Dash
IoT Device + Mobile Prototyping
An IoT solution to workplace interruptions.
Open office problems
You’re focused and finally in a good rhythm for working when a coworker comes by to ask you a question. To avoid being seen as unfriendly, you talk to them at the cost of your productivity. You can’t just put yourself as busy in-person like you can on Slack. It’s not their fault, how could they know? Or could they?
My role
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Collaborated in a cross functional team with an engineer, product designer and business analysts.
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Ideated and defined scope through conducting generative and evaluative research.
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Planned and executed remote usability studies to iterate designs.
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Created wireframes and crafted micro-interactions for high fidelity screens.
Timeline: 4 months, January - April 2020
Team: Bobbie Chen, Katanyu Guin-glr Chuenmeechow, Andrew Connolly, Rissa Lee
problem
Where was I again?
The Challenges of an Open Office
Open offices are supposed to increase social interactions and create a healthier work environment; however, studies have shown that it decreases productivity and interactions due to the awkwardness. The unspoken workplace etiquette makes it stressful to start a conversation and awkward to turn one down.
Why does it matter?
Decreased Productivity
We conducted a survey of 95 respondents with experience working in an open office and found several trends that convey decreased productivity in the office.
How often are you interrupted in a day?
39% of people stated that they lose over 30 minutes of productive time a day from these in-person interruptions.
This is increased to 66% for software developers.
It’s Hard to Say No and it’s Hard to Tell if Someone is Busy
Although the problem of decreased productivity is apparent and individuals are aware of it, it’s difficult for them to take any preventative measures without the risk of seeming unapproachable.
68% of people feel obligated to help even if they know they will lose productivity.
46% of individuals have taken some sort of action to prevent these interruptions, with 75.6% of them choosing to wear headphones.
Face-to-face interactions fell by 70% when switching to an open office
solution
Dash
01 Mobile Application
Remove the need to tip-toe around unspoken workplace etiquette
An IoT solution to workplace interruptions. Dash brings your Slack status into real life to reduce interruptions and create more meaningful conversations through clear communication. It’s more than a productivity tool. It brings people closer together by reducing the uncertainty and awkwardness of approaching coworkers. Dash is a two-pronged solution with a mobile application that is paired with a IoT device.
Principles:
Reduce interruptions that negatively impact productivity
Provide transparency and visibility into one’s availability to talk
Increase the opportunity for meaningful conversations that strengthen the relationship between coworkers
Dash’s mobile application provides transparency into one’s availability to the people around them with just a few taps. It’s ability to sync with Google Calendar and Slack reduces the effort and keeps up to date automatically.
Design Features
Syncing with Slack
Sync to slack with a simple button. Rearrange your home page however you'd like.
Update status simultaneously across platforms
Personalize the homepage
Update effortlessly
Setting a custom status
A custom, clear form of communication for you and others.
Customize any status
Access frequently used statuses
Provide clarity in availability
Syncing with Google Calendar
Update your calendar and your Dash will update itself. Set defaults, make exceptions.
Set defaults for calendar events
Create overrides for special occasions
Adjust your schedule on the fly
02 IoT Device
The IoT device utilizes a low energy E-Ink display driven by a Raspberry Pi to physically show the status of the user to minimize in-person interruptions.
Cheap, yet effective
Energy Efficient Device
An important factor in designing the IoT component was energy consumption. Instead of using an LED screen that would be on for 40 hours a week, Dash uses an E-Ink display to take advantage of the infrequent change of statuses. The trade-off is a 20 second transition period for the E-Ink display to rewrite the screen.
Bluetooth Low-Energy
The Dash application utilizes event-listening through Slack and Google Calendar API and communicates with the Raspberry Pi via Bluetooth Low-Energy. This further lowers the energy consumption of the Dash system while providing the same utility.
design process
What is an open office really like?
Survey
We started this project with the goal of better understanding the dynamics of the open office. We surveyed 95 individuals of varying backgrounds and the results illustrated the complexity of how seniority, profession, and personalities all affect the interactions.
Not All Interruptions are Bad
While lots of productive time is lost, I would say about half of the interruptions are urgent enough to re-prioritize my attention towards them. It's the other half of interruptions that I would like to cut back on.
Why Do You Help?
How might we...
decrease unnecessary interruptions?
allow transparency into one’s availability to talk at any moment?
Key insights
01
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Headphone is the most common form of showing unavailability; however, its vague meaning can be misinterpreted.
People rarely turn others away when asked to talk, even if they know that they will lose productivity
Entry level employees tend to perceive themselves as the interrupters, whereas senior level employees feel they are the ones being interrupted
Tell me about your average day
Interviews
After understanding the general landscape and dynamic of the open office, we utilized interviews to dig deeper into how it affects software engineers specifically and listened to stories of in-person interruptions.
How do you Approach Someone with Headphones?
I’m a little more apprehensive if they are wearing headphones. Most likely slack them first.
Lack of Privacy
Everyone is listening to everyone. I normally Slack people if it’s more sensitive stuff.
Key insights
01
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"Slack first" is the common protocol when people need something
There is a lack of privacy in the open office which deters in-person interactions
People leave the office or work from home if they do not want to be interrupted
What if you could show your status IRL?
Iterations through Usability Testing
After validating the user need of a solution to reducing unwanted interruptions in the office space, we remotely conducted a series of user testing sessions of the concept and prototype.
List View
Icon Exploration
Grid variation
Submitting a request
Levels of Urgency
This was tested in two different forms of binary and scale. We discovered that users would game the system by always selecting "yes" in the binary form even if it was not urgent. In the scale design, there was a learning curve since the numbers were arbitrary and different for each person. This flow was discontinued because it required a buy-in from two parties instead of one; ultimately, lowering the adoption rate.
Update notification
The original state had a notification that dropped from both the top and the bottom. The top notification conveyed the change on Slack, and the bottom for the IoT device. This was easy to miss as it depended on motion, and caused eye strain with the distance. This was improved to a card that deemphasized the background and allowed the e-ink display to update in real-time.
Should there be Presets? Custom Statuses?
Slack is meant to be professional, I don’t see more than 8 or 9 statuses during a day. I don’t think anyone would run into the issue of too many customization messages
Lunch is a Common Social Interaction
When asked what custom messages could people envision themselves setting, one status was common across 12 sessions. Lunch was by far the most popular custom status mentioned with an intent to mingle with others.
Yes, I see value in custom statuses, grabbing lunch for example. Yo all my friends, come hit me at x. A healthy work lifestyle allows for more social connection.
An Opportunity to Learn from Others
You could set a status to invite other people to talk to you about something specific.
Matching Google Calendar design
Key insights
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Social interactions in the office place are not only about work, but also about building relationships with your coworkers
Lunch is generally the acceptable time to socialize and when interactions are welcomed
future steps
Metrics
Let's prove that we're helping
Although Dash is designed to solve a real and validated problem in the office and consists of many features that users seek, it is still yet to be implemented in a real environment to understand it's effectiveness.
Perceived Productivity:
Survey users to identify how much productive time people feel they lose before and after Dash and cross analyze with the number of interruptions.
Team Dynamics:
Understand if Dash is facilitating more relevant conversations and opportunities to socialize during lunch.
Opportunities for Growth:
Evaluate if Dash is enabling conversations around topics that traditionally could be awkward to approach.
Future plans
Adaptation to Working from Home Due to COVID-19
Working from home has resulted in similar issues to the open office. Home were architecturally designed to have open spaces; however, it is not ideal for a working environment. Instead of coworkers interrupting, it is now family members or other roommates. How can Dash be adapted to communicate the same message to children? roommates? significant others?
Returning to the Office Post COVID-19
As companies have employees return to the office, it is a great opportunity to re-establish new and healthier work environments. Dash can also help the complex dynamic of the mix of in-person and remote employees by providing remote teams presence in the office.
IoT Form
The device currently is efficient in regards to energy consumption. However, the form of the device is still in a primitive state and needs testing as to its readability from long distances and multiple angles. Paper prototypes would be an effective way to research which form factors are most important to the user and the reader.
Personal takeaways
Design with Intent but an Open Mind
IoT devices are ever present in our surroundings and have the ability to do so much. With an additional component to a mobile app, it is even more important to design with intent.
Solve the problem and make it even better:
The project started with solving productivity issues in the open office; however, it pivoted into tackling that and improving relationships between coworkers.
Be efficient:
Without energy, all IoT devices are rendered useless. It is essential to only use as much energy as needed to increase the feasibility of adoption.