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Joanne Liu
GT Aware Home: Smart Bathroom Analysis Tool
UX Research
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Data analysis system redesign for
occupational therapists in GT Aware Home
Context
Academic app concept - team of 4
4 months (Aug.2023 - Dec.2023)
What is the Smart Bathroom? 🚽
The Smart Bathroom Lab is part of Georgia Tech’s Aware Home, which explores how technology can assist older adults with independent living. The Smart Bathroom project uses touch sensors to monitor daily bathroom activities, providing data that helps therapists assess the well-being of older adults.
The problem is...
Occupational therapists currently face a tedious, manual process for analyzing sensor data—switching between videos, spreadsheets, and notes. This inefficient workflow creates frustration, delays assessments, and limits time for patient care.
Who are the Users? 💼
Our primary users are occupational therapists who collect and transcribe the data received from the GT Aware Home.
In the future, clients and patients who use this smart toilet will also benefit from having a coherent interface that translates the data from the toilet.
RESEARCH
Which part of the analysis process causes the most frustration? 🔦
To pinpoint pain points, I conducted contextual interviews with occupational therapists to observe their workflow and discover ways in which the analysis process could be improved.
Contextual Interview 🎥
From contextual interview, I identified the most frustrating tasks:
Monitoring multiple videos of the same event from different angles
Locating correct video files in folders
Manually comparing scores with colleagues
To visualize these pain points, I created a user journey diagram mapping the entire workflow from pilot testing to final output. The diagram includes an emotion graph at the bottom, clearly showing users' highs and lows throughout the process.
Onsite Observation 🔧
To contextualize the research, my project team and I visited the GT Aware Home, where the Smart Bathroom Lab is located. We observed live trials to understand:
How the smart toilet operates in practice
The workflow for collecting sensor/camera data
Pain points in real-time data integration
Competitor Analysis📊
In many existing solutions, more features often mean higher costs and a steeper learning curve. Our goal is to strike a balance by designing a product that provides the necessary functionality while remaining intuitive and user-friendly for occupational therapists.
DESIGN
Sketching and Wireframing ✒️
With research insights guiding the process, I began by sketching rough interface concepts that mapped to users' workflows, then developed these into wireframes.
The design comprises four key sections:
Pilot testing
Video timestamping
Scoring
Comparison
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User Testing & Prototype 🔦
After finalizing the wireframes, I conducted two rounds of usability testing to evaluate users' comprehension of the product flow and identify misunderstandings. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive—users particularly liked innovative features that could significantly simplify their tedious tasks. Based on these testing results, I refined the app's workflow and developed it into a high-fidelity prototype.
Smart Bathroom Analysis Tool 💻
Video Timestamp Labeling 📎
Eliminates manual note-taking by letting therapists tag key moments in trial videos directly within the interface. Organizes footage for faster analysis and reporting.
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Trial Assessment and Scoring 📝
Replaces paper scoring sheets with integrated digital forms. Enables real-time performance evaluation with automated calculations to reduce errors.
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Time/Score Comparison 📑
Enables therapists to compare scoring approaches with colleagues, ensuring consistency in assessments. Highlights discrepancies for calibration discussions while preserving individual evaluation styles.
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