Have a perennial problem of oversleeping or repeatedly pressing the snooze button on that alarm clock? Checkout the Alarm clocks at Nandahome which run away from you to hide at random locations (and keep beeping) and allow you to hit the snooze button only once. Now that is something that could have solved my problem of invariably oversleeping and missing breakfast at the campus cafeteria, and of-course missing class. :)

Nandahome was started by Gauri Nanda way back in 2006 with the design of the Clocky which had wheels attached to it, enabling it to move around. This was followed up with the introduction of Tocky and Ticky in the fall of 2010. The Tocky does not have wheels, but manages to move about using its own internal momentum, has a slick touch sensitive plastic dial for navigation, can record personal sounds through a built in microphone and users can even upload their own mp3 for the morning buzz.

We had a chance to interview Gauri and learn about the evolution of the company. Read Gauri's interview below:


Gauri, let us start with an introduction to yourself for our readers.

Here is my bio: Gauri Nanda is a product designer/entrepreneur, the proud parent of Nanda Home, and the company's main snooze offender. For Gauri, an oversleeper who was routinely late for classes as a graduate student at the MIT Media Lab, waking up would take some ingenuity. So she created 'Clocky' as a class project to reinvent the alarm clock and make it work better for her.

In February 2005, pictures of Clocky were raised from the depths of the web and propelled into the limelight by popular gadget aficionado sites like slashdot.com and gizmodo.com. Before long, Nanda realized that she had a hit on her hands and set out to create a company to bring Clocky to market. Fusing her love for aesthetics with her passion for designing latent product ideas, Nanda Home was born.

The first shipment of Nanda Home Clockys arrived at the homes of anxious over-sleepers in December 2006 and the company continues to design and sell little helpers for the home, things that help you complete one small task throughout your day. Nanda has been featured extensively in the media from the cover of Inc Magazine and the Boston Globe, to spreads in the New York Times, Marie Claire, and Esquire magazine, to Good Morning and the Big Idea Show with Donny Deutsch, just to name a few. Nanda worked as a software engineer at Apple in 2002 shortly after graduating from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Media and Music Technology. She left Apple a year later and enrolled at M.I.T.’s Media Lab to further develop her unique take on real-world problem solving and creativity. She currently splits her time between Detroit and New York City.


How did you come up with the concept of an alarm clock that moves around? Is there a story behind it that you would like to share with us?

Clocky was, quite simply, the most obvious way I could think to get out of bed.  When I was a student, I would hit the snooze bar repeatedly, never realizing how late it was getting.  I had friends who told me that they would put the alarm clock on the other side of the room, but because they knew where it was, they would just sleep walk to it, turn it off and go right back to bed.  As a designer, it was obvious that the alarm clock needed to be improved, both in functionality and in personality.  In addition to doing the job of an alarm clock better, Clocky is also an attempt to humanize technology and make it more personable.

Clocky Chrome

You designed the Clocky as a part of your MIT course requirement and then you just put it away. What was it that led you to actually launch it as a product and when?

I didn't intend to bring Clocky to market. It was the media blitz and interest that spurred the decision.  At first he was just an idea I wanted to realize.  Then he became a class project.  The media interest happened almost spontaneously and none of it was planned.  It certainly gave me a good reason to move forward and gave me the opportunity to start a company.


What were the major difficulties that you faced in getting the finished product to the market? How many Clocky’s have you sold so far?

Find the right people to work with - from manufacturers, to logisitics and warehouse is the most difficult.  You really don't know what you're going to get until you trial someone or some new company.  At that point you have to be confident and listen to your gut to determine if it's working.  Finding the right people to add to your network and team will enable you to grow your company. Without the right team, it will be nearly impossible to reach your goals.  We've sold nearly half a million units.

Clocky Red

Clocky Aqua

Do you still do the core designs for all the products or do you have a team of designers do it for you? Tell us about your experience of working with so many people to get the product to fruition.

I conceive all of my own ideas and do the initial aesthetic design as well as user interface design and behavior.  Then I work alongside engineers to bring the product to life.  Design is an iterative process with a lot of back and forth between the lead designer, the engineers, and the factory.


