A look into Asprial Clocks

So I was struggling to find another cool design to talk about for this week's blog post and funny enough, Jisi and I found it at the same time (I was on the same website just at the top of the screen). Luckily, he chose to talk about something else (I'll read yours later Jisi...). This device may be something Dr. Don Norman will love, or hate considering on how you present it. Its a new way of designing clocks that looks cool and is (actually) functional! Check it out below:


Really cool huh? The ball in the middle is held down by gravity and the clock spins slowly in the clockwise direction. So after a 12 hour period the ball falls through the hole and it's 12 o'clock (PM/AM) again! You may be worried about getting dizzy, but lets be realistic and know that it goes full circle in 12 hours.

So lets look at the design of this thing. When first looking at it you may notice that its hard to tell what time it is. The makers, Aspiralclocks.com, have recognized this as well, and have given customers the options of ordering clocks with several hashes that help indicate the time (like the picture over on the right). The addition of hash marks take away from the nice looks of the product as they become a bit overwhelming. Next, lets look at the mental model of this device. When reading time we expect the numbers to stand still and the hands to move. This is opposite as the numbers spin round and round. Next, we expect the numbers to the right to be greater to the ones on the left (in the clockwise direction). This is also opposite. So if it is 5:30, you'd expect the ball to be in between the 5 and the 6, with the 6 being on your left side. Nope, not on this clock...I find this a bit confusing. I guess this messes with the natural mapping of traditional clocks.

I wonder what Dr. Norman would say about this time-telling product, we all know he loves that beautifully designed watch...