manually customizing each one). It's also incredibly annoying to toggle on/off each one.
Also, what makes it not so great is the lack of usability and familiarity for the Bedtime feature. I asked my friends/family with an iPhone if they use the Bedtime feature and surprisingly, none of them have used it at all. People are kinda missing out. Although I can understand why some people don't want to bother, I think Apple could've done better in terms of making it a usable feature and differentiating it from setting just your regular alarm.
What is the purpose of (my attempt in) redesigning Apple's alarm?
Different people. Different ways of waking up. Different alarms. Some people can easily wake up with 1 or 2 alarms perfectly fine... and then there's the 10 or 20. With 5 minute intervals. Let's face it, not everyone is a natural morning person and that's totally okay.
I think the Bedtime feature also needs to be recognized and used a lot more. It's a great way to track your sleep and it's always great to see that you can get (x) hours of sleep when you follow a set time for bed = bedtime.
Who is it for?
Literally anyone wanting a better experience setting alarms and waking up. For the early risers and the sleepyheads. It's also for people who usually has several alarms for different purposes.
The Process
As part of the redesign sprint, I followed 5 key steps that span out for a week (Keep in mind that I did this while doing uni assessments).
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1. Understand
• Outlined the good and the not so good things about Apple's existing alarm.
• Identified the main purpose of the redesign attempt.
2. Define
• Short interviews with friends and family using their alarm to get a general sense of their habits and asked iPhone users if they were familiar with the Bedtime feature.
• Developed basic user personas and identified possible constraints if the alarm was redesigned.
3. Diverge & Decide
• Explored possible solutions and what features to add/remove from the existing alarm.
• Refined and decided on the changes and proposed new features to be added.
4. Wireframes & 1st Validation
• Made multiple wireframes on paper to see if UX elements are cohesive and well-arranged.
• Validated test ideas with a real user to know if the UX objectives are met.
(One user did not understand some of the buttons until I gave the explanation away)
5. Prototype & 2nd Validation
• Produced a high-fidelity prototype of proposed solution in Photoshop.
• Again, validated with real users to know if UX objectives are met and if my redesigned solution actually meets the identified purpose for the users.
Reflection
As a UX newbie, this redesign exercise gave me a better understanding of the importance of the UX process. Most of the time, I always have an urge to design high-fidelity prototypes straight away to boost my UX portfolio. I rarely consider going through a comprehensive process to identify the problem, the user needs and the purpose. While some designers might do well in designing straight away, I realized that it doesn't work for me since I end up not fully appreciating the final outcome.
Going through a full process of breaking down the problem, identifying the users and seeing it from different perspectives made it easier to prioritize the experience and not the aesthetic. I'm not saying that my attempted redesign is the only solution (in fact, I ended up questioning its effectiveness as I write this), but it could be for some.
As an aspiring UX specialist, I'm not just designing an interface.
I'm designing a solution.
All rights are still reserved to Apple.
