FinAqua Water saving in the private

Paper in proceeding, 2015

Building on research in cognitive science and interaction design, this project addresses the issues of privacy and environmental responsibility in an eco-feedback frame. Starting from the position that privacy is a luxury worth defending even in a more cramped future living, the possibilities of combining this privacy with an eco-feedback system is explored. The design concept is a shower that visualizes water usage for the user. To motivate behavioral change, emotional arguments rather than logical are used, as emotional arguments are less likely to initiate reasoning and contemplation in the user, and instead more likely push fast, visceral responses. A virtual aquarium full of fish is screened on the walls of the shower, and as water is consumed, the water level of the aquarium diminishes. The concept is explored in a high fidelity prototype.