Greg McCarthy's Portfolio

The Dependency Clock

The Dependency Clock

The Dependency Clock

Figma Prototype • UX/UI

How would we tell time if clocks had never existed? This exercise led to the design of a prototype that tracks time through personal habits and events.

A project that simplifies digital communication by unifying messaging platforms into one AI integrated interface.

Figma Prototype • UX/UI • Data Visualization

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Introduction

Scroll to Section

Introduction

The Brief

The exercise began with the prompt: “Imagine timekeeping if clocks never existed.” Admittedly, a bit... ambitious? However, as an exercise, it presents some interesting challenges. To add an additional level of complexity, the project had to use a deliberately unconventional timekeeping system that did not rely on seconds, minutes, hours, days, or years.

Trail users feel overwhelmed by disorganized, scattered information sources—both online and physical—during trail closures. Current solutions fail to balance informational value with usability, detracting from the natural experience.

Objective

The objective of this exercise was to design an interactive digital prototype that could be used by the general public to tell time. The prototype needed to function on both macro and micro time scales.

Project Definition

Ideation

Time-Keeping Methods

Initial ideation involved outlining novel and interesting ways that time could be understood and tracked, from identifying different time scales (human, animal, geological, planetary, etc.) to identifying experiences that could be broken down into units that could be charted. This led to identifying scenarios that could be used for timekeeping, from the repetition of retail muzak playlists to creating a visualization that oscillates depending on how far or close someone is to eating a 7/11 taquito.

Identifying Constraints

The project required that the clock be used by everybody to orient their lives, which is a daunting challenge as it needs to communicate in a similar way to all users, regardless of cultural context. This required simplifying communication to the most essential signifiers to avoid confusion and misinterpretation. This led to the decision to break down the information into an oscillating visualization, relying on peaks and valleys to communicate.

Finding Parallels

Initial research explored music creation UIs. This may seem counterintuitive, but when looking at their purpose, they help make the oscillation of a sound waveform understandable. This also led to research into the physical experiences of peaks and valleys and an exploration of caffeine consumption to determine if it could be charted in a way that would be universally recognizable.

My Role

I was responsible for the entire end-to-end process of this project, from research and data collection to UX design, prototyping, and testing.

This case study was developed as part of the Graphic Design course at OCAD University, where I applied UX research, data visualization, and interaction design principles to solve real-world communication challenges.

Music UI Research

Various music creation software tools featured modified oscilloscopes and wave tables alongside line graphs that illustrated interactions users made with sound output.

Parallel Experiences

Caffeine consumption was a possible route, as it neatly maps onto our daily experiences and is somewhat novel and enjoyable.

Mapping Possible Flows

Initial low-fidelity flows were mapped to check the viability of the possible options.

Initial Sketches

Early sketches of the interface featured a single screen with the option to add varying amounts of motion to a visualization that would then decay at a fixed rate until it became static.

Early Iterations

The Visualization

Initially, the prototype was an intentionally chaotic blob that would dissipate over time to communicate the slightly frenetic energy of caffeine. This was revised into rings that would originate from a central point and oscillate in size. This modification allowed for a more precise reading with the axis while also making the relationship between rings more intuitive on the unannotated half of the visualization.

Menus

Borrowing heavily from iOS, it was important to keep the menu as familiar as possible to users. With such a broad user group, minimizing barriers to entry was imperative.

Color Selection

Color was determined as the tool for differentiating the rings within the visualization. Given potential accessibility issues surrounding color perception, it was important to allow users to select their own. This also gave users a sense of ownership and connection with the visualization as they customized it to suit their individual needs.

The Prototype

The Final Concept

The project ultimately shifted from being tied to caffeine and focused more on how we base our perception of time on various cycles in our lives, leading to the project title: “The Dependency Clock.”

How it Works

Rings represent cycles that users record in their own lives—these are the “dependencies.”
These rings oscillate in size based on the rise and fall of the cycle. The peak is when the ring is largest, and the start and end are the smallest.
Time is told by the relationship of the rings to the scale or to each other.

Example: AI-Powered Message Retrieval

Outcomes & Impact

Results

The project resulted in a thought-provoking prototype that challenges traditional timekeeping and demonstrates problem-solving skills within UX/UI and graphic design. While the conceptual nature of the project means it lacks immediate business applications, it successfully explores alternative ways to represent time through human-centered design and data visualization principles.

Learning

Deepened Understanding of UX/UI Methodologies – Strengthened ability to approach design challenges using research-driven and human-centered processes.
Proficiency in Figma & Prototyping – Gained hands-on experience in low and high-fidelity prototyping, refining interactions, and testing usability.
User-Centric Thinking & Iteration – Learned how to incorporate qualitative feedback and improve designs based on user insights.
Information Design & Accessibility Awareness – Explored ways to communicate abstract concepts through intuitive, visual-first interfaces, while considering accessibility constraints like color perception and cognitive load.