PotatO’Clock

In the creative coding class where I built this project, the goal was to make a product that’ll improve a specific aspect of daily life that the COVID–19 pandemic worsened. I chose to concentrate on the prolonged periods of seating caused I experienced while studying remotely.

Since most of my seating occurs while I’m on my computer, I felt a macOS app/mini game to be a good choice. The game’s protagonist is a potato (as in couch potato) drawn in a style that heavily draws from Cuphead and 30’s cartoons.

In the game, the user’s sitting routine is tied to the character’s fate. Should the user sit for more than 45 minutes without standing for at least 15 minutes, the potato would meet its unfortunate, boiled demise.

The app is built using native Apple technologies and has a persistent, floating window to constantly remind the user about its responsibility and ultimately to stand up. I hoped the gamification of this process and the character’s likability would make it fun.

Initially, the projects in this class were supposed to respond to input/output from physical sensors; mine would connect to an Arduino–based pressure sensor installed in a chair. Eventually, COVID–19 prevented us from getting to school and working with physical devices, so the project was handed out as a proof of concept.