11 weeks
Winter 2025
People with ADHD often struggle with time blindness, meaning they have unreliable internal clocks. This leads to poor time awareness.
For ADHD users, many clocks can either create stress, not have high enough visibility, or not have an intuitive representation of time.
By exploring a lot of different processes that would intuitively show passage of time, I determined that I preferred solutions that involved physical interaction between the user and the device. Eventually, I determined that something that involved light and vertical height change would be both understandable and unobtrusive.
While searching for objects that evoke a sense of calm and cleanliness, I found inspiration in paper lamps and origami that interacted with light.
To achieve a cohesive design for the upper and lower pucks of the device, I chose a faceted form that reflects the folds of the origami-like surface that made up the flexible part of the Towerclock.
Physical prototyping involved a range of materials for both the pucks and flexible shell. I experimented with hand-folded paper and laser cut polypropylene for the flexible shell, and 3D printed PLA and wood for the pucks.
To use as a timer, users pull up the top section until the desired duration of time is displayed on the top face. The Towerclock will then shrink at this rate, allowing the user to understand at a glance how much time has passed based on its height.
When the Towerclock is in clock mode, it will display both the time and date. When being used as a timer, it will show the remaining time both numerically.
