Going Analog

Hello all, duncan here!

I’m so grateful you're here and excited to share what’s been happening with Superbloom and the meditation timer recently.

About a month ago, I was feeling stuck.

I was on the third or fourth iteration of the timer– prototyping with an arduino– and I’d finally come to a version that worked. Well, "worked" meaning that it checked the “functional” boxes and I could use it for meditations. But something about it didn't sit well with me (no pun intended 🧘).

Watch the full video here.

Interacting with the device didn’t pull me into a meditative state– nor did the aesthetics. In fact, it did the opposite.

Regardless, I moved onto designing the container that would house the components, hoping that, perhaps once it was more beautifully packaged, I’d fall in love with it.

In spite of my efforts, something still felt off. Why would one shape be more appropriate from another? I was wandering without a map– not much of a design process.

I shared my quandary with a friend and they advised me to create a universe for the device– to write a lore that could ground the object in an aesthetic language. I picked up Moebius’s Edena for some inspiration.

This path led to another dead end though. Something was fundamentally off. After a few weeks of banging my head against the proverbial wall, I went on a bike ride to mull things over.

I started the ride by seriously considering that perhaps I wasn’t the person for this job.

After giving the question some space to breathe, it was clear that wasn’t the case. I’ve wished for years for this device and, so far as I can tell, no one else is making it. What’s more, I’ve met so many people in the past few months who want it to exist as well! I could sense a reservoir of untapped energy within me. Something else was in the way.

So what was blocking the flow?

All at once, the answer: I needed to make the timer analog.

I’d been prototyping with an arduino– not because it enabled an ideal experience but because it was the fastest method to build an MVP. I’d unintentionally chosen speed and ease over craft and quality. While I had enjoyed learning about and designing circuits, they did nothing to improve the actual experience of using the timer. In fact, the arduino made for a worse experience. After all, with electronic components, the timer becomes just another device you need to plug in– another battery to charge. Bleh! Who wants that!?

But an analog timer, powered by purely mechanical components... now that felt exciting. Without circuitry, the design would naturally be more essential. The form would be innately married to the function, a coherence which the circuit–based approach lacked. There was an honesty inherent to this new approach– the blend of design, engineering, and artistry lit me up.

I wrote the following brief:

Musts

1. Must pull the meditator into a more mindful state of being through interaction.
2. Must be analog.
3. Must not make noise while keeping time (no tick-tocking like an egg timer).
4. Must allow for multiple times, but needn’t be completely flexible. 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 minute intervals at a minimum.
5. Must strike an acoustic chime, bowl, etc at the end of the period.

Nice to haves

1. Minimalism is appreciated. Get to the essential.
2. A ritual is fine though. Making espresso is 5 to 10 steps and worth it! Ideally, the timer requires no more than 3 to 5 steps.

With that, I was off to the races.

There’s lots more coming soon: research on ancient clocks, chime explorations, and early designs. If you have feedback, ideas, or any other assorted reactions, I’d love to hear from you.

Till next time, be well. 🙏

– duncan