WELL
Reshaping Conservation Behavior
THE ASK
The EPA states that homes lose over a trillion gallons of water through leaks alone. How can we effectively monitor water usage in homes - intentional usage, as well as accidental - to provide actionable insights and conservation opportunities that people will readily adopt in their daily lives. @Matter
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We created an IoT water conservation system that delivers actionable data to help users adjust consumption and identify issues. In four months, we built a prototype, developed patentable IP for water flow measurement and data transmission, and attracted interest from venture groups, including Google.
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“There’s an “eco” button that reduces the amount of flow to the shower head, which you can press if you’re in the “orange zone” – a smart piece of UI design that would enable users to actually change their behaviors in the moment.”
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I led the digital and physical design efforts, coordinating closely with our engineering partners at Mindtribe. This collaboration between Matter and Mindtribe produced a successful water conservation system concept while providing junior designers and engineers a valuable lesson in effective design-engineering teamwork.
APPROACH
Despite many consumer water conservation products, none have achieved wide adoption or meaningful impact. We focused on identifying adoption barriers, understanding conservation motivators, and drawing inspiration from successful, product-adjacent UX systems to guide our strategy.
3-PART SYSTEM
Capture data from all water sources to provide a comprehensive view of household usage, including leak detection. Present insights in a clear, digestible format, and offer seamless, unobtrusive solutions to encourage conservation behaviors.
SHOWER HEAD CONCEPT
Showers are a major source of water consumption due to leaks and overuse. We designed a showerhead that delivers a great experience, tracks real-time usage with flow sensors, and allows flow adjustment without sacrificing pressure for longer showers.
PRESENTING DATA
The main screen offers a quick, engaging snapshot of your data - like a water gauge. A wet landscape dries as you approach your water usage target, with detailed analytics available for deeper insights.
Homes waste one trillion gallons of water every year.
We can cut that in half by providing actionable data and tools to support behavioral change.