IRCTC Digital Clock
I designed a digital smart clock for the Indian Railways as part of a competition hosted by the Ministry of Railways.
This design is more than just a clock. It’s a smart display tailored for modern India. It not only shows the time, but dynamically cycles through essential travel information for passengers, all presented with stunning animations while being easy to read.
Built using Rive, featured in their newsletter, and received a lot of love on LinkedIn .
Interactive Design
This design is a fully functional, ready-to-deploy software solution. The current version displays real-time information, including the current time, location, date, and day, all with smooth, fluid animations.
In addition to the clock, the display shows detailed weather, emergency messages, upcoming train timings, local transport options, and scenic routes traversed by the Indian railways.
Feel free to play with the prototype here before you scroll down to read more about the various screens and how the clock intelligently displays data contextually.
A Smart Display
The display dynamically adapts to show the most relevant information for travelers. It cycles through different data at set intervals, intelligently adjusting to the needs of the audience. Critical information, such as emergencies or train arrivals, can be brought to the screen instantly when necessary.
The system is smart enough to tailor the displayed content based on the traveler context. For example, a display near the station exit won’t show train timings or arrivals, as the traveler no longer needs that information. Instead, it will focus on details relevant to their next steps, such as local weather and last-mile connectivity options for the city they’re entering.
Travelers departing from a city receive information on upcoming trains, platform details, coach locations, and suggestions for future journeys to explore more of India.
Independent screens
The display is smart and independently controllable, allowing adjacent displays to show location-specific information rather than duplicating the same data. This enables seamless augmentation across multiple screens; one display can show the location, while another can simultaneously display the current day and date.
When a train arrives at a station, only the display on that platform will show details for the arriving train, while the other displays continue to show information tailored to travelers in their vicinity.
A Plethora of Details
Plenty of details to help travelers make their journey easier, frictionless, and more memorable. All animated smoothly with beautiful transitions and appears exactly when the traveler needs it.
Weather
A detailed panel displays live weather conditions at the current station, offering useful insights when arriving in a new city. It also provides interesting facts, like your elevation above sea level.
Train Timings
An information panel displays upcoming trains arriving at the station, showing key details such as the platform, train information, and a high-resolution icon of the train for quick identification. It also indicates any delays, ensuring travelers stay informed.
Emergency
A screen capable of displaying emergency messages on all or selected displays at any time. These messages can include critical information such as inclement weather, train delays, or other vital updates for travelers.
Last Mile Connectivity
This screen displays local transport options available around the station for travelers arriving in a new city. It intelligently appears only at exit points, such as when travelers disembark from a train or proceed towards the exit of a station.
Explore India
Indian Railways travels through some of the most scenic landscapes in India, and this screen showcases stunning photography of these routes to inspire travelers to explore new destinations.
Live Train Status
The train status moves between train arrival details, coach position, and departure details. A fun 3D animation plays when the train arrives and departs, clearly highlighting the incoming train.
Staggered Displays
By displaying different information on each screen, travelers can access a variety of details at once, accelerating the flow of information they receive.
Rich, detailed icons
The icons are detailed and full of character, designed to bring joy. They animate smoothly in and out, and maintain readability across all background colors and conditions. The icons have depth, possess a tactile quality, and come to life with motion.
Real Sky
The screen dynamically shifts from day to night. At day the screen has a bright blue background. At night the screen changes to a darker blue that retains visibility while being less harsh on travelers eyes.
Dawn
Day
Dusk
Night
Fits in any context
A sleek, minimalist design that seamlessly blends into any environment, whether it's traditional architecture, modern spaces, or busy platforms, without drawing unnecessary attention. Perfectly subtle, yet effective.
Regional Languages
To ensure accessibility for all travelers, the display can show regional languages alongside the English version or on the front and back of the screen.
Spacing
Displays should be spaced evenly to ensure text is easily readable. A distance of 50 to 100 meters is ideal, with some details becoming harder to read beyond 100 meters.
Software & Skills
Although the clock may appear simple, bringing it to life required a range of tools and skills across design, motion, 3d, modeling, rendering, coding, and UI/UX.
Thank you for making it so far
This design concept was created in just two weeks for the IRCTC competition, with some additional time dedicated to refining the presentation for publication here. Rive played a crucial role in enabling a fully functional version within such a short time frame.
A big thanks to my brother Dan for his help with the coding to bring the Rive file online, my friend Achu for always being there to discuss ideas, and my mother for letting me know about this competition. This was a lot of fun to build.
