Participant study / ST-26-021
Household Timekeeping Stability Survey
What patterns of agreement appear among commonly available clocks during routine indoor use over a fourteen-day interval?
Study overview
What the study involves.
This study looks at how ordinary clocks and time displays agree or drift over two weeks. Participants describe each device by broad category only; no brands, serial numbers, network records, or exact locations are requested.
What you’ll do
- Assign a simple device category to each participating display and identify one reference display.
- Twice each week, read the displays in the same order and record whole-minute agreement or difference from the reference.
- Note only ordinary interruptions such as a power loss, manual reset, daylight-saving adjustment, or device replacement.
Who can take part
- Age 18 or older.
- Routine access to at least three independently operating time displays.
- One display must provide a network-synchronized or radio-controlled reference.
- Able to observe the same displays without moving or resetting them during the study interval.
Not part of this study
- Workplace control systems, security systems, medical equipment, and restricted equipment are excluded.
- No account information, network logs, device identifiers, photographs, or precise location information are requested.
Study steps
How the study works.
Please follow the steps in order. If you miss an observation, leave it blank rather than trying to recreate it later.
Inventory
Select three to six ordinary time displays and assign each a broad device category.
Reference
Designate one synchronized display as the comparison reference for the full interval.
Compare
Read all selected displays in the same order twice each week.
Close
Record ordinary resets or interruptions and complete the final agreement check.
Information used
What we ask for.
We ask only for the broad categories and observations listed below.
What we ask you to record
- Number of available clocks within the permitted range.
- Broad clock categories and the type of synchronized reference.
- Whole-minute differences observed on the assigned schedule.
- Fixed-category notes for power interruption or manual adjustment.
What we don’t ask for
- Names, contact details, account information, or household identifiers.
- Brands, model numbers, serial numbers, network addresses, or photographs.
- Exact time zone, street address, coordinates, or device telemetry.
Sample questions
Examples of what you’ll be asked.
- 01
How many selected displays agree with the reference to the displayed minute?
- 02
Has any selected display been reset since the previous observation?
- 03
Were all displays read in the assigned order?
Method notes
Why the method is structured this way.
- Comparisons use displayed whole minutes rather than sub-second timing, which keeps the method suitable for ordinary household equipment.
- The same synchronized display remains the reference throughout the interval unless it becomes unavailable; reference changes close the series.
- Device descriptions are categorical so the study does not create an inventory of a participant's household equipment.
Limitations
What the results cannot show.
- Display update behavior and synchronization methods vary by device category.
- Reading order introduces a small interval between the first and last comparison.
- The survey describes displayed agreement and does not provide calibration or product-performance certification.
Participate in this study
Eligibility check
Tell us which types of time displays you have and whether the two-week schedule works for you. Completing this check gives you a reference number but does not enroll you.