Water Monitor

UX Design

Project Goal

Designing the water monitor to solve lack of data, unsafely and the wasteful issue of household water

Design Tools

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe InDesign

Introduction

In this school design project, I was doing problems definition, user research, competitive analysis, functions design, information architecture, interaction design, motion design, interface design. The research part is the most important in this project. Also, to change the layout for trying to match different devices. Basically, I want this monitor can connect the household water and it is controlled by users who us one centrality and several related territorial devices. Since water in the different rooms has the different functions when using, the control system should match on different devices. 

Questionnaire Points:

Water Quality:

They clearly know the resources of water and believe quality situation.

Water Quantity:

They don’t know correct numbers of used water quantity.

Water Temperature:

They know the temperature when they use hot water.

Save Energy:

They know how to save energy and use water efficiently

Why I said "save energy" rather than “save water”? 

When we think that we are saving water, actually, we are saving energy rather than "save water". Although we use clean water to wash clothes, take a shower or wash our car, the water is not reduced too much but it's just that they become unclean water. If we want the unclean water changes to clean, we need use other energy ( such as electricity, the process of removing impurities and the algae purifying. ) to purify the chemical substances, sewage and bad bacteria. If we waste clean water, maybe our next generations need to spend more time and money to change the unclean water. So when we save clean water, actually we saved energy.

Why am I doing the basic living habits survey?

The first user survey questionnaire is designed for understanding basic using habits of Americans and compared with several typical residents who are living in different countries.

I am doing this basic survey because I just living in America half year. Although I think I have the common sense of the local life, I believe I need to ask the real American who was born in America so that my survey data is true and believable.

In this survey, I created the questionnaires and recorded the users' answers, reorganized and analysed survey results.

User Interview & Questionnaire:

Survey Goal: 

This survey is about basic household water utilization. The purpose is to understand the using habits of water.

Methods:

Randomly participators questionnaire and interview them in person or online video call.

Places: 

Rochester NY of America, Beijing of China, Toronto of Canada, Stockholm of Sweden.

6 Professors, age 30~70:

• 1 Business Professor, Male
• 1 English Language Professor, Female,  Pregnant
• 1 Programming Professor, Female, Cat Lover
• 1 Media Design Professor, Male
• 1 Interaction Design Professor, Male
• 1 Graphic Design Professor, Male, Living alone

5 Students, age 25~30:

• 2 Visual Communication Design Graduate Student, Female
• 1 Jewelry Design Graduate Student, Female ( just moved in new apartment)
• 1 Interaction Design Graduate Student, Female
• 1 International Graduate Student in Canada, Male, Living in Canada 2 years

2 Employees age 27 and 60:

• 1 Product Manager in Sweden, Male, Age 27, Frequent business trips
• 1 Engineer Manager in China, Male, Age 60,  Retired

Problems:

Water Quality:

Why do users believe resource  of water, but they don’t believe the water in the pipe?

Water Quantity:

Do they know how much      water they use                            in the household?

Water Temperature:

When they use hot water, do they know correct water temperature number?

Save energy:

What situation can be defined on “wasteful”?

How to re-use the  “wasteful water” ?

Results:

Water Quality:

Not any information to help them to know the local water quality and relevant news immediately. They should check the news by themselves.

Water Quantity:

100% persons tell me they don’t know how much water they used.

Water Temperature:

There not any methods to help residents to gain a sense of water temperature and visual data.

Save energy:

They know the basic knowledge to save energy, but about water, almost all methods are meant to tell people to use less water.

The functions of water in our home:

Competitive Analysis

2 Products:

After the user survey, I choose 2 products to do the analysis. The flo and nest.  They are doing the eco-friendly utilization.

Flo Technologies

https://meetflo.com

Nest Lab

https://nest.com

Features:

Flo Water Monitor:

• Connect with device
• Real-time display of water flow, Pressure and Temperature
• Command water valve 
• Measurement hourly/ daily / monthly water quantity
• Setting multi-mode 
• Daily MicroLeak Test of water
• Setting the anticipated water quantity goal per day
• Notification Provided
• Contact Plumber

Nest Thermostat:

• Machine Learning 
• Connect with phone, tablet and laptop
• Auto Schedule
• Auto-Away
• Farsight, time, date and outside weather
• Eco-friendly, help users save energy
• Collect the different functions in one Thermostat.
• Screen touching

Main Interface Design Disadvantages

Flo Water Monitor:

• The inconsistency of fill icons and linear features (shadow and different fill out styles).

Nest Thermostat:

• The interface of schedule is not suitable for the circle shape.

Opportunities

Connection and Separateness 

Focus on functions of water in the different rooms

Shape and Colours

Unite interface style

One Special Water Factory

In the spring vacation, I went to one water factory in Toronto. Before I do not know anything about this water factory and never to think I need to know the water factory. But I'm very curious, I want to know more what I do not know before. 

This water factory has a long history, it is built in 1932. In that time just the 631,207 population in Toronto. 

Goals

Information Architecture

Left Part:

Territorial systems

Right Part:

Centrality system