

I spent six months with Goby's team building the world’s first direct to consumer rechargeable electric toothbrush. During my time on the team, I coordinated all logistics, partnered with domestic and international vendors, and led our user testing initiative. I developed the research model, using both quantitative data and user interviews after a 1-2 week trial period to test our product features, which informed future engineering and design decisions.
USER TESTING OBJECTIVES
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Determine an optimal range of brushing speed that gives the majority of users a thorough and comfortable brushing experience
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Testing for anything unexpected or difficult throughout the user experience: unboxing, brushing, charging, cleaning
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Finding areas of which users feel Goby can improve
IDENTIFYING USER GROUPS
We collected a user group from a network of friends, founders, and dentists. I categorized users into those using manual brushes, electric brushes, and dentists. Understanding each user’s current brushing experience helped us benchmark Goby’s comparative brushing experience.
MANUAL USERS

EXECUTION
ELECTRIC USERS

DENTISTS

We tested prototypes at various brushing speeds with our users. Each tester used their prototype for 1-2 weeks dependent on their availability. Prototypes were generally consistent in provided directions, aesthetics, and product functions. The largest variable between prototypes was brushing speed, which we recorded before each trial.
After each trial, I conducted a 15-20 minute interview with each user to understand their experience with Goby. Questions were categorized under the following: handleability, aesthetics, user experience of each product function (unboxing, brushing, charging, cleaning), and a quality rating.

TESTING RESULTS
Overall, our testing was iterative with each prototype, giving us the opportunity to provide improved product specifications and validate each change through an improved prototype.
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We benchmarked a speed range at which many users felt they were able to receive a thorough clean. We also benchmarked a speed for sensitive users.
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Initial questions from our users on how to use Goby informed a Product FAQ, Quick Start Guide, and User Manual.
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We detected a handful of user concerns and product failures which we were able to relieve before launch through tighter quality assurance and new specifications.
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Suggestions for improvement informed plans for future versions and accessories of Goby
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Well revered Dr. Julie Cho, DMD, loved and endorsed Goby!
"Goby provides a smooth and thorough brushing experience, which is difficult to duplicate with a manual brush. Plus the subscription service ensures the brush head gets replaced every 3 months which most of us forget to do." - Dr. Julie Cho, DMD