Background

As a data enthusiast, I’m always interested in gathering data. But as a project manager, I’m also interested in making sure that the end result is useful and actionable.

I bought a quip toothbrush a few months ago that came with Bluetooth capability so that it could connect to my phone and tell me how well I was brushing my teeth and how long it took me to do so. The idea was that this would give me more incentive to actually brush my teeth regularly by giving me real-time feedback on whether or not I was doing a good job. It seemed like a great idea at first, but after using it for a few weeks and then looking back at all of the data collected over the course of those weeks, what did I really get out of it?

All I had was an unorganized list of numbers indicating how often (or not) I brushed each quadrant of my mouth, along with graphs showing the duration and timing of these brushing sessions during the day (morning vs. night).

This highlights a key issue with connected devices in general: they often fail to provide actionable insights, meaning there’s no way to take any meaningful action based on the data they provide. So why are we bothering to collect all of this data if we can’t make any use of it?

The Idea

I was looking for something that would keep me on track to brushing my teeth twice a day. It’s always hard to remember when you last brushed your teeth, especially if you’re busy or in a rush. Maybe it was the middle of the night, maybe it was two hours ago…

I also wanted an event to happen when I didn't brush my teeth—something that would gently remind me later in the day and nudge me towards doing what I should be doing.

What is NFC?

NFC stands for Near Field Communication, a short-range wireless communication technology. It's similar to Bluetooth, but is designed only for close proximity use.

NFC tags are useful because they allow you to automate things like turning on lights or unlocking doors just by tapping your smartphone against them. You can write information onto an NFC chip using any Android device (including phones), which means that it's easy to reprogram the tag as needed - no extra hardware required

What is zapier?

Zapier is a tool for automating tasks between apps. It can be used to connect different apps and automate tasks between them. Zapier is a web app that you can use from a browser or mobile device.

It allows you to connect other apps and services, called “zaps,” which will then perform the desired actions when triggered by triggers.

How it works

The first automation works by tapping an NFC chip on my mirror every time I remember to brush my teeth. When I tap the chip, my phone sends a web request (aka webhook) to zapier.

Zapier then connects with my daily to do list in airtable, looks up the task "brush your teeth" and marks it as complete.

A second automation triggers every day at 10pm and looks up any high priority tasks (like brushing my teeth) that are still incomplete and sends me a reminder so I don't forget.

While this may sound like a silly idea, there are some practical benefits to having an NFC chip in your toothbrush. The most obvious benefit is the ability to track your brushing habits by logging how often and how long you brush.

This project demonstrates the potential for NFC technology to be used in creative and practical ways beyond its traditional applications. By integrating an NFC chip into a toothbrush and automating reminders through Zapier, the author has found a way to turn a mundane daily task into a fun and useful habit-forming exercise. The project also highlights the importance of actionable insights in connected devices, showing how a simple reminder can make a big difference in maintaining good dental hygiene.