Digital Time, Analogue Mind : The Impact of Time Display Methods on User Experience in Time-Limited Digital Environments

This study investigates how different timer visualisations affect user experience in time-limited digital environments (TLDEs), focusing on digital examination platforms. Through a mixed-methods approach with 12 university students, three conditions were examined: digital timer, analogue timer, and no timer. The findings reveal that the digital timer enhanced performance awareness but created moderate stress; the analogue timer caused significant time distortion effects, and no timer resulted in lower stress but higher uncertainty about remaining time. Participants across all conditions expressed preference for hybrid timer designs combining visual elements with numerical indicators, challenging traditional digital-analogue dichotomies. These insights contribute to understanding how interface elements influence subjective time perception and offer practical guidance for designing timer visualisations that balance time awareness with minimal cognitive disruption ineducational contexts and beyond.