Suno means “sun” in esperanto, and it is the name that talented Spanish designer Jacobo Ibarrez chose for its alarm clock iOS app. Its slogan? “A dawn at your fingertips.”
One of the differences between Suno and other alarms is its awakening process: the app uses your iPhone screen and flashlight to gradually brighten your bedroom ahead of your scheduled wake-up time, mimicking dawn. While it has its inconveniences, such as the fact that your phone needs to be plugged, it makes for a more natural awakening, especially if your room tends to be dark during winter.
The app follows the design philosophy of Ibarrez’ studio, Nizo, which includes the following commandments:
- We think in terms of need and function.
- We are intuitive. We simplify the structures and make them understandable. Function and intuition go together in our designs.
- We preserve the aesthetics of good performance based on daily use.
In practical terms, Suno’s designer paid close attention to hand ergonomics, and perceived that the most convenient way to navigate on our phones is to use our thumb. While he theorized his findings in a dedicated post, you don’t need to get into the details to notice that Suno’s UI can easily be used single-handedly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBG3X0fJ518
Suno is priced at $0.99 in its standard version, and additional ringtones can be bought via in-app purchases. It’s worth noting that the app will have to be running in the foreground to be fully operational; if you forget, Ibarrez warns that you will only hear the alarm sound at the time you selected.
➤ Suno, via the App Store
Image credit: Thinkstock
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