What Makes A Classic Clock?

Actually, the title of this post could also be: “What Makes A Classic Clock Website?”.

But what we’re talking about here applies to any kind of product…not just a clock, or a website.

Because this is going to be another Online Alarm Clock rant telling about our aims, goals and philosophy, together with an analysis for why our alarm clock site has become so popular.

If you look at the history of online alarm clocks on the internet, and examine the various players in this space, you will indeed find that Online Clock was the first website to go online with the goal of being simply…an alarm clock.

Since we went live back on March 24th, 2006 a lot of copycats have sprung up on the internet, copying our original idea of creating a website that should be used as an online alarm clock.

Still, all of these competitors have failed up to now in gaining the kind of user base and popularity that we’ve achieved with Online Clock.

Why is this?

Well, it’s because almost all of our competitors fall prey to Feature Glut.

Here’s a quote from Aidan Henry, from his blog post “Too Many Features” in which he spells out the advantages of paring down a product to just the essential features list:

How often do you read a features set that is over a page long and you’re left wondering… “WTF does this thing actually do for me?” It’s a daunting reality. Now, isn’t it refreshing when you browse a feature set that is minimal (only in terms of size). You can paint a clear picture in your head as to what the system/site/software can accomplish for you.

And, to follow up, Chris Dame discusses the big disadvantages of overly feature-laden products, from his blog post “Feature Explosion“:

The mentality that you are missing out by not cramming every possible feature into something you pay for is self-defeating. People forget that for every feature you add, there needs to be a way to access it. Quickly you have gadgets with screen after screen of options, and suddenly you can’t get past the kitchen timer and movie player just to place a call.

Definitely, when it comes to Tech, or websites, simplicity is no joke. It makes the difference between a normal website and a website that reaches classic status.

If you look at the mega success stories of Google and Twitter, what do they have in common?

They’ve made their products simpler to use than their competitors.

But the importance of simplicity and minimal design doesn’t just apply to websites. It’s certainly not just a coincidence, for example, that the creators of Online Clock are huge fans of the following cultural icons:

Charles Bukowski - An Example of Simplicity in Literature

Charles Bukowsi: his stripped-down prose shows that simpler is better, even in literature. Read his novel Post Office and try not to consider it timeless literature. The carefully selected and simple words drill like short, sharp shocks to your brain, leaving you wondering how in the heck you could’ve read all those other long-winded writers.

The Ramones - An Example of Simplicity in Music

The Ramones: forget about long, self-indulgent guitar solos and instead make your point, make it quickly, then stop. That’s what the Ramones do. Is it punk? Or is it just really intelligent, simple pop? It doesn’t matter, because it’s just damn good, blowing away all that progressive hippie-arena-rock-crap music that was being made at the time they were around.

Mondrian - An Example of Simplicity in Painting

Mondrian: it’s not just about the colors and shapes. It’s about the empty space and the silence that you can find between and around these elements. A lot of people that I know and love still maintain that this isn’t real art. But that’s okay – they just don’t get it.

Mies van der Rohe - An Example of Simplicity in Architecture & Design

Mies van der Rohe: his “skin and bones” architecture and furniture design reduced everything down to its elements, creating classic designs that will never be forgotten. During his time many people found his work just “industrial” and ugly. But over the years it’s been acclaimed as some of the most elegant design work ever created.

And, yes, let’s add this to the list above:

Online Clock - An Example of Simplicity in Websites

The Online Alarm Clock: its name says what it does. Period. It works. People like it. We don’t mess with a winning formula. Even people who don’t read TechCrunch on a regular basis know how to use our alarm clock instantly. There is no need for a description or explanation for how the site is supposed to work.

Perhaps, at this point, a few of you are thinking that we’ve gone insane, mentioning our alarm clock website in the same breath with these great design pioneers and geniuses?

Megalomania?

We don’t think so.

And the reason why is: the entire time that OnlineClock.net has been online, it’s been preoccupied with design and minimalism and, yes, even art. We like to think that our website is a great example of the successful integration of art and commerce.

Sure, you’ll find advertising on our site, and by definition that makes us a commercial website. But the advertising has remained tasteful and restrained, and even complements the design of the entire website, adding useful information.

How many other websites can say the same?

And how many other websites are there that have perhaps created a pleasant design and a loyal user base, but have forgotten, along the way, to find a way to monetize their site…thus leaving them playing a frantic game of “catch up”, struggling to find ways to earn money from a website which costs them a small fortune in hosting and bandwidth costs, just to keep it online and accessible, 24 hours a day?

Not too many, sadly. The air is thin up here.

The world keeps changing, becoming more complex, and human beings feel increasingly overwhelmed by these changes.

As a case in point, we went out to purchase a new mobile phone recently. We were bombarded with offers for mobile phones that could surf the internet, play music, play videos, send text messages, send messages with images, play games , take photos and videos and then send them around the world or upload them to websites.

All we wanted was a mobile phone that could–guess what?–make telephone calls.

Such a device is hard to find, but, once we found a mobile phone with fewer features, it instantly became more attractive to us, and we bought it. We are not alone.

The time has come for an advanced sense of aesthetics, in which enlightened product designers can truly make the world a more attractive, enjoyable and useful place simply by designing simpler objects.

When you purchase a new automobile these days, you’re probably going to find complex systems of electronics that do everything for you except prepare and cook your evening meal. But what are the side effects of such complexity? You’re going to be requiring the assistance of your neighborhood mechanic more and more often, since increased complexity means something’s more likely to break.

Stop. Using. Complex. Objects.

Instead, demand that the objects we become dependent upon are intelligently designed, with simplicity in mind.

Reward products that do follow the laws of simplicity by purchasing them, sponsoring them and by becoming their fans.

In time, complex designs will become less profitable…and less dominant.

Helping this process along is one way that OnlineClock can make the world a better place.

Tags: alarmingly simple, feature glut, minimal design, minimal web design, minimalism, online alarm clock, onlineclock.net, onlineclock.net history, simple design, simplicity in design