Housewares Project
In this project, I designed a sustainable smart shower head. I wanted to design a product that would help decrease water consumption in the household, while being enjoyable yet practical. The form of my final design has been revised to a less bulky design that features rotating speakers as controls opposed to the buttons in my previous design.
Design Brief
I wanted to design a product that would challenge the pressing issue of water overconsumption in households. On top of this, the product would be made from sustainable materials, self powered, and have an improved user experience.
Research
I began my research process by finding out what eco friendly shower heads were on the market. I also looked into shower heads with multiple functions. From this, I found that shower head technology had yet to be used to its potential. Once I had an idea of where I wanted to go with the design, I began my user research through surveys distributed on social media.
Out of 66 responses 89.4% said they would consider taking shorter showers if they could monitor their water consumption
Ideation
My ideation began with a form study which included LED indicator lights for the water monitoring concept. This being that a water meter would measure the water flowing through the shower head, and send data to an app on the users phone. The user could set goals, and decide how many gallons of water they wanted to use per shower. While the shower head is in use, LED indicators will flash as the user reaches their set number of gallons.
As my ideation continued, I began incorporating data from my user research and surveys into my drawings. I added a built in bluetooth speaker feature that would be powered by a hydroelectric generator. The water flow allows for the speaker to run without batteries.
Sketch Models
After some further sketching, I started experimenting with form through rough models.
Sketching
As I got more detailed with my sketches, I started refining the form of the shower head.
In the end, I focused on the ergonomics and interaction between the hand of the user and the product. My final design has a swivel to adjust the angle of the shower head (not pictured).
Study Model
Building a scale study model was a continuation of form study. I started focusing on how it would feel interact with a hand, and added details.
Final Model
While building my final model, I was also rendering it in Solidworks. I built the model with yellow foam, laser cut styrene, beads, and 3D printed parts from my Solidworks model. I then spray painted the parts, assembled, and added an LED effect in photoshop.
The Product
The HydroFuture is a sustainable smart shower head. It uses a paddle flow meter to both measure the water used, and power the built in bluetooth speaker, along with LEDs. The data from the shower head is transferred to the HydroFuture app, which allows you to set water use goals, and save shower playlists. When a daily water consumption goal is set, the LED lights will indicate when you have used your desired number of gallons. There is also an option in the app that, when enabled, will turn the music off as you pass your goal, encouraging the user to finish up.
Materials and Technology
Multi purpose paddlewheel • Waterproof speakers with mylar cone, rubber surrounds, and shell • Bluetooth LE • LED indicators • Firmware with embedded software • Waterproofed bio-based PA plastic
Color Variations
The user has the option to pick from a variety of colors, along with grey and a classic metallic finish.
Final Design Before Revision
Final Design After Revisions
The only difference as far as the function of my newest design are the controls. I replaced bulky buttons with rubberized rotating speakers that can adjust volume, skip/rewind, and can be pressed in to power on/off.
