Georgia Tech Aware Home
A software improving the process of scoring and transcribing data for Georgia Tech Aware Home Lab
Meet the Team
Kathleen Yang
Joanne Liu
Sunny Yang
Leesan Sun
What is the Smart Bathroom Project?
The Smart Bathroom lab project, part of the Georgia Tech Aware Home, explores the use of technologies in the bathroom to assist older adults living independently at home. This project is lead by Dr. Brian Jones and occupational therapist Dr. Susan Lee, who we are working with. The smart toilet is an "assistive technology featuring mechanically adjustable toilet and grab bars and sensors that can measure walking performance (speed, balance, stability), location of feet and hands, and forces applied to the bathroom surfaces and fixtures" (Smart Bathroom). There are two part to the current lab project: executing trials at the Aware Home and scoring the performance of the trials.
During the trials, the participant will follow 6 performance tasks: approach, pivot, transfer on, sitting down, transfer off, and walk away. This process is filmed through 4 different camera angles and repeated until the hour is up.
All videos will then be sent to the graduate research assistants (GRA) working for Dr. Susan Lee at Georgia State University. Following a scheme, each GRA will manually input their observed time frames and success rate scores into an Excel sheet for each of the performance tasks. Once all the GRAs complete scoring the trial, they will convene to cross-reference and correct any discrepancies, culminating in a finalized score. This process is repeated for every trial. The finalized scores will later on be compared to the sensor data gathered from the trial to confirm the accuracy of the sensor data for future machine learning. However, the lab is not at that step yet.
Problem
Researchers and occupational therapists at the Smart Bathroom project at Georgia Tech Aware Home are experiencing difficulty with the amount of technical inconveniences when proceeding with the data analysis process. This project aims to investigate and develop a solution to make the process of scoring and transcribing touch sensing data more efficient and user-friendly for occupational therapists and researchers of the Smart Bathroom.
Pain Points
The overall process was inconvenient for the researchers and occupational therapists:
Limited laptop storage due to constantly downloading video files received from the lab. Each trial would have 4 videos and each participant would conduct 10+ trials.
The scorers need to switch between different windows such videos and Excel sheets used to score the trials. Any additional files needed during this process are also all found separately.
The video datas are not always synced together so the scorers would have to manually sync every video. Some performance tasks require multiple angle views which made it difficult to transcribe data.
Solution
We came to the conclusion that we needed to create an all-encompassing software to make the entire process fluid. Points we focused on are:
The user flow of the software matches with the actual process from recording participant trials to scoring performance.
All necessary actions are present on the same screen for every step.
User interface is clean and visually accessible. Navy blue with white background allowed for color contrast, making it easy on the user's eyes.
New Participant
Create a new participant.
Procedure document that needs to be filled out with participant information such as demographic data and functional ability.
Video Recording
Records videos for each trial during lab testing.
All four video timelines are synced.
Note pop-up section to take notes during trial on the bottom right corner.
Participant information on the left side for easy access.
Toilet configuration information during the trial shown at the bottom.
Video Labeling
See all four videos from different angles all at once.
Master timeline with control buttons and keyframe feature to easily transcribe time stamp for the corresponding performance task.
Trial Assessment and Scoring
Select different camera view for different performance tasks.
For each tasks, there is an easy scoring metric using buttons for efficiency and less physical effort.
Sensor data taken during the trial is displayed in sync with the videos.
Time and Score Comparison
Scorers can compare timestamps and scores for each performance task.
If the answers are the same, the system will automatically generate the final number or score.
Different timestamps will be left blank for the scorers to fill in.
Different scores will be highlighted by row for scorers to easily see which section needs to be changed and corrected.
Research
We conducted extensive research using 4 different methods: contextual interviews, onsite observation, document walkthrough and teardown, and competitive analysis.
From these methods, we concluded on 4 findings:
The current process of transcribing data is tedious and manual. The researchers are only using basic Microsoft software and other tools without a centralized system.
The lab and therapists are using two separate data sets. The lab receives sensor data from the smart toilet experiments while the therapists analyze their own data through video recordings of the experiments.
We are only designing a centralized software to help unite the process of the lab trials to the therapists' conclusive data.
There are no products in the market that satisfies all the necessary functions of the project.
Ideation
For our prototype, we decided on 6 necessary design functionalities that were derived from our research:
A log-in feature allowing users to easily access their account with autofill and all project information accessible and stored in the cloud storage of the software.
A new participant page for users to create a new participant that includes the participant form with all necessary details for the experiment trials.
A video recording function to easily record videos for each participant trials during the SmartToilet testing. All videos will be synced so users don't have to worry about videos being out of sync.
A video labeling function allowing users to see all four videos from different angles at once. It will also include a master timeline to control the buttons and keyframe draggers.
A trial assessment function enabling users to select camera view for different performance tasks. The scoring metrics will be clickable instead of having users to type in each number manually.
A score comparison function so different users can compare their timestamp and scores. If the scores compared are the same, the system will automatically generate the final score to reduce human attention.
Wireframes
I was in charge of organizing the overall flow of the process. This helped us figure out what was missing and could be improved before high-fidelity prototype. I focused on:
Having all the necessary information and actions on every page.
Balancing white space to combat information overload.
Testing
We conducted 4 moderated user testing and heuristic evaluations with 3 experts. Through this process, we concluded on 4 overall findings:
We are successful in creating a user-centric and efficient user experience.
The users had an easy time navigating the system.
Users needed time familiarizing themselves with the system but all showed improved learnability over time.
The design is mostly complete with minor adjustments in visual design details to enhance accessibility.
What is next?
We completed our first round of prototyping and user testing within the given time frame. If we were to continue with this project, this is what our timeline would be:
Reflection
This project was the first time I worked directly with a research lab which was both difficult and rewarding. My teammates and I spent a lot of time simply trying to understand every step of research and the tools they used to achieve their goals. We visited the lab directly and even participated in one of the mock trials the researchers would do for a participant. When we received all the materials and observations, only then did we proceed with designing. Communicating with the researchers from Georgia Tech and the occupational therapists from Georgia State, we were actively engaging with multiple teams of people which required our communication to be efficient and timely.
Meeting and working together for the first time, my teammates and I quickly learned what worked well and what didn't. We assigned tasks evenly based on every member's strengths. I took lead in designing the wireframes and prototype which provided a unique challenge. With everyone on the same page and timeline, our project process went by very smoothly.
What I would do differently…
Communicate even more with clients to make up for lost time in between messages.
Find more experts for user testing despite the niche field for better insights and design recommendations.