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Contextual Inquiry
Social presence matters. Even light social presence increased follow-through.
Motivation
Why this problem matters
Adults with executive dysfunction often struggle most with getting started, not with the tasks themselves. Our formative work revealed that fatigue, unclear starting points, decision overload, and emotional overwhelm are the most persistent barriers. Everyday tasks like cooking, dishes, and laundry become disproportionately difficult because users lack energy, structure, and social presence.
Across our research, participants repeatedly described a gap between intention and action. They could see the mess in the kitchen, or the pile of laundry—but lacked the energy or clarity to begin. When energy was low, even small tasks felt cognitively heavy.
Traditional productivity tools assume consistent focus and stable energy. Our participants’ realities were different: time blindness, fluctuating capacity, and emotional drag made “just use a to-do list” unrealistic. They needed tools that could sit with them in these moments, not judge them for struggling.
Target Audience
Capable and motivated, but struggling with initiation.
Who we designed for
Our audience is adults who experience executive dysfunction—people who are capable and motivated, but who routinely struggle with task initiation, planning, and energy regulation. These challenges appeared across our survey participants regardless of diagnosis.
Meet Gina (Persona)
Gina is a 28-year-old PhD student. When she gets home, exhaustion sets in. She sees the dishes, the reminders—and still can’t start. Her thoughts spiral, tasks stack, and decision-making becomes overwhelming. She’s most successful when she feels a gentle sense of social presence.
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Key Insights
Initiation is the barrier
Users freeze when the first step isn’t clear.
Energy varies
92% cited energy depletion as the biggest obstacle.
Social presence helps
Gentle acknowledgment increased follow-through.
Tone matters
Supportive tone felt motivating; pushy tone felt intrusive.
Formative Studies
A five-step research process to uncover the real needs.
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Diary Study
Initiation is harder than completion. Started tasks were easier to finish.
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User Interviews
Fatigue is the quiet saboteur. It's not about lack of motivation.
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Survey (n=52)
Cooking (92.3%) and cleaning (74.4%) are the top struggle areas.
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User Enactments
Tone makes or breaks the experience. Adaptive personality is key.
Process Gallery
Meet Toasty
Your Adaptive Home Companion
Toasty combines emotional intelligence, adaptive prompting, and smart home integration to support adults with executive dysfunction across the hardest moments of the day.
Adaptive Persona
Adjusts voice, tone, and pacing to match your energy.
Expressive Fireplace Hub
Provides warm ambience, clear starting points, and comforting feedback.
Dockable Wearable
Lightweight portable support that travels with you.
Smart Home Integration
Timers, lights, and environmental cues bridge the gap.
Reflections & Future Work
Lessons learned and the path forward.
Designing and demoing Toasty over the past several months led to a variety of lessons learned, tough decisions, and ideas for the future.
Insights
- Holograms are impressive: Toasty’s hologram effect received excited reactions and helped make the product feel more lived-in and alive.
- Personality was key: Creating an adaptable and realistic voice and face was critical to “selling” the demo.
- Portability matters: It was important that Toasty’s fireplace dock could be moved to different counters or shelves.
Limitations
- Toasty is delicate: We were limited in terms of how large we could make Toasty due to lighting conditions.
- Limited wearable design: We used an Apple Watch as a stand-in. More time would allow for custom screen experiments.
- Interaction methods: Currently voice-based. Adding buttons would increase usability.
Next Steps
- Building the wearable: Visualize timers and other reminders on the wrist.
- Building an app: Designing an interface for control without causing distraction.
- Complex scripts: Developing varied scripts for areas outside the kitchen to prove versatility.
Accessibility
Toasty currently relies on voice and visuals. Future inclusivity goals include:
- Modify Input: Support slower speech, stuttering, or sign language cues.
- Alternative Output: Captions on dock/wearable, text commands via AAC devices.
- Enhanced Cues: Explicit speech/sound/vibration if visual cues are effectively invisible.
Milestone Documentation
THE CREATORS
Meet Team Peapod
We are PEEA Pod. Four students passionate about using technology to make daily life more accessible.
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Patrick
Project Manager
Kept the team blazing forward. Coordinated team efforts, kept deliverables on track, and supported the team through each phase of development.
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Emmaline
Front-End Engineer
The fuel for presentations. Built the Toasty website and underlying presentation framework, managed digital assets, and performed in live demonstrations to showcase Toasty’s behavior in context.
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Erin
Creative Prototyper & Animation Designer
Made a hearth a home. Designed Toasty’s expressive animations and 3D-printed components to bring Toasty’s form and personality to life.
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Ashita
Technical Architect
The logic behind the spark. Bridged product goals with feasible system behavior, shaping Toasty’s wearable–hub relationship and the system’s technical direction.
Why "Peapod"?
Our team name comes from our initials: Patrick, Emmaline, Erin, and Ashita. It's P-E-E-A... like Peas in a Pod! We stick together to solve tough problems.