The Design and Evaluation of User-Interface Prototypes for a Next-Generation Dishwasher Mobile Application

Abstract

Dishwashers have become an integral part of most American households and with the advent of technology, there is an opportunity to integrate smart features such as Wi-Fi connectivity, new user interfaces, and autonomous operation. The focus of our work is to inform the design of a next generation dishwasher. Here we provide research on how the smart technologies may change the paradigm in which users interact with their dishwasher and present an initial mobile prototype based on our research to improve the dishwashing experience. This study included three phases. For phase 1, we gathered data to inform the design of a mobile application prototype that included data information gathering from 31 user interviews, seven user daily-use diary interviews, and 164 questionnaires. For phase 2, we developed a mobile application prototype. For phase 3, we evaluated the mobile application prototype with 10 users. Our results thus far have shown that users are frustrated with the lack of transparency and understanding of all the functions available with their dishwasher, but have positively responded to using a mobile application to improve their understanding of their dishwasher. Overall, we believe that smart technologies have a potential to revolutionize the dishwashing experience; however, we believe that an effective UI design is critical towards that goal.