CLICKSAND

2020 (8 week project)
Brief: To design a tangible device (a product) for measuring a specific action or unit, defined as a physical quantity.
“Clicksand” is a timer that helps facilitate healthier phone usage in young adults by translating screen time into a visual manifestation of its impact.

RESEARCH

To start this project, I conducted both extensive secondary research and primary research to both narrow my focus, and find an entry point into the issues. I looked at various medical journals, articles, as well as consumer reports to see what had already been said about screen time and its effects, before delving into surveying my demographic to see if there were any specific things that hadn’t been uncovered yet. I did this through a survey on Google forms and Instagram, getting results from over 100 participants.

IDEATION TO DEVELOPMENT

I began with ideating around the idea of the passing of time. I wanted to explore different ways that time was visually communicated.

After my initial ideation phase, I picked a few of the most interesting ideas to further pursue and iterate on.

Out of the ideas that I explored, I decided to pick the sand timer, as it was the one that conveyed the relationship between phone usage and health repercussions the best. I thought that it emphasises the sense of urgency and self preservation that we should have with our phone usage habits. From there, I fleshed out mechanical details and specific actions in the design, going from a design where the sand fell and buried the figurine, to one where the figurine sinks into the sand.

FINAL DESIGN