idea Owners
We all know that running tap is a common problem and that we all keep them running when we brush or wash our hands. Since water is precious, the idea is to minimize wastage by making people work for their water. Look below for more details.
The Problem: People keep the water running when they brush their teeth or wash their hands. This is problematic. As much as 2.2 litres per minute can go to waste. We know water is valuable and some day it's going to be as valuable as getting paid.
Underlying behaviour: Well people are neglegible towards the water flow. A running tap doesn't tell how much water has been wasted or how long it has been since the tap been left on. So they don't know how much do they waste.
But what if there was a way to make a reduction in the water wasted in the process.
Behavioural Economics provides a theory of decision points where if people are given enough breaks between their goals, they are nudged to pause and think about what they are doing. We all know people are not evil spirited. We don't leave the taps open intentionally. It's just that we don't give enough time to think.
Thus if there was a way to create such points.
and there is!!!!!
Enter, a design that is inspired by the hand pump model from India. (I don't know where they originated from but since I'm from India, I'm going to go for this) Imagine, instead of the easy tap that we all have at our homes which just need a pull to open them, there is a blob hanging on the wall which is connected to the pipeline in someway that when you pull the blob, water is discharged from the tap for a small amount of time! JUST like a hand pump! But one thing to be noted is that there is no hydraulic pressure mechanism at work, it's just like a button which allows you to have water for a short duration till you pull the blob again.
Also, just to ramp up the nudge game, let's assume the blob has a big text on it which says 'ONE GLASS OF WATER' ,
Why? you ask....
Becasue people can be nudged by the framing of the message. In this case instead of saying 2.2 litres/minute, the blob describes the data in a qualitative way which people can more relate to.
Thus people have got to work for that water!
////////See the attached video to get an idea of how a hand pump worked. I remember when I was a kid and visiting my grandmother, we took care of the water we had because it took a lot of pumping to get a bucket full of water. Each drop was valuable.
JUST TO MAKE THE VIDEO A BIT FUNNY, there is cow which uses the hand pump. But the working is still the same, you get what I'm saying right?
I'm glad you had a laugh also. Innovation sometimes creeps out from naive and funny things in life :)
Comments
Hi Aakash, If I have understood the concept correctly, it won't actually take much physical effort to push the water button? I hope this is the case, because otherwise it wouldn't be very suitable for, say, older people. I like the idea of limiting water flow. However, I wonder what the benefit would be to the consumer and how to persuade people to install this sort of tap in their homes? Perhaps they would be more likely to do so if there were several buttons, each for a different volume of water, e.g. "one cup", "one saucepan" or "one basin". Otherwise it may get annoying if they want to fill the sink to clean dishes and have to press the button repeatedly. Best wishes, Helen
Hi Aakash, It is time to vote on the most significant and interesting problems in the Sustainovators Challenge and to spread the word about your idea: Which of the problems submitted regarding the worst unsustainable products do you find most meaningful? Which should the innonatives community take further in Phase 2 to work on solutions? Please go to https://www.innonatives.com/challenge/sustainability-by-design/ideas and vote on the problems submitted by clicking on each idea, and clicking on the stars above the idea brief: 5 stars are best, 1 star is worst. We love to hear your opinion! Thank you very much in advance, your sustainovators team
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