PaperLink Smartpen Project

Google Advanced Technology and Projects Group (ATPG) retained our research firm to study and test a smart pen prototype. The smartpen's novel technology and two-camera design enabled it to (1) transcribe handwritten ink symbols and drawings into digital documents and (2) recognize programable commands that interface with smartphones and smartwatches. The firm produced two empirical research reports that measured writing behavior, speed, and user acceptance across nine pen concepts. Additionally, three pen models were subjected to testing to answer a critical research question: can pen design cause proper camera orientation.

Prototype Video USABILITY REPORT

PROJECT FEATURED

EmpATHIZE

DEFINE

IDEATE

PROTOTYPE

TEST

ROLES

Core Team:

Human factors engineers, human factors research scientist, CEO of research firm

Business Stakeholders:

Google's ATPG engineering team

My Role:

Human factors engineer

My Duties:

Collaborated with team on study design; managed recruitment and screening criteria, acted as study moderator; analyzed and wrote up research findings for final deliverables.

PROCESS

Discovery and Define Phase:

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Design, Development, and Test Phase:

OUTCOMES

The core research team traveled to Mountain View, CA to deliver the report in person. A detailed elaboration of the insights is confidential but the research was received and helped the engineering team make informed design decisions based on user feedback and learnings. As of this writing, Google has yet to bring a smartpen product to market.