Smart Home Water Monitor
& Shutoff Valve
Role
UX Design Researcher
Target User
U.S. Plumbers / Installers
Research Methods
Survey Design
Field Studies - Contextual Inquiry
Timeline
July 2019 - Feb. 2020
Connected Water for Your Home
After Resideo acquired smart water startup Buoy, the team aimed to integrate Pressure Reducing Valve (PRV) technology into Buoy’s connected system. I led a two-person research team to map the full service blueprint of the installer experience.
We spent months in the field, shadowing plumbers to learn how they work, what they need, and how they view connected water tech. These insights directly shaped industrial design and engineering decisions—making the experience simpler for plumbers and smarter for homeowners.
Problem
The design team had previously taken a one-size-fits-all approach, without fully exploring how regional differences across the U.S. affect plumbing practices, regulations, and homeowner expectations. I saw this as a major gap—and opportunity.
Approach
Primary User: United States Plumbers / Installers
Ethnographic research: I led in-field visits with plumbers across different regions—capturing how climate, infrastructure, and local codes shape installation and maintenance.
National survey: We conducted a U.S.-wide survey to validate and quantify regional differences in homeowner awareness, expectations, and trust in smart water systems.
By surfacing these region-specific needs and constraints, our team was able to design a more flexible, scalable solution—one that worked for a plumber in Phoenix just as well as one in Boston. This research became a key input for both the product roadmap and installation design strategy, earning strong alignment from engineering, product, and business stakeholders.
Insights
Followed CA and AZ plumbers around to observe product installations
Key learnings
Engineering accommodations: pipe sizes, weather protection, overall size due to size of installation sites, material selection per environment and best-practice
Business suggestions: Identified untapped market opportunities, provided deviation from existing design
For next time…
Increase sample size—reevaluate financial and resource constraints
Expand ethnographic research to remaining regions
Refine business goals with research goals → VP of Water