EMBR WAVE
A group, client-facing project to develop a quick-tour of a personal heating & cooling wearable
THE PROBLEM
The Wave is a disruptive wearable that can take time for a new user to experience and understand. Embr labs needed a way to quickly teach new users about the Wave through its accompanying app in order to increase adoption.
Ever freeze in an overly-conditioned room in the middle of summer? The founders of Embr Labs did, and created a device to help.
After various sources of funding followed by research to confirm its effectiveness, the Wave went into production and is now on track for $11 million in sales in 2019. For some new users, however, the Wave did not meet their expectations, and return rates were at 26% for 2018.
The Wave takes advantage of complicated technologies to give the user the perception of a five degree shift of temperature after wearing it. To do this, the device heats or cools in waves in order to better stimulate the skin's thermal receptors. This can make it seem as though the device isn't working, and for some can just feel strange.
Educating new users on the necessary, technological details and preparing them for the new experience while also showing them how to use the device and its accompanying app were all necessary components of the quick-tour.
Embr Labs had already done research to determine that the quick-tour was the correct solution to their issues at hand. We relied on this research and did our own contextual inquiry to add verification to help ensure we were indeed creating the right solution.
TIMELINE
1 week for research, 2 weeks for product development and testing.
TEAM MEMBERS
One doctor, one creative director, one photographer and one educator. Four designers.
KEY GOAL
A quick-tour that can allow new users to understand and better experience the Wave.
PRODUCT GOALS
MY ROLE
Research, Design, Science Editing & Teamwork
While everything was a group effort, research was my main responsibility to create and track.
For user interviews, I wrote the initial questions. I included questioning users around their learning of new technologies. I also included the questioning of expert demonstrators of the device-- Embr Labs' employees.
I created three metrics to track our product's effect, and tracked the inclusion of results from testing in design iterations.
I participated in synthesizing the qualitative research and was responsible for processing the results of the metrics and system usability scales.
I created the content for our proto-personas as well as the content and part of the design work for our customer journey maps.
I leaned into design with ideation in early design studios and my contribution of a few screens in Sketch.
A unique contribution to this project was my background in science. I was able to educate my team members on the device's functionality and tracked the validity of our product's content.
I also contributed by listening and employing my counseling skills in a group setting to help keep our project on track.
THE WAVE'S USERS
Embr Labs provided us with detailed information about their users.
Temperature Sensitive
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Mostly women
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Always the hot or cold person in the room
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Interferes with daily activities
Women in Primetime
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Average age 46-54
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Flashes can be unpredictable
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Sweating can be embarrassing and prohibitive
Medical Conditions
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Therapeutically induced hot flashes
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Raynaud's
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Parkinson's
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Anxiety
Teamwork makes the dream work.
Our ambitious research plan required everyone's participation for data gathering and synthesis.
OUR APPROACH
We conducted our user interviews based on these main user groups and added users who had returned the device and employees. We abstracted customer feedback available from Embr Labs and sent questionnaires to the users they provided. We interviewed new users in person after observing them use the product out of the packaging for the first time.
Here is a list of our questions:
1. Please tell me about how you experience temperature most of the time.
2. What was your first experience with Embr Wave like?
3. What did you expect it to be like?
4. How did you learn how to use Embr Wave?
5. What did you like and dislike about this process?
6. How would you explain this to someone else?/What works when you share the Embr Wave with others?
7. Can you remember a time when you were learning to use a new digital product? Please tell me about it.
8. Can you remember a time when someone coached you through an uncomfortable experience? What worked for you and what didn’t?
9. Now that we have been talking about this, has anything come to mind that you would like to share with me?
Metrics (Scale 1-5, 5=best/most likely/ highest):
10. Please rate your experience with Embr wave
11. How likely would you be to recommend this to a friend?
12. Please rate your level of need for assistance with thermal control.
SYNTHESIS
Our team synthesized the data by affinity mapping.
We did two separate affinity maps, one for current and one for new users.
This gave us a series of "I-statements" that led to our proto-personas and customer journey maps.
TRANSITION TO DESIGN
Where the magic happens.
From our qualitative data synthesis, we could see some basic design requirements for our product emerging.
1. Show or explain the wave function
“The time between waves is confusing.” —First-time user
“Showing the waves could help.”—Current user
"People get weirded out by the wave if you don't tell them."
--- Embr Employee
2. Give people the option to experience warming or cooling because of medical needs.
“My condition gets worse with heat.”—Current User
“I don’t like the cold, it bothers my pain.”—Current User
3. Have illustrations showing how the Embr Wave works.
“ I want something on the device that informs me about it.” —First-time user
“I questioned how the hot/cold worked and how it affects my body.”—First-time user
“Pictures help me learn.”—First-time user
4. Give instructions that are clear and well written.
“I get overwhelmed when there are to many features.”—Current User
“People don’t need to have things over explained.”—Current User
7. Demonstrate and explain how to use the Wave and how to put it on.
“I demonstrate and explain how to use the Embr Wave.” — Embr Employee
DESIGN STUDIO
5. Show how
people integrate the Wave into their life experiences.
“The device helps me sleep.”—Current User
“I use it after my workout and it reduces my cooling off period.”—Current User
“I get so cold in my office that I get stiff everywhere.”—Current User
8. Have an educational component highlighting the effectiveness of the device with medical conditions.
“I have fibromyalgia-this device has helped me greatly.” —Current User
“Even ½ degree makes a big difference with MS.” —Current User
6. Prompt the user to check in with how they feel at the beginning and
end of the ‘quick-tour.’
“ I always look for outcomes from a device before I buy it.” —First Time User
“I didn’t notice a change.”—First Time User
“I guess I do feel different. I just got goosebumps.” —First Time User
We had a lot of fun doing a design studio together.
We developed a number of interesting concepts and left with our first basic user flow and set of screens to create. We would then move on to complete three rounds of usability testing with an end total of four prototypes.
PROTOTYPE 1
Feedback from Embr Labs let us know that we could not include effectiveness of the device for medical conditions due to FDA regulations (8)
Usability testing taught us to not repeat testing on those we had previously interviewed because they had time to form opinions from outside sources or were biased based on their previous experience, we needed true new users for every round of testing.
We also learned to be more careful in our testing method and to explain that while the prototype was built out for warming, it can be completed while on the cool setting. We did start building out a cooling prototype in order for better testing capability but were not able to bring it to completion.
We also learned to more clearly instruct users on the limitations of the test and how we, the administrators, would carry out their desired temperature shifts.
PROTOTYPE 2
Usability testing on Prototype 2 led us to add more fidelity to the dot navigation to help users know when the tour is finished. We also improved the appearance of the temp slider bars. We considered changing the order of the screens but decided to wait on further testing.
PROTOTYPE 3
PROTOTYPE 4
METRICS
Of the three metrics we measured, the one that gave us the biggest result surprised us the most-- perception of need for thermal assistance. Our first metrics in this came from users who were targeted for their inclusion in the categories of Embr Wave's main users who all had higher thermal sensitivity. Our final metrics came from users who were fellow classmates and were testing our product. These users should have presumably had less need for thermal assistance, but perhaps our quick-tour is helping to remind people of their thermal needs.
TITLE OF THE CALLOUT BLOCK
LESSONS LEARNED & NEXT STEPS
My biggest lessons were in group communication and effective meeting time-- namely, to ask good questions, provide an agenda, and next time, have a specific document for ordered design changes. I remain curious about interview and testing methods and how to apply the right ones for the right products. I also want to learn more about what types of metrics to gather and how to evaluate them for confirmation of product effectiveness.
Our next steps in design are as follows:
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Sequence
Putting all learning slides before turning on the device
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Timing
Work out any differences between 3 and 10 minute demo
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Give the user control of their temperature before they
turn the device on
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The slider needs to update in real time as the current drag/drop feature works today. This needs to be worked out in development.
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Add an animation that shows how the effects of device affect entire body after message goes to the brain.
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Basic Edits
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Change the arrows from red to purple
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Move the device away from the wrist crease
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Change right/left on device instruction
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