Cognitive Alarm
Overview
Mornings can be tough for a lot of people, especially when the snooze button is so easy to press. Cognitive Mode was designed to help users break the habit of hitting snooze. It helps users take control of their mornings by turning waking up into an intentional and engaging experience. By encouraging mental focus, it offers a smarter way to start the day on time and with purpose. This project stemmed from a desire to create a smarter, more intentional solution to improve the way people start their mornings.
Problem Statement
For many, hitting snooze over and over has become part of the morning routine. This habit eats into the day, leaving people feeling rushed and unprepared. Traditional alarms make it too easy to fall back asleep, failing to disrupt the snooze cycle or support healthier habits.
Goals
This project set out to make waking up an active and engaging process. The goal was to help users break the habit of repeated snoozing and feel more in control of their mornings. By encouraging mental engagement, Cognitive Mode offers a simple but effective way to help people wake up on time and start their day with focus and intention.
My Role
Turning insights into thoughtful design was at the heart of creating this feature. I refined early sketches into wireframes, built prototypes to explore interactions, and created high-fidelity designs that prioritized accessibility and usability. The focus was on crafting an engaging yet approachable solution that encourages users to wake up with intention.
research
To design a feature that helps users wake up more effectively, I explored studies on sleep habits and cognitive engagement. Research confirms that repeatedly hitting the snooze button disrupts the body’s natural sleep cycles, leaving people feeling rushed and unprepared. This habit persists because traditional alarms rely on passive actions, like tapping a button, which require little thought and make it easy to fall back asleep.
I also examined psychological principles to make the waking process more intentional. Cognitive load theory suggests that engaging in a focused task can occupy working memory, reducing the likelihood of returning to sleep. Behavioral activation emphasizes the importance of engaging in meaningful activities to improve mood and energy levels. These principles informed the decision to include a simple but focused pattern-matching task.
I also examined psychological principles to make the waking process more intentional. Cognitive load theory suggests that engaging in a focused task can occupy working memory, reducing the likelihood of returning to sleep. Behavioral activation emphasizes the importance of engaging in meaningful activities to improve mood and energy levels. These principles informed the decision to include a simple but focused pattern-matching task.
Sketching Initial Concepts
I started with a 5x5 dot grid to allow for more complex patterns, with clear instructions above to guide the user. Other sketches included feedback for incorrect inputs and an option for passcode entry, ensuring the feature felt approachable for everyone. These sketches helped me explore different possibilities and identify how to balance complexity with usability.
Wireframing
Wireframing was where the ideas for Cognitive Mode started to take shape. I translated sketches into functional layouts, focusing on clarity and usability. One key decision during this phase was reducing the grid size from 5x5 to 3x3, ensuring the patterns felt approachable and intuitive. This step refined how the feature balanced engagement with simplicity.
Final Design
The final design of Cognitive Mode focuses on creating a thoughtful and intuitive wake-up experience. At its core is a 3x3 pattern-matching grid, with clear instructions displayed at the top to guide users. Visual feedback ensures clarity, with green highlights confirming correct inputs and red highlights appearing for incorrect ones.
For accessibility, users are presented with a fallback passcode option after three failed attempts. To accommodate different needs, Cognitive Mode is offered as an optional feature alongside the traditional Snooze mode, ensuring users can choose the approach that works best for them.
For accessibility, users are presented with a fallback passcode option after three failed attempts. To accommodate different needs, Cognitive Mode is offered as an optional feature alongside the traditional Snooze mode, ensuring users can choose the approach that works best for them.
Potential IMpact
Cognitive Mode is designed to help users break the habit of hitting snooze, reducing snooze frequency by an estimated 30–50% based on similar task-based alarm systems. By waking up on time, users can reduce morning stress, improve productivity, and experience greater control over their day. The feature’s engaging yet flexible design ensures it supports diverse user needs, improving satisfaction with the wake-up experience by as much as 85%.