Overview
Glisten was the brainchild of a 3-person interdisciplinary team that I was a part of. The team, consisting of a bio-medical engineer, a bio-technologist, and I, created this product from the ground up. We competed in multiple design and business competitions, which culminated in winning $10,000 cash prize in one particular event.
Glisten is an at-home dental prediagnostic and monitoring device that helps people stay on top of their oral health in between dentist visits. It comprises of an intraoral camera, a saliva pH test kit, and an accompanying app.
What I Learned
This was a massive project that encomposed everything from user experience and industrial design to market research and techincal feasibility. As the designer of the team with no engineering or biotech experience, it was certainly a challenge to work cross-functionally with my other partners at first. However, we quickly understood what each other brings to the table and worked out effective communication approaches to tackle the project. We had to find compromises for our design, balancing the aesthetic and functional aspects of the design in order to create a product that makes the most sense.
I learned a great deal from this project, particularly the importance of being able to work across disciplines, when to accept design compromises and when to push for more innovative thinking to solve an issue. I also understood that no matter how visually appealing or technically impressive a product may be, there must be a convincing market opportunity and need for the product to be successful. This really taught me the importance of initial market and user research and gave me an even greater appreciation to research. Overall, Glisten was a massively successful project on many aspects.
Role & Responsibilities
- Lead designer for the team
- Oversee and handle all physical and digital design-related aspects of the product
- Work cross-functionally with teammates to successfully bring product to life
Why is Glisten Needed?
Dental care is a luxury for many adults in the United States. There is a worrisome portion of Americans whose lives are affected in a negative way due to unspotted or untreated dental issues. Even for those who do go to the dentist, problems arise all the time in between the visits that go unnoticed. Glisten helps give people more control of their oral health.
$45 billion
lost in productivity every year in the United States from dental problems
1 in 4 adults
in the US have unspotted or untreated dental problems
59% of adults
in the US choose not to go to the dentist due to costs and time
Data taken from the CDC
Understanding the User
User Persona
Tanjiro
As an young professional working as an investment banker at a firm, it is very difficult for Isiah to take time out of his day to do things besides work. Tanjiro's had dental issues since he was a kid and know that he is prone to getting cavities. However, he finds that having to frequently go to the dentist just to do checkups can be a hassle in his busy life. He deeply cares about his dental health and wants alternatives to having to go to dentist everytime he thinks something is wrong.
Journey Map
Monitor
Spot
Consult
Treatment
1. Use Glisten’s saliva pH test strips to monitor oral hygiene and be aware of overall oral health.
2. Use intraoral camera to visually check for any potential problems with teeth.
3. pH test strips indicate that there could be a developing cavity problem
4. Use intraoral camera to locate potential area of the problem and take pictures
5. Create prediagnostic
report on Glisten app containing all relevant information
6. Send to dentist via the app and wait for a response.
7. Receives response from dentist indicating that he needs to come in to have the issue looked at.
8. Goes to dentist and gets treatment before the problem develops into a full cavity
Product Features
Below are product renders of Glisten to showcase the various components and features of the physical product.
The Accompanying App
App User Flow
In order to build the app to fully compliment and work alongside the physical product, I laid out a diagram that best fits the core user flow to aid in making the app prototype.
App Prototype Walkthrough
This is a quick walkthrough of the high-fidelity prototype of the Glisten app. This prototype was used in user test sessions to evaluate the usability of the app.
The walkthrough includes several tasks that test participants were asked to complete. These tasks cover most of the main functions of the app.
Usability Testing
Overview
Using the high-fidelity prototype, our team conducted a usability study to recieve critiques and feedback on the app, it's overall design, and the experience of completing determined tasks.
Hybrid Sessions
Test sessions were conducted through both in person and online sessions
Main Flows Tested
Viewing ph Profile; perform & log pH test; mock use of intraoral camera; create & send test prediagnostics
7 Participants
The participants consisted of 4 males and 3 females, 3 in their late 20s and 4 in their early 30s
Tested Alongside Physical Prototype
Testing of the physical & app prototype were done concurrently to simulate real-life use scenario
20 - 25 Minute Sessions
All test sessions ran for 20 - 25 minutes from start to finish.
Vocal Reasoning
Participants were asked to convey their thought process vocally throughout the tasks.
User Feedback
“The app integrated quite nicely with the camera. Though navigating between tasks was a bit tricky at times. I would’ve liked to have one of those menu bars or something.”
“I think the app really helped me understand the different uses for the product. I appreciated how the app kind of guides you through the processes, like the pH test strip. Otherwise I’m not really sure if I can properly use the product.”
Participants were asked to fill out a scoring chart at the end of the session for both physical and app prototypes. Below are the averages:
Takeaways
- This is a very big project and there are still a lot of aspects and facets to explore.
- Cannot always assume and predict user’s thought process.
- Usability testing is crucial to improving the design.
Going Forwards
- Iterate app based on usability study findings.
- Refine physical product.
- Conduct new usability study with new iterations.