Tell us about the testing process, before you release a product? How do you test for the long term mechanical reliability of the product (especially since the clocks have to literally fall from a certain height)?

For Clocky, through a lot of engineering and testing, we identified the parts of the clock that would endure the most shock when Clocky jumps off of a night-stand.  We designed those parts so that the force would be directed away from them.  We also used strong and shock absorbing materials.  Each product is different and we test according to the real life scenarios the product may encounter.


Which is the main channel for sales for your products? Do you think eCommerce has contributed to the success of your products? How did you promote the products initially?

Yes, ecommerce is a huge part of sales these days.  We sell everywhere from retail to online, international and catalogs.  We promote almost exclusively through press and viral/word-of mouth.  We create fun videos and use our social media presence to generate interest.


What are the major differences between Clocky and Tocky? The Clocky has the wheels for the ambulatory purposes. What sort of mechanism does the Tocky have for generating movement?

With the enormous success of Clocky, we found that the concept was so loved and celebrated (which you can see from the 100s of videos of Clocky posted by our customers on Youtube), that there was great opportunity to grow the product line of rolling alarm clocks and create Clocky's counterpart.  So we took the coolest clock on the market and asked our customers what they wanted to see in a follow-up product.

First, we learned that Clocky was doing it's job well- he scurries around the room looking for a place to hide, ending up in unexpected locations. He creates a challenge for over-sleepers so that they actually wake up on time, and you don't hit the snooze button over and over.  Clocky is loud and aggressive- absolutely determined to get you up on time!  People love Clocky's unusal sound; he seems to 'talk' to them in his own robotic beeping language.

Hearing this feedback, we decided we wanted to create something with the simplicity and charm of Clocky, but for the customer who wants a few more choices.

First, we added the ability to customize the look of the product.  As you can see, we got rid of the wheels. The new products roll around using their own internal momentum. To cushion their jump from a nightstand, Ticky and Tocky ‘wear’ soft silicone skins, which can be changed out like clothes if the user wants a new color to match their room décor.

Second, we added options for wake up sounds.  While Tocky still 'speaks' in his own language, users can choose to create their own sounds using the built-in microphone.  Imagine your friend leaving you a special surprise wake-up message. Or, imagine your clock sounding off in your mom's loud voice even though you're away at college!  It's all possible with Tocky's unique ability to record a number of customized wake-up tones.  Finally (as if that wasn't enough), we added the ability to upload MP3s.  Now users have endless possibilities to personalize their morning alarm to fit them.

Each product in the Nanda Home lines has its own unique look and character.  Clocky is innocent and toy-like.  Ticky and Tocky are a bit more sophisticated and sleek; a design that appeals to many age groups.   Clocky's interface is simple-  just press a few buttons and you're off and rolling.  Tocky integrates a touch sensitive plastic, an intuitive interface familiar to today's gadget lover.  Setting the time or changing the soundtrack is as easy as spinning your finger around a dial.

Ticky Aqua

Tocky - All sounds considered

Tocky Black

What future plans do you have for your company? Do you plan to expand your market reach internationally? Would you like to share with us some of the other awesome designs that you are working on?

We are working on creating more little helpers for the home, things that could be funny, clever and purposeful at the same time. We want to take the stuff of everyday life (e.g. we often have to wake up before we want to), understand what is absurd about it (e.g. we do everything we can to postpone this reality), and merge the two in the creation of humorous lifestyle driven products. It is the dramatic shift in the relationship that users have with our products that sets our story apart from other products. We like to say when you look for a mate, you’re probably searching for personality, intelligence, a sense of humor. Why should the objects we share our lives with be any different?

We have new products that will be out later this year, but are too early to share.

Tocky - Wait wait! Don't tell me.

What piece of advice would you like to offer other sellers and budding start-ups?

Actively network so that you will have a strong base of human resources to call upon when you need advice and/or referrals to expand your team.  Sometimes it takes years to find the right people that understand your vision and are self-motivated enough to make things happen.

Thank you Gauri for taking the time for this interview, we at E-junkie are big fans of your products. Wish you the Nanda Home the very best in the future. :)


Check out this 'Get out of bed' video:




Clocky's introductory video:




Tocky's introductory video:



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