F l u t t e r
By: Harvy Patel
Flutter blends traditional woodworking with modern digital fabrication techniques to create a unique wooden clock calendar. The main body is crafted from plywood. The intricate clock face and calendar components are designed in Inkscape and precisely cut from thin wood sheets using a 2D laser cutter. The bottom base is creating using woodworking techniques
T h e P r o c e s s
Originally, project was meant to be a large clock with three smaller clocks with different time zones (AUS, IND, and PAC). The purpose of this was that I always call my family around the world. However, I bought a clock mechanism and I realized it was already complex and I did not want to have the back of my clock to have four thick boxes. So, I found another idea, which was the clock calendar. It functions as a clock but also as a calendar with thin circles that go around the clock. Each circle has a month, date, and day of the week. The clock mechanism, however, did not fit due to the thickness of the wooden pieces.
User Testing
For user testing, I asked a couple of my friends to try out Flutter. I told them to keep it on the desk for a day and change the calendar date the next day. Additionally, they were told to check the time using Flutter only, not their phones or watches. Mostly, the feedback consisted of a lot of technical problems, like the clock hands being too loose and not working as well. Additionally, the calendar pieces are super stiff and it is really hard to change the days and date. They are not smooth enough to move and change the date.
