Nintendo Sound Clock | Alarmo Devs on The Trial and Error behind Alarmo’s Design

Just in case it wasn’t enough for Nintendo to shadow drop Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo on us, they also saw fit to ensure Alarmo was the latest project to be covered during their “Ask the Developer” interview series. Across four chapters, Producer Yosuke Tamori and Director,  Tetsuya Akama were asked many questions, and now it is time to hear their answers.

When talking about Alarmo, Tamori and Akama show off a few prototypes and explain the trial and efforts they had when coming up with Alarmo’s design:

Nintendo Sound Clock | Alarmo Devs on The Trial and Error behind Alarmo’s Design:

Tetsuya Akama: We’ve brought along some prototypes today. Here’s an early prototype.

Yosuke Tamori: Back then, it still didn’t have an LCD screen but instead used a display system called a dot matrix LED, similar to the one used on electronic billboards, with LEDs lined up. However, from a software developer’s perspective, we thought it was important for people to be able to use it smoothly without an instruction manual, and we felt that this display system wouldn’t be able to communicate the instructions sufficiently. It was especially difficult to explain the product’s new features, such as the motion sensor.

Tetsuya Akama: While we were developing the prototype, we also had the idea-sharing week that we previously mentioned, in which people could make anything they wanted.

One of the ideas that came up in the idea-sharing week. The gameplay involved using your body to play music to the rhythm.

We still had some things to work out, such as how to utilise and present the motion sensor’s functions.

Yosuke Tamori: At this point, Akama-san had started saying that he wanted to include a lot of game music, but with this prototype, it was really hard to tell which tracks were set as alarms. For example, the first track from Super Mario was displayed as “M1”, and the second track from The Legend of Zelda was shown as “Z2”.

That’s just one example. We knew if we continued like this, we’d definitely run into a brick wall, so we had extensive discussions about the hardware specifications. We discussed things like whether we should have an LCD screen or whether it would be better to put a button on top so it’s easier to press. While ensuring we didn’t lose sight of the meaning of using the motion sensor, we searched for a balance that would improve usability.

Incidentally, the team members who designed the hardware also designed the user interface. They went through a series of prototypes, trying to find the best balance between design and functionality, aiming to achieve better usability in terms of both hardware and software.

Tetsuya Akama: The prototype we have here was the result of such trial and error.

We’ve disassembled the contents of the first prototype and put them into this part. The system that serves as the brain of the alarm clock is in the base, and the LCD screen and speaker are built into the upper part, with one dial on the top, and a second on the side.

Yosuke Tamori: There are fewer buttons compared to the first prototype.

Tetsuya Akama: Originally, we had a power button and a volume button, but it was a nuisance to keep pressing them. So we integrated the functions of these buttons into a dial on the side. However, even that felt like a hassle to use, so in the final product, we decided to have just one dial and two buttons on the top.

Yosuke Tamori: The second prototype was difficult for left-handed people to use because the dial was on the right. Also, we wanted it to be stable even without the base part, so eventually, we placed all the controls on the top.

Tetsuya Akama: We were also worried that if there were buttons and dials on the side, pressing them could mess with the orientation. To ensure the motion sensor could detect movement correctly, we aimed to design the device so that it would remain in the same position as much as possible when you press the buttons.

The most difficult factor in the design decision was whether to make it look like an alarm clock or not. While it’s a highly novel product that offers a completely new experience, we thought it was important to communicate clearly that it’s an alarm clock. After a lot of consideration, we decided to go with a design that people would instantly recognise as an alarm clock. Also, Tamori-san requested that if Alarmo was to be drawn as a picture or icon, it should be in a shape that would be instantly recognisable and eye-catching to anyone who saw it, so we ended up with this shape.

Yosuke Tamori: Since you can’t see where the sensor is, we designed the device in the shape of a megaphone so that when you’re placing it on a surface, you’ll instinctively turn it towards yourself. Also, because the LCD screen was restricted to a rectangular shape, we consulted with the hardware designers to decide on the design and specifications of the screen display so that it would blend seamlessly with the hardware’s circular shape.

Tetsuya Akama: We were very careful to adjust the brightness of the screen so that it hopefully wouldn’t disturb the user’s sleep. The motion sensor brightens the screen as you move your body to look at it, and some developers said this function would be useful even for a regular clock.

For the full interview, why not click here to check out Ask the Developer Vol. 14, Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo – Chapter 3:

Ask the Developer | Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo (Participating Developers)

• Yosuke Tamori | Entertainment Planning & Development Division, Production Group No.4 (Producer)
• Tetsuya Akama | Technology Development Department, Technology Development Group No.1 (Director)