TASK

Create a Wizard-of-Oz demo video showcasing an environment where the user can seamlessly transition between four interfaces on a daily basis.

Deliverables

Wizard-of-Oz demo video and a case study deck.

ROLE

Concept Development, Research, Voice UI Design, Visual Design, Prototyping, User Testing

01. Problem
Identification

Intrigued by booming smart home devices, I wanted to explore that market to see what could be added. Identifying how technology could advance a room that has yet to be explored was my goal, what a better place to go than to the bathroom?

Demo Video

02. RESEARCH + SYNTHESIS

Preliminary research identified the product does not yet exist and has potential to become a smart home device.

As of Spring 2018, U by Moen, AquaDew, and SmarTap by Victoria Plum have released Alexa enabled smart showers.

NEED-FINDING

I asked a sample of four people who were informed about the project tasks what their thoughts were regarding having the technology of Alexa in a shower setting.

Insights

“I actually am very interested in how much water I consume during a shower and how much it adds to my water bill.”

“When I run out of body wash I could instantly order it....that’s nice because I am very forgetful.”

“If it would set a timer so I don’t take over a 10 minute shower, that’d be useful.”

“Why? Just put an Echo Dot on the counter in your bathroom.”

There must be a minimum of two outlet receptacles in a bathroom and may even have up to five. When only having two though, space is limited with what tools can be plugged in.

Product scoping

845 Results for Amazon Smart Home Devices

3000 results of Smart Showers available on Amazon, but none with voice powered technology.

3000 Results for Smart Showers on Amazon from brands like -

Moen
Smartshows
Dream Spa
Amesome

Tilex
LightInTheBox
SMART by Simple Memory Art
QTICA

U by Moen
Mobile app video demo released January 2017
Alexa enabled capabilities released January 2018

Features
Mobile application with push notifications
Controller mounted in shower
Alexa enabled

PROTO PERSONA

Michael Jeffreys

Age: 26 - 32
Income: $102K
Work: Product Manager
Education: MBA at UCLA

Michael has been a product manager for three years and loves to invest in tech savvy smart home products to geek out his pad in the city. He experiments with their usability and functionality to keep at the forefront of innovation.

Needs

Building a smart, connected home to one device, such as Alexa, needs to have options for every room, including the bathroom.

Goals

Wants every major room to have a connected device for a seamless experience around the entire living unit.

03. PRODUCT DESIGN

Product Pitch

Introducing next in the line up of Alexa connected home products: a shower head with the Amazon Pad, an interactive, waterproof touchscreen, to make for a more productive and customized showering experience.

Press Release

The newest addition to the Alexa connected home products: a shower head that connects with the new Amazon Pad, an interactive and waterproof touchscreen, gives you the ability to multi-task and customize your shower experience all with a command of your voice.

Full Press Release

USER JOURNEY FLOWCHART

The purpose of this chart is to show the actions of each component simultaneously during a sample experience.

Click on the images to view larger.

flowchart page 1
flowchart page 2
flowchart page 3

Experience goals

User

Customize a satisfactory experience while showering. Has a busy life and having access to Alexa in the shower setting will make their life easier. Commands the technology with voice. Interacts with the Echo Pad via touchscreen & through voice. Should have hands-free interaction with Shower Head. Has interaction with mobile app on compatible device.

Echo Dot

The Echo Dot gives the user a hands-free option to start, stop and pause their shower. As well a set up and change the preferences that go along with the experience.The Echo Dot also gives notifications for when the shower is ready.

Mobile App

The application offers a digital screen on a mobile device. The application displays water consumption data for the user to track and hosts the settings and preferences for their showering experience.This is the primary way to set their preferences.

Smart Shower Head

The user can access the settings completely hands-free controlled by Amazon connected devices using voice commands. Custom angle. Custom pressure. Custom temperature. Custom light color. Custom timer. Dispense water according to custom preferences set to ensure satisfactory experience.

Echo Pad

The waterproof digital screen and speaker gives users the accessibility to voice technology while showering.

Mobile Sketches

MOBILE wIREFRAMES

Mobile App Wireframe Details

INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE

Mobile application information architecture to show the series of screens the application has starting from splash screens, sign in, home to profile screens.

Invision Protoype
Information Architecture

Iteration of
visual design

After testing the wireframe prototype on two users, I received valuable feedback about the flow and experience along with the visual design. From here, I changed the color scheme and updated the format to follow the Apple HIG better.

Template below designed by Tony Thomas

Echo Pad perameters

Echo Pad Sketches

Template below designed by Tony Thomas

04.
usability
testing

I created paper wireframes for the two digital screens and paper prototyped them to get the initial flow of the experience. I moved on to low fidelity screens and then high fidelity screens and prototyped them which were tested with two and three users respectively.

User Videos

Wireframe prototype

hi fidelity
prototype

FEEDBACK

Direct Quotes

“The app design is clean and simple, easy information to understand, the process to set up my profile was a bit long, but I don’t know how you would make that shorter.”

“I love that it tells me the water I used in the shower. Does it tell me how much it costs per gallon? Does it recycle the water?”

“I like that I can start my shower from many devices now so I can lay in bed a few minutes longer while my shower is warming up for me.”

Advantages

Energy conservation
Connectivity
Accessibility

Disadvantages

Cost
Vulnerability
Malfunctions

Quantitative Results

2/3 liked the idea and want an affordable option.
3/3 users were able to go through the mobile app seamlessly.
3/3 were concerned about the existing camera on the traditional Echo Show.
2/3 think the accessibility of a voice assistant in the bathroom would be helpful in everyday life.

05.
demo
video

For the project just a simple demo video was needed to demonstrate the skill's functionality from start to finish.
Check back for an updated demo video! Coming soon.

06.
RETROSPECTIVE

At the end of each project a retrospective helps me reflect on the challenges and success of the project.

CHALLENGES

Managing all of the components needed for the project: Research, UX, UI, voice and motion work within the time period.

Mocking up the full experience for the users to conduct user tests in was difficult. It required an additional person to control the products or voice.

Surprises

The amount of existing shower heads that have tech built in to them.

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Thanks for checking out my work.

Connect with me or shoot me an email at karleeboillot@gmail.com