Smart Toilet:
UX & Research
Spring 2023
Created for iPhone on Figma
Survey
Notable Quotes from Interviews
"My biggest fear is getting pregnant and Missouri finding out"
In a post Row v Wade world, the location of such devices has a big impact on how willing users are to engage with such devices. This quote points out a fear that the state may take advantage of such devices and use such information against users.
"Public health is a good thing, but it does feel invasive. Some personal information should be up to the individual, autonomy is important."
Data tracking and sharing will have to be controlled by the user, so they feel in control of their sensitive information.
Interview
Key Initial Takeaways:
A lot of concern over privacy
College students don't have a need / desire for this product
Little knowledge of smart toilets and their capabilities
High tech literacy among college students
Secondary Research Sources
Stanford Medicine
Smart toilet developed by researchers at Stanford University that can monitor a person's health by analyzing their urine and feces. The smart toilet uses multiple sensors and computer vision algorithms to detect biomarkers that indicate various health conditions, such as infections, kidney failure, and even some types of cancer.
The Verge
Discusses how and why the analprint is used as the identifier for users of the smart toilet. The creator Seung-min Park notes that this is a minor feature and is distracting from the benefits of such a device.
Nature.com
Article notes that Covid-19 can be found in still and wastewater. Public health strategy is proposed for infectious disease surveillance using smart toilets. User acceptance is the primary barrier to such a strategy.
New York Magazine
Explores the future of connected bathrooms and the rise of smart devices that use sensors, cameras, and other technologies to monitor health, hygiene, and provide personalized experiences. Discusses the potential benefits and drawbacks, from improved health. monitoring and water conservation to concerns about privacy and data security.
WTTW News
The articles discusses the use of biometric data for security and identification purposes in Illinois. It explores the potential benefits and drawbacks, such as improved security and convenience versus concerns about privacy and potential misuse of personal information.
Panasonic
Panasonic developed an IoT health toilet for the Chinese market that measures user's body fat percentage and analyzes their urine. In order to avoid crowded hospitals, people in China tent to refrain from visiting hospitals until their symptoms worsen. The data gathered can be viewed on the smartphone app and also be sent and displayed on the bathroom mirror.
Nature.com
Toilet-based health monitoring tools in the form of smart toilets could offer preventative home-based continuous health monitoring for early diagnosis of diseases while being connected to data servers to enable collection of the health status of users. Platforms can be easily integrated into people's daily lives and identify a range of biomarkers for health and disease.
This is a semester-long speculative project on the implementation of the smart toilet across a university. Scroll to see the step by step research and development process and check out the prototype!
Project Prompt
A University is interested in placing Smart Toilets throughout campus for post pandemic health related reasons and beyond—including tracking public health, student health, covid and other viruses, hydration and nutrition for all students.
Targeted primarily at undergraduate students, you are tasked with developing a customer-facing interface that can be accessed from a kiosk and mobile device (and possibly a remote). If time allows, you may also investigate a more speculative AR/touchless/gestural interface.
Insights
Demographic Surveyed
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67% cisgender women
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46% ages 18-24, mostly young respondent
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62% reported not having a health condition
Discomfort
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Many privacy concerns
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40% consider themselves uncomfortable with a smart toilet using biometric data
Tech Experiences
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65% have engaged in Telehealth in some way
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65% track and/or check their data in some way
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79.7% engage in some form of habit tracking
Desirability
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A lack of news / want among respondents
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Som write-in responses nothing that such a device would be better suited to older people / the private sector
Notable Quotes from Survey
"A toilet is a vulnerable place already. I don't want to be data harvested while on the pot"
Points out just how vulnerable a user is while using a toilet, and the thought of collecting data through a toilet is a challenge to get users to accept.
"I do not like smart devices and do not trust the companies that make them with any sort of data security."
Trust is perhaps the most vital aspect of this product. Users must fully trust the security of the product.
Research
The team
Primary and secondary research was completed with three other teammates, Abby Kirchmeier, Helen Jiang, and Kathleen Chen.
Relevant Terms
Precision Health (PH) Toilet
A 'smart' toilet that uses pressure and motion sensors, biometric identification, urinalysis strips, a computer-vision uroflowmeter and machine learning to longitudinally track biomarkers of health and disease in the user's urine and stool/
Smart Toilet
Contains the same features at the PH toilet along with other luxury features, such as a bidet, heated seat, and self-cleaning capabilities. Throughout this project, "smart toilet" will be used in reference to this.
Biometrics
The automatic recognition of individuals by means of unique physical characteristics, typically for the purposes of security.
Primary Research
Interviews
With research group, interviewed a total of eight current college students (age 21-22) and three experts
Survey
A short online survey that received 69 responses, across a variety of students, professors, faculty, and other people not affiliated with the university.
Insights
Smart Devices
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Generally comfortable with smart devices
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Most common devices are smartphone and laptop
Health Monitoring
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5 of 8 students do not have health conditions they currently track
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Interest in knowing covid status, nutrition, and hydration
Data Privacy
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Highly concerned about privacy and the university tracking their data
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Some open to sharing data anonymously for the sake of public health
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3 of 8 interviewees would not share DNA information
Desirability
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A lack of news / want among students
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Some interviewees even suggested that the product would be more useful in the private sector
Survey Insights
Cameron
Persona
Journey Map
Personas & Journey Maps
Drew
Persona
Journey Map
John
Persona
Journey Map
Rob
Anti-Persona
Design Principles
What will a successful solution do?
Allow users to easily monitor their health
Securely hold user data
Give personalized recommendations to the user
Let users control what data is recorded and shared
Allow users to maximize use of the smart toilet features
How Might We...
seamlessly incorporate smart toilets into people's lives?
make all users comfortable with using a smart toilet?
allow room for population monitoring without infringing on anyone's privacy?
get healthy users to use a preventative health app?
make users feel comfortable with their sensitive/personal data being tracked?
Design Principles
We want
university members
to have a seamless experience with smart toilets without feeling like their privacy is being invaded
Ideate
Design Best Concepts
Opt-out options for every feature
Personalized health recommendations
Data insights and statistics
Data tracking over time, deviation from normal
Customizable controls, users can choose what data they see
User Stories
In-Class Brainstorm
I need to track my fitness easily
I need to accurately monitor my chronic illness
I want to know I'm healthy without worrying about it
I want my data visualized and condensed in a convenient place
I need my data to be secure
Sketch
Day 1
Key Ideas:
Smart wallet identification process
Notification / recommendation settings
Prompt/Sketch
Given a short prompt, sketch or jot down solutions
Day 2
Key Ideas:
Data visualization ideas
Opt-in settings
Initial Wireframe Sketches
Connecting
Key Reasoning:
Use existing technology that users are comfortable with
Not using biometrics
Touchless
For those without this software, implementation of scanning a QR code to connect
'My Health' Walkthrough
Recommendations Walkthrough
Data Sharing Walkthrough
Initial Ideas
Wireframe Development
Data visualization was key in the development of the wireframes. The target was to create practical visualizations based on what the smart toilet could theoretically record.
Usability Testing Insights
Key Ideas:
Quick share of data in case of emergency
Maintain convention
(ex. low to high reads left to right)
Quick view - am I ok right now?
What does this mean - provide some information as to why this element is important
Enable / disable all - data privacy
Icons
How do I connect to a smart toilet
Design
Content Architecture for App
Typeface
DM Sans
Primary Typeface
Designed by Colophon Foundry, Jonny Pinhorn, Indian Type Foundry
Next Steps
Ideas to implement if this project were to continue
Drop down menu in settings
More expansive data visualization
Fully customize Home Screen and notification preferences
Onboarding process
Implement real toggles
Create personalized routine
cleaning schedule, default seat warming temperature, nightlight brightness controls
Private sector development
usage reports, how much water/ electricity
maintenance reports
elderly settings - a simplified interface for people with less experience/comfort with technology