Seetharaman Subramanian

Boond - Tracking and reducing water consumption

My Masters thesis project in GID on helping people reduce their water consumption while travelling.

Introduction

Freshwater is an invaluable, integral and irreplaceable part of our lives. Acute water shortage in severe droughts forces people to become conscious of their usage and curtail their daily consumption. Multiple behavioural interventions have been tried to change people’s consumption habits for the better in various contexts such as in schools, in people’s homes, offices and commercial buildings, and while people are travelling and staying in hotels. The last environment is an exciting study as people are often promiscuous in their resource consumption while travelling. The impact of tourists on local natural resources has been well documented. Helping their guests adopt more sustainable consumption habits is no longer a purely financial incentive for the hospitality industry; it is fast becoming a matter of need. This report examines this issue in great detail and looks at how guests can be nudged to change for the better. A case is made for helping guests monitor and regulate their daily water consumption habits, and a design solution is proposed to aid them in this endeavour. Different elements of the intervention are then tested with target users, which provide a future direction for the platform’s development.

I was guided by Dr. Nejra Van Zalk in this project.

Overhead shot of Redhills reservoir in Tamil Nadu comparing water levels between 2018 (left) and 2019 (right).
An Infographic from the UN Sustainable Development Goals Report highlighting the need for conserving water.

Research

A global water stress map.
Daily water usage in the UK shown in number of 1L bottles of water.
BREEAM guidelines for calculating water consumption in the household for new constructions.
Research testing user feedback and impact of three different types of visual feedback.

Design

A study was done to understand where and how users consume water in and around the household.
The final design is a small water-droplet shaped object designed to be placed in the bathroom to monitor the sounds of flowing water.
The device changes color based on water consumption.

Showcase

Instagram

RCA Show 2021

This project was featured online at the Royal College of Art Show 2021 . It was also a part of the Imperial College London’s Dyson School of Design Engineering Summer Show 2021.

Extras

The final thesis report submitted to Imperial College London - Final Report