Show-Me the Water
Show-Me, the Shower Water Meter, aims to bring data visualization to your tub time. Created by Karin Kappel and Thomas Grechenig at the Vienna University of Techology (and presented in the ACM International Conference Proceeding Series; Vol. 350), this device uses a stick of LEDs to show homeowners just how much water they’re using when they shower. The more you use, the higher the lights climb, giving you instant feedback on your consumption.
I like this implementation a lot, because it doesn’t rely on reading numbers from a display. Making the consumption visual, rather than numerical, makes it harder to ignore.
“The lights are up to my knees – I’m doing well.”
“Now they’re up to my neck! I wonder how I used so much water!”
The metaphor of a rising water line is well suited to the application.
Rather than memorizing a number day-to-day, you get a sense for what “height” is normal for you and you can set personal goals for reduction. In fact, users showd an interesting pattern, drastically cutting consumption after a few days, only to rise again a few days later. As they struck a balance between conservation and comfort, they achieved reductions of about 33 percent.
And to underscore the value of ecometrics over assumptions and common sense, the authors offer this story:
“The prototype also triggered some interesting side effects. A couple used to argue that one of them always took longer in the shower and consequently used more water. After they installed the display, they learned that the woman used only half as much water, even though she spent more time in the shower. This discovery stimulated the man to further reduce his own water consumption.”
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