BxObs Applet
Observation tool for psychologists
Context
The BxObs (behavior observation) Applet is an extension/companion to the Assessment Assistant App Developed by Cerebral Code. It gives practicing psychologists the ability to collect observation data in real-time while streamlining the process for data analysis and reporting.
Problem
Collecting and analyzing behavior data is often slow and inefficient, especially with outdated methods like paper forms and spreadsheets. Existing digital tools are often not user-friendly or tailored to professional workflows, making it difficult for psychologists to efficiently track progress, share results, and validate interventions. This increases administrative burden and reduces time for student support.
Solution
A streamlined, intuitive data collection resource is needed to empower psychologists to gather accurate, actionable data, and enhance the effectiveness of their services.
Role
UX Design
Timeline
1 month, June 2025
Skills
UX Research
Wireframing
Prototyping
Design system management
Component design
Tools
Figma
Google Material Design 3 Design System
BxObs (Behavior Observation Tool)
The BxObs Applet was designed to meet or exceed the effectiveness of existing observation protocols and applications. Developed using the core tenets of sampling as outlined by American Clinical Psychologist Jerome Sattler, each feature is a derivative of a sampling method best practice based on the outcomes of empirical research.
Trusted by professional practitioners
The BxObs Applet uses AI to generate concise, reports and visual charts that can be easily exported, making key insights easy to share and understand.
These streamlined outputs support functional behavior assessments, intervention planning, and progress monitoring—saving time, improving accuracy, and enhancing collaboration for school psychologists.
Uses
Systematic observational data analysis such as teacher-student interactions—to identify best practices.
Quantify student behavior (engagement, compliance, and appropriateness)
Gather evidence to identify disordered external or adaptive behaviors.
Train observers on coding systems
Develop “local norms” for schools or districts, increasing identification fidelity.
Competition
Most popular
Comprehensive methods
Longest operating
iOS exclusive
Outdated
No clear research base
Poor user experience
Behavior Observation Made Easy -
Comprehensive methods
Multiplatform
Recently released
Fair research base
Fair user experience
This analysis provided insights into features currently available on comparable platforms and highlighted areas for potential improvement within the BxObs tool.
Simple. Effective. Useful flow
The goal was to design a user flow that balances simplicity and functionality by avoiding overwhelming users with excessive options while preserving sufficient clinical utility.
Starting a new observation
Open a new observation
Choose a method
Define meta information
Begin observation
Exporting observation reports
Finish observation
Review or export data at-a-glance
Generate AI report
Export to case report
Users need utility and efficiency
Each observation method varied in complexity from basic to advanced. Through interviews with clinical and school psychologists, I identified key pain points and essential features.
Users shared that -
Key features such as displaying a timer, allowing timer nudging, providing a pause button, and visually showing elapsed and remaining time are important for certain observation methods like interval sampling.
Having the ability to export graphs and AI summaries directly to reports would simplify workflows.
Psychometric Considerations
I collaborated closely with licensed experts in the field to ensure alignment with industry best practices. Rather than developing a new system, I implemented validated features from established observational coding frameworks such as the Revised Edition of the School Observation Coding System (REDSOCS).
Since REDSOCS lacks explicit definitions of appropriate behaviors, a team of teachers and school psychology students developed categories.
Engaged in lesson,
Working,
Waiting
Following directions
Playing
Social interaction.
Design Kit
Google M3
By using Google’s official Material 3 Design Kit in Figma, adaptable guidelines and flexible components, I efficiently built and customized the BxObs app wireframes with special consideration for user accessibility needs.
Prototyping and Testing
Breathing life into design
Google's Material 3 makes it easy to adjust designs for various devices using responsive components, modern shapes, and dynamic colors. I used adjustable components to build wireframes for each screen in the design before prototyping.
Mid-Fidelity Prototype
The prototype includes the most common observation methods used by psychology specialists.
Antecedent Behavior Consequence (ABC) Observation Tool
The ABC Observation component is designed to allow users to quickly record the antecedents, behaviors, and consequences observed during student interactions, with just a few taps.
Features include
Real-time data entry
Customizable behavior categories
Time-stamped observations
Ability to track multiple students or behaviors simultaneously
Frequency Observation Tool
The Frequency Observation tool allows users to track how often specific student behaviors occur during classroom observations.
Features include
Quickly record each instance of a target behavior with a tap or click
Automatically add time-stamps entries
Track multiple behaviors or students simultaneously.
Narrative Observation Tool
Efficiently record detailed, open-ended descriptions of student behavior and classroom interactions.
Streamlines note-taking
Organizes narrative entries by student or session
Enables easy export of observations for reporting and analysis.
Interval Observation Tool
The Interval Observation Tool enables efficient tracking of student behaviors by prompting users at set time intervals to record whether target behaviors are occurring.
Customizable intervals
Real-time alerts
Easy data entry
Multiple behaviors or students to be observed simultaneously.
Limitations
There are some inherent limitations of direct observational methods in the field of behavior analysis.
Observer competency - observers need to be trained in the use of a coding system.
Observers can only track a limited number of variables - it is not possible to track every variable that plays a role in behavioral interactions.
Data collected over the course of a few observations still may be insufficient to perform quality statistical analyses that yield reliable and valid conclusions (Lewis, Scott, Wehby, & Wills, 2014).
Future Development
Eventually the tool should allow users to choose between coding systems that match their observational goals. Users should be able to choose from a select few coding systems in addition to REDSOCS. This will increase the scope of the tool beyond simple behavior quantification and externalizing disorder identification. Other coding systems would allow users to view behavior through different lenses.