Interview about TTMM for Fitbit Clock Face Apps, winner of the A' Interface, Interaction and User Experience Design Award 2019
TTMM clock face apps present time in a futuristic, abstract and minimal style. The collection of 40 clock faces designed for Fitbit Versa and Fitbit Versa Lite turns smartwatches into unique time machines. All models have color presets and complications settings that are controlled with a tap-to-change on screen feature. Some designs are additionally equipped with a stopwatch, a timer, an alarm or a torch feature. The inspiration for the collection comes from sci-fi movies and from the "Man Machine" and "Computer World" albums, composed by Kraftwerk.
View detailed images, specifications, and award details on A' Design Award & Competition website.
View Design DetailsScience fiction literature and films took up residence in my Unconscious. The spirit of simplicity, comfort and the modern future was present in the real images and physical sound effects of films and music (e.g. 2001: A Space Odyssey, the sound effects for Star Wars and the lyrics and timbres of Kraftwerk's instruments). My education in the domain of graphical interfaces came from the practical experience of discovering personal computers and synthesizers. As a teenager, I composed music on an Atari ST computer in Steinberg Cubase, controlling a Roland Juno-106 and Sound Canvas SC-55 synthesizer. I believe that the culture of designing interfaces for instruments and music applications subject to the limitations of display technology (small, monochrome screens) was at the highest level. This was a model to follow and my school.
I came up with this solution without even realizing it. It was due to two practical reasons. The limited screen resolution made it difficult to create legible and visually consistent icons that had to be the same height as a line of text, e.g. 10 px. System fonts, on the other hand, contained many additional unused characters. Up until now, an abbreviation such as Calories - CAL had been used to describe a specific type of data. This solution still took up screen space. So I came up with the idea of assigning my own symbols using the characters present in system fonts. This solution ensured the distinguishability of specific information, saved space and maintained the visual consistency of the clockface project. This choice was arbitrary and corresponded to my intuitive graphical reading of characters. For Dystance, I used the “…” character because in my reading it was a visualization of steps. I used “:” to denote Heart Rate because the heart has two chambers. I replaced Calories with the “*” character because I thought that it was the work done by the user that made it a STAR.
Looking at the simulations-imitations of graphical interface solutions proposed by programmers, these were banal solutions, e.g. pictures of dogs or cats, and apart from their questionable visual values, I disagreed with their primitiveness. They did not aim at the truth about TIME but were a way to attract the attention of potential customers. So I went on a mission to find visual solutions that would be in line with the TRUTH of TIME and the spirit of smartwatch screen technology.
When creating this solution, I used my own need. I wanted to be able to quickly and easily display the information I needed at a given moment without having to go through the clockface settings. I made it as simple as possible and additionally I combined similar types of information into groups, e.g. Calories, Active time, distance and day and month, week in the year or year. If the user understood this, then with just two taps he could reach the necessary information.
ONETTMM was an experimental project - a digital art object - a kind of digital abstract jewelry that the user changes depending on their mood. It also had an educational function by presenting different types of hour visualizations and the minutes always remained in the same place. This approach enriched the recipients. There was no such extensive solution for Fitbit devices.
International partnership forced me to be clear in documentation and description of results that applications must meet. Project implementation revealed differences in understanding documentation and characteristics of work of individual team members resulting from their experience. It was an interesting and revealing cooperation.
The most important challenge was to develop proportions between visual, artistic and functional values that are appropriate for each specific project. I think that a similar art of balance occurs when composing and preparing dishes, where there is a main character and supporting actors of flavors in a certain scenery of sauces or salads. A good piece of music also reveals the play of voices, melodic courses controlled by rhythm or percussion accents served on the basis of silence. In the end, the whole counts as a separate recognition of the components and their sum. Together-separately - this is the essence of art.
It's very difficult for me to answer this question. Technology is changing at a rapid pace. Will people need a handheld computer with a screen in a few years? Or maybe the screens will be on a larger scale and will be part of clothing? Some of the solutions of contemporary interfaces are heading towards voice interfaces. I think that TTMM projects are an important reference point in the field of designing interfaces for smartwabches screens. They are definitely a milestone in the culture of time visualization.
All the awards I received strengthened my belief that TTMM projects are Valuable and Important. This recognition and appreciation gave me strength and encouraged me to continue developing and working.
Originality, ingenuity, functionality, innovation and relevance to the contemporary times are the fundamental values that guide the development of the TTMM brand. New ideas and design solutions struggle with the currently dominant order, which supports the ease and primitive pleasure of not thinking. People today do not have time for real and critical reflection.
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