TEMPORA
Your world, in sync.
Case Study
6 minute read
CONTEXT
Users check the time over 143 times per day, yet still miss what matters most: the moments outside of the numbers.
Every clock assumes we’ll remember everyone’s locations, know what time it is elsewhere, and essentially, enjoy mental math at 6 AM.
In reality, we struggle to stay connected across time zones, rhythms, and needs.
WHAT IF…
what if clocks adapted to
social awareness
knowing when your team sleeps or when Mom’s free.
biological rhythms
respecting jet lag or night shifts.
accessibility needs
adjusting for glare, migraines, or aging eyes.
THE CHALLENGE
TOOLS FOR THOUGHT
3 Main Discovery Pillars for my Approach
AWARENESS
How can we help users intuitively understand others’ availability, without mental math or guesswork?
RHYTHM
What patterns define when people feel most alert, connected, or at rest — and how can a clock adapt to that?
CONNECTION
How can time become a bridge, not a barrier — helping users know when it’s the right time to reach out?
TEMPORA
Your World, In Sync.
INTRODUCTION
This is a mobile app and desktop platform that reimagines the clock as a global awareness partner that adapts to light, location, and human rhythms.
Tempora doesn’t just tell time: it understands context, helping you know when to connect, who to reach, and how to care across time zones.
RESEARCH
initial findings
affinity mapping
insights
MAJOR PAIN POINTS
emotional toll
Misjudging others’ local time leads to accidental disruptions (e.g., waking someone at 3AM).
Missing important calls, events, or meetings due to incorrect conversion
Rare windows for communication are missed due to lack of real-time awareness
lack of context-aware tools
Users have to manually toggle dark mode or adapt to poor UX that causes eye strain.
Standard clock apps are static — no adaptive lighting, no social context, no reminders.
No proactive alerts about others’ availability or daily routines.
No adjustments to jetlag
high cognitive load
Spending unnecessary time each day doing mental timezone math.
Juggling multiple schedules, often across work, personal life, and special events.
Difficulty aligning personal routines with new local time after travel, night shifts, or jet lag
NEEDS / FEATURES
coordinate across timezones
Users need a way to see everyone’s local time, schedules, and availability without doing mental math or risking mistakes
Remote workers like global teams and families check time differences 10+ times/day just to avoid mistakes.
adjust personal routines
Users need quick, intuitive context (location, activities, time of day, personal routines) to make better decisions on the fly.
Travelers and healthcare workers struggle to align their body clocks with local time
intentional communication
Spending unnecessary time each day doing mental timezone math.
Juggling multiple schedules, often across work, personal life, and special events.
Difficulty aligning personal routines with new local time after travel, night shifts, or jet lag
STYLE GUIDE: COLORS
#BCBCBC
#BCBCBC
#314259
#3C3C3C
#D9D9D9
#AABCD6
#FFFFF
STYLE GUIDE: COMPONENTS + FEATURES
off
TOGGLES
Toggles let users shift seamlessly between modes — adapting the clock to their current focus, mood, or environment
CALENDAR VIEW
Visualizes your day alongside your team’s or loved ones’, helping you plan around real rhythms instead of fixed hours
Tempora Travel
Welcome to Hawaii!
12:30
HI
9:30
2m ago
NOTIFICATIONS
Context-aware banners that guide connection without disrupting focus
USER FLOW CHART
start
launch app
input
decision
first time user?
yes
no
process
onboarding
personalization
set time zone, light mode, contact sync, etc
home page
shows current time, nearby light conditions, and key contact zones
→ toggle between Work / Personal / Off modes to filter notifications
tempora travel
appears conditionally on location - as a notification + ability to sync time zones
reflect + log
tracks patterns and sleep/communication habits
notes
user input on what notes they want their contacts to know
profile
adjust biological rhythm preferences, themes, accessibility
notification feed
accessed via banner tap or from Home
search page
find people, places, or time zones
ITERATIONS
iteration no.1
OBSTRUCTIVE
iteration no.2
UNINTUITIVE
iteration no.3
WINNER
WHY IT WORKS
Single focal point
Card and and required action command attention without competition
Progressive disclosure
Information reveals in logical reading order (image → what → how)
Spatial breathing room
Card space lets each element shine
Action clarity
Navigation dock provides clear next steps and allows for autonomy to set up later
Macbook Pro
ACCESIBILITY CHECK
Tempora adapts its interface to users’ circadian rhythms and environmental lighting.
Night Mode
reduces eye strain and blue light exposure, while maintaining clear visual hierarchy and contrast for accessibility.
This feature ensures that users can comfortably engage with the app in low-light settings, supporting the platform's goal of harmonizing digital interaction with natural time patterns.
FINAL DESIGNS
CALENDAR SYNC
Integrates with personal and shared calendars to overlay birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, and meetings directly onto Tempora’s timezone view.
Stops missed events, reduces scheduling errors, and takes away the constant mental juggling of multiple timezones.
WELCOME TO HAWAII!
Time moves 3 hrs behind home - which probably explains why you’re hungrier than usual at 9:30 :)
12:30
HI
9:30
Add location
Tempora Travel
Welcome to Hawaii!
12:30
HI
9:30
2m ago
TEMPORA TRAVEL
Tempora’s context-aware travel companion
Adapts to your body clock by suggesting optimal sleep, meal, and communication windows to help you beat jet lag.
TEMPORA TRAVEL NOTIFICATIONS
Smart notifications that adjust for jet lag, compare your current timezone to time at home, and offer quick-glance suggestions for adjusting routines.
Reduces confusion during travel, helps align body clocks faster, and minimizes accidental off-hour calls
off
Switch seamlessly between Personal, Work, and Off modes to view the schedules and availability that matter most in each part of your life—whether it’s keeping up with family and friends or coordinating with your team
Leave quick status updates like “In a meeting,” “Cooking dinner,” or “On a call” to give context before calls or texts.
available
Real-time toggle that shows when you’re open for calls, messages, or FaceTimes—helping everyone know the best time to reach you.
Reflection: What I've learned and Future Steps
This project began as an exploration of dark mode aesthetics and global timekeeping, but it quickly revealed something deeper: how time shapes our relationships, our work, and our sense of belonging across distances.
WHAT I'VE LEARNED
Design is About Emotional Gaps, Not just Functional Ones
The most resonant insights weren’t about timezone math—they were about guilt (waking loved ones), fear (missing critical moments), and isolation (feeling out of sync)
This pushed me to design for micro-interactions with macro-impact, like the "Tempora Travel" alerts that make time and life adjustments more intuitive
Constraints Breed Creativity
Balancing dark mode accessibility with weather/location data forced elegant compromises:
Example: Using subtle color temperature shifts (not just pure black) to maintain readability while displaying weather icons.
Desktop integration taught me to design for peripheral awareness—how little information someone needs at a glance.
The Best Tools Disappear
Users didn’t ask for a "clock app." In fact, they asked for the opposite of that — to stop checking the time, a product that diminishes the need for a "clock app".
This reshaped my goal: design something that fades into the rhythm and habits of their lives
BIGGEST TAKEAWAY
Creating Tempora taught me that when a product feels effortless, it’s not because it does less, but because it gives people the space to focus on what matters most.
WHERE THIS COULD GO NEXT
I’d love to explore...
01
"How might shared time spaces deepen relationships?"
02
"What does time look like for digital nomads vs. rooted families?"
and overall overlapping user groups and their differing needs.
Thanks for reading!