Overview
One of the vision-work projects I worked on as a UX Strategist was the concept of a Smart Mirror, and how it would fit into the CVS Health ecosystem of products. The team consisted of me, 1 UI Designer, 1 Accessibility Expert, and 1 UX Strategy Director.
Most existing Smart Mirrors are able to perform basic tasks, such as set/show reminders, tell the weather, etc. We envisioned an elevated, health-focused Smart Mirror that is able to identify health issues before they escalate. We also wanted it to detect emergency situations, such as if an elderly person were to slip and fall. Since we were starting this idea completely from scratch, a majority of this project was about discovery, design explorations, and gathering feedback from potential users of our defined demographic. The final deliverables included a research report detailing our users' comfort level with a Smart Mirror, and a conceptual UI of the Smart Mirror.
Challenge
Learn how our users would perceive a Smart Mirror that specializes on health and assess the boundaries of its “creepiness”. Then, identify our primary audience and create a Smart Mirror concept that users would find helpful and supportive, while also does not make the user uncomfortable.
Role
Led UX Research (discovery, testing, and analysis)
Assisted in UI design
Desk research
We began this project by doing desk research to understand the basic components of a Smart Mirror; what they do, what it contains (camera, etc.), who uses them, where they are usually located (rooms inside of a home), how they’re used; anything and everything related to a Smart Mirror. We mostly looked at existing products and research relating to Smart Mirrors, and also read Amazon reviews to begin to have an understand of how the general user base feels about Smart Mirrors.
We came to the realization that having a Mirror always “watching you” through its built-in camera might make users uncomfortable, especially when the Mirror is inside of a bathroom. Not only is a bathroom the most common room in a home that contains a mirror, it is also the most intimate. We were interested to see what the boundaries of our users may be when it comes to a Smart Mirror, and how “creepy” they find it.
User testing plan
In order to learn more about the "creepiness" boundary of a Smart Mirror, I devised and conducted an unmoderated, conceptual user test on UserTesting.com. The test involves guiding participants through a story of an average day and exploring various scenarios on how they would interact with a Smart Mirror every time they entered their bathroom. I also incorporated our research and the ideas we devised for a health-focused Smart Mirror into the test.
After each phase of the story, the user answers a few questions about what they read. This was to gather some first impressions on the functionality of the Smart Mirror, as well as their comfort-level with the situation described.
User testing scenarios
Results / Insights
Overall, participants are mixed in their interest in the idea/product
While the tech is interesting, there are many concerns over privacy, monitoring, control & consent that overrule their interest in the product
Shared trust in CVS as the producer of the product
Most want to self report their actions rather than have them monitored and data auto-saved & automatically shared out.
Privacy, control, consent & safety are #1 concerns
Everyone has different boundaries, but they want 100% control over every aspect
Some participants were comfortable with the smart mirror having a camera until presented with a scenario where the mirror may see them or their kids undress. Several were adamant that it should not have a camera at all.
Although all participants were uncomfortable with the mirror being able to see them undress, they recognize the benefits for the older generation or for people who can't self report (slipping, side effects they don't notice, etc.)
Concerns about how data will be used, stored, who has access to it.
Participants do not want to be "monitored"
Many participants are wondering how the smart mirror deals with situations where they don't take their medications in front of the mirror
Not everyone keeps or takes their medications in the bathroom
Some are questioning why this can't be an app or text reminder
Some want it to do more than just track medications, especially if they're not taking them in from of the mirror.
Some participants who already own several smart devices were more comfortable with the smart mirror (assuming it doesn't have a camera)
One participant said, "I feel comfortable with it because I own other smart devices that are always listening and watching."
Multiple concerns about how guests might react to the mirror
The mirror might scare the guest, and a few participants want the smart mirror to become a "generic mirror" for guests
Could be a liability for the user if guest doesn't know it's monitoring.
What if people look alike?