A Social Qualitative Energy Consumption Management
Design Process Overview:
Research
According to recent studies, every appliance carries a unique electrical noise signature. Only a single sensor is needed to easily and affordably monitor which appliance are actively consuming how much energy.
The same can be done with water by measuring acoustic pressure signal. A sensor will be able to differentiate toilet flush or running water from shower head or a faucet.
Product Strategy
After establishing that our target users would be someone who do not put sustainability as a priority, we explored ways to have eco-friendly solutions penetrate into the lifestyle of our target user.
Our first hypothesis is people tend to care about status symbol. Therefore, we applied gaming and competition with friends as a means of motivation.
Finally, we looked at things at home that requires replacement every so often. A more eco-friendly replacement of these items would be the opportunity to introduce sustainable solutions into the lifestyle of the targeted user.
EcoQua Product Family
The products are designed to look familiar and un-intimidating, therefore it made sense to adopt the look and feel of products commonly found in Home Depot or similar big box hardware store.
The interface uses the forearm length as an intuitive way to give user a sense of scale to display consumption graph.