Why the Author Built a Timer You Can Feel: Solving a Common Clinic Problem

# Feel

A physician created Haptica Timer because a common clinic problem can be surprisingly disruptive: clinicians routinely need to know how much time has passed without breaking attention with visible or audible checks. The device was designed to give a quiet, private cue—vibration on the wrist—so clinicians can remain engaged while staying time‑aware.

The everyday problem in clinic

Clinicians often balance two responsibilities at once: staying present with the patient and keeping a demanding schedule on track. Typical ways of tracking time—looking at a wall clock, checking a phone, glancing at a watch, or checking the computer—are visible. Even a quick glance can change the tone of a conversation, especially when a patient shares something emotional or complex.

Why traditional timers don't fit

Conventional timers are designed to capture attention. They use audible alarms, visual notifications, or bright screens. Those features work well in many contexts but are poorly suited to a private clinical interaction. An audible alarm interrupts the conversation. A visible countdown competes for attention. A phone notification can feel out of place.

What clinicians needed instead was a subtle cue they could feel without breaking eye contact or the flow of the visit.

The Haptica approach: feel, not see or hear

Haptica Timer was built to provide small vibration cues on the wrist that are noticeable to the clinician but unobtrusive for the patient. The cues are intended to convey a private sense of where the visit stands in time, enabling the clinician to choose how to act: summarize, confirm the plan, address final concerns, or continue the discussion.

Two practical design choices distinguish this approach:

• Subtle vibration cues that avoid interrupting the conversation or drawing the patient's attention.
• Automatic repetition of timing patterns so the device follows the clinic day without manual restarting between visits.

Repeating timers that match clinic rhythm

A key usability issue in clinic is the need to start a new timer before every appointment. Haptica's repeating pattern reduces that cognitive load. The timer can follow the natural clinic schedule and automatically cue at the same intervals across consecutive visits. That allows clinicians to focus on care instead of managing an app or restarting timers.

Preserving clinician judgment

The goal of a wearable, vibrating timer is not to force every visit into a rigid block. Patient encounters are inherently variable—some need more time, some less. The vibration is a cue, not a command. It gives clinicians information they can use in the moment to prioritize, summarize, or extend a conversation when warranted.

Who wrote this and why it matters

The article is written by Jorge Sanchez, MD, who co‑founded Alertive with Dr. Nirav Shah and later sold it to Carbon Health. He initially built Haptica Timer for his wife, who works in clinic and needed a discreet way to handle time without disrupting patient interactions.

The design centers on practical tradeoffs: maintain presence, reduce visible clock checks, and simplify time management across a clinic day. For clinicians who frequently juggle keeping to schedule while staying attentive, a wearable vibration cue offers a private, repeatable way to track time without changing the feel of the encounter.