Here are two feedback designs (”iSave” and “In Sight, In Mind”) for water usage that I find interesting because they are co-located with the actual source of consumption (similar to the Power Cord Design for electricity). Although both ostensibly do the same thing, they offer much different designs. “iSave” provides a numeric display and harnesses energy from the underlying water flow to power its display. “In Sight, In Mind” attaches to the standardized faucet hookup (found on showers and garden hoses), which is a rather clever design, and also provides numeric information about water usage.
iSave
iSave was the runner up to the fourth annual Metropolis Mag Next Generation Design Competition (2007).
From Inhabit:
Whether you live in a drought-plagued region or you’re just trying to be efficient, there are a myriad reasons to conserve water. That’s why we love the iSAVE faucet by Reamon Yu – a design so clever and efficient that it was recently chosen as a runner-up in the Metropolis Magazine Next Generation awards. The gadget easily attaches to your sink or showerhead to provide a digital readout of the amount of water that was being used in a shower. What’s more, iSAVE is powered by energy generated by the water passing through it using a small turbine embedded the device. Two different models of the iSAVE were created- an integrated shower faucet with the LED display and handheld showerhead or a standard faucet.
Yu’s inspiration was simple: people tend to waste water because it is difficult to know how much is being used (the more you know, the more you care). This is especially true when using a public bathroom, such as one in a hotel, airport or a mall, thus warranting the need for