Interaction design of automatic faucet for standard hand-wash

Abstract

In hand-washing practice, people tend to forget to use soap and scrub for 20 seconds as stated in the standard. This paper attempts to develop an automatic faucet that is user-friendly and easy to plug in regular water pipe for standard hand-washing routine. An Interaction Design Process that aims to maximize product usability was applied during the development. The faucet utilized IR proximity sensor to detect presence of hands that would automatically commence the hand-washing process. First, it exited water and soap simultaneously to force users to use soap. The scrubbing duration was marked by buzzer’s sound and LED’s light. The validation test showed health practitioner agreed the faucet facilitates a standard hand-washing. The user test in 30 participants showed users used soap and scrubbed in the exact duration. The usability questionnaire filled by participants showed they were strongly agreed for its usefulness and agreed for its satisfaction and easiness.