My Coursera Capstone Project…it’s time

This has been a huge personal project for me. It’s not big deal, I know, but it’s my big deal for a while. The idea came one day, when I went at work and found my colleague already there and told me that she came earlier because she couldn’t predict the traffic. The timing was perfect, it was that period that I was looking for an interesting idea for my coursera assignment.

So the initial idea is to create an alarm clock, with the support of a traffic map, which can wake you up earlier or later in order to be on time at your appointment or your work. Since I am not a developer I don’t know if this algorithm is possible, but at the other hand I believe that everything is possible as there is a completed project like a traffic map (ex. google).

The part of my research was to ask my friends, family and colleagues the following:

1. What bothers them at the morning awakening?
2. Do they go later or earlier to their appointments?
3. Do they go later or earlier to their work?
4. Do they use snooze at their alarm clock? And if yes, how many times?
5. What kind of alarm clock do they use?
6. Have they been frustrated for any reason for their alarm clock? And if yes why, what happened?
7. What kind of transportation do you use in order to go to work?

The answers were enlightening… Most of them are late at work but not at the appointments. All of them are using their mobile phones as an alarm clock (even my mom!!) and some of them are snoozing more than once. At the same time many of them are struggling with morning traffic.

All this research created a storyboard.

And a paper prototype came right after

Since the paper prototype is paper, I wanted to create something digital in order to make it more clear for myself and so I made wire-frames based on the paper prototype.

And I upload it in a prototype tool

https://invis.io/977ZFWKN2

It had finally came the time to deal with the design. And I made the 1st iteration (A)

…and the 2nd one (B)

The main difference between them (except the colors) were the core button, the progress bar, the input fields and the time changing indicators.

At the A/B testing that I made in a very small sample, I realize that non of these factors were hindering the users to complete their tasks. My main foundings were the following:

1. I need to have a clear call to action in order to create a new alarm clock and not just a + button
2. At the prototype A I had the main button at the bottom and at the prototype B at the right top corner, the odd thing was that the reaction time was the same in both cases. This was enlightening.
3. It should be clear the time that you need to be ready and the time that you need to be at your appointment. At the current alarm clock you are setting the time you need to wake up and not the time you need to be on your destination.
4. When the alarm in on, maybe a traffic report can be written
5. More clear instruction about what to do.

Following these foundings I made the following changes:

1. It should be clear the time that you need to be ready and the time that you need to be at your appointment. At the current alarm clock you are setting the time you need to wake up and not the time you need to be on your destination. I added at the starting screen a phrase.
2. I need to have a clear call to action in order to create a new alarm clock and not just a + button

3. A walkthrough at the beginning in order to understand the logic of the app.

and so…here is my finished capstone

https://marvelapp.com/3ce7h0j

Enjoy!