Your incredible personal bot, Hbito
User Research | Design Concept | Social Bots
"Overload, clutter, and confusion are not attributes of information; they are failures of design.”
— Edward Tufte
With the rise of graphical user interfaces and the internet, we are drowning in information and constantly distracted. Hundreds of apps and endless notifications compete for our attention, often failing to deliver on their promise of productivity and better habits.
This case study explores the productivity challenges people face and proposes a solution using personal assistant technology.
Note: This project began as part of a six-week Product Design course at TU Delft and evolved beyond it.
User Research
Understanding people’s struggles
Empathy is a great tool to get to know people’s struggle.
I surveyed 10 of my friends and colleagues who worked as…IT professionals, students and freelancers.
Asked about their daily routines and tools/ applications they used at work.
Design Research
Design Challenge
"How might we design a personal assistant technology which is is Tangible, Conversational, and feels like a true Companion?"
Sketching and Prototyping
Prototyping one of the context scenarios
Scenario: A person K starts working at 10:30 AM in the morning and wants a distraction free environment. Hbito helps him track his work and productive.
Prototyping Character Expressions
Eyes movements
Touch
Lip movements
CAD Design
Designed and rendered on Autodesk Fusion
Learnings and Takeways
Building the Hbito was a deep learning experience, from user research to physical computing prototyping to crafting 3D mockups. This project was undertaken while I was working for Zeta
The tight timeline meant balancing breadth over depth, limiting the chance to fully explore any single design aspect. In the future, I’d love to dive deeper into specific verticals, refining insights and pushing the boundaries of the design process