Eco+ | Product Innovation
Get people to be more conscious of their water usage.
Preview:
The western United States is running out of water. People want to help, but they’re typically ignorant to their personal water usage. Our task was to get people to think about and then change their habits around water. By innovating the elements of Apple WatchOS we can get people to understand their water usage, and begin to change their water habits.
My Role:
Lead UX Strategist
1:1 Interviews with Apple Users
Shower Survey Design
Water Usage Desk Research
App User Testing
MRI Simmons Digging
Deck Narrative + Flow
THE BRIEF
Background:
The nation’s water is drying up.
It is projected that within the next 50 years, many regions of the U.S. could see their fresh water supply reduced by a third.
The most extreme example of this, the Colorado River Basin, may soon be unable to support the agriculture, people, and wildlife of the Southwest. This could lead to major reductions in food supplies nationwide as half our specialty crops are grown there.
Problem:
Our habits around water are already well established.
There is cognitive dissonance when it comes to climate issues. Just watch Don’t Look Up (2021). We want to help, but that often means we have to change, and change is hard.
We surveyed 115 people, aged 18-65, and found that we are using a lot of water, particularly during showers. Even worse, most of us don’t realize it. Through interviews, we discovered people are unaware of their water usage because they never receive any feedback. There’s no report at the end of the month detailing how many gallons went to a specific shower.
Shower Survey Results of 115 Adults
Opportunity:
People already use wearable tech to measure and change habits.
Changing habits is difficult, but Apple is doing it through their Fitness features. We all know the friend that can’t go to sleep without closing their rings. And there are several success stories of people creating new habits with an Apple Watch.
Let’s apply these same principles to get people to consciously think about their water usage without prophesying doom.
THE SOLUTION
Use Apple Watch’s established interface to help people build new habits around water conservation.
THE CREATIVE
Eco+
An Apple Watch app that leverages the habit-building features of Fitness+ to inspire and affirm eco-conscious behaviors.
Track Usage:
With Eco+, users can track water activities. For example, tracking individual showers helps people understand how shower time contributes to gallons of water used.
Set Goals:
Users are able to set water usage goals, both daily and for individual activities. Users start with the goal of decreasing consumption by ten gallons a day.
Goals can also be set for each water activity. This user’s goal is to shower in under five minutes. We’ve added the bar to give users real time feedback.
Earn Badges:
According to MRI Simmons, Apple Watch users like to be recognized for their achievements. We found that the monthly Fitness+ challenges are particularly motivating.
We would utilize the same gamification elements to drive users to repeatedly engage with Eco+.
Engage in Competition:
Keeping up with friends is a powerful motivator, particularly for Apple Watch users.
Through Eco+, users can compete with each other to see who can save the most water in a given week.
Measure Impact:
Users can track water usage overtime and clearly understand how their individual habits are affecting the world around them.
This ability to visualize impact will motivate users to continue utilizing Eco+ and challenge friends to participate - further decreasing water consumption.
Why Apple?
Apple is taking steps to be environmentally conscious, and they are the leader in innovation. We want people to copy this idea across other wearable tech brands, so we can actually make an impact on the amount of water we, as a nation, use.
Additionally, according to MRI Simmons, Apple Watch users are more likely to engage in environmental causes, so we are more likely to get these users to actually use this feature.
User Testing
Elizabeth, 32
Andrew, 27
Stephanie, 48
Future Planning and Learnings
Through this project, I learned how to take a daunting national problem and reframe it in a way that is tangible for people to act. I worked as a Design Strategist and learned how to collaborate closely with product designers. This also taught me how to solve problems with design and innovation that transcend traditional ad campaigns.
The Team
Experience Designer - Shanice Aga
Experience Designer - Cam Rogers
Strategist - Sarah Gray
Strategist - Chynna Napper