Macro UX: Research Week 2

Team

In our research group, we looked at relevant statistics and information behind water consumption, specifically in the UK, and outlined research questions that aided our findings:

1. Who is concerned by household water consumption (everyone and our natural ecosystems)

2. Where/who/how water is distributed to our homes (in the UK for eg, water is irrigated by privately owned companies and filtered through a complex geographical network.

3. The long term effects of over consumption of water on our communities our biodiversity.

Relating it back to our own household habits, a significant statistic we found was that the kitchen sink is actually the source of the most water-related carbon emissions in the home. Another fact we found was that 50-80% of a household's water goes to waste1.

Hot water is one of the most energy-consuming amenities in a household. Using a bowl for washing up, rather than a running tap, could save about 666kg of CO2 a year, according to one analysis2 .

This led us to consider what other current solutions are readily available to people to encourage mindful consumption of water in homes.

We also looked at the possibility of designing an in home irrigation system that would interconnect different sections of the house and reusing water from different sources to feed plants and other items requiring water. This would be by using water filters attached in different areas of the home.

We also looked into the way dams work to generate power. As a household item we considered using the power of the toilet flush or another amenity to generate power throughout the home without wasting.

As a part of our research group, we embarked on a journey of ideation and collaboration to explore sustainable design concepts. After conducting research and brainstorming ideas, we gathered as a larger group to present our findings and decide on a research focus. Through a voting process, we arrived at the topic of water consumption and ecosystems as our research focus. However, differences in design approaches emerged within the group, and we took another vote to divide into smaller groups based on our interests. My group, consisting of six members, decided to focus on building pluriversal household items. In this blog post, I will share our research journey, including our discussions with experts and the evolution of our design ideas.

During our research, we discovered that unused chimneys were a significant problem in London, causing harm to animals such as birds. Shockingly, over 1 million birds die in chimneys every year in the UK alone (1). This finding deeply impacted us and inspired us to come up with a design solution that could address this issue and promote sustainability in a pluriversal context.

After gathering as a group , we discussed our sketches and ideas with Yoske and Michael from Takram. We initially explored the concept of creating a singular prototype that could collectively feed various species within chimneys. This idea aimed to repurpose unused chimneys into safe spaces for birds and other animals, while also providing food sources for them. We also presented other smart household item concepts, such as robot-controlled therapy plants that could indicate when they needed watering to thrive.

Our discussions and feedback from Takram were enlightening. They appreciated our idea of the self-sustaining chimney as it encapsulated the principles of pluriversal design in a sustainable context. Takram's insights and feedback helped us refine our design and move towards a more impactful solution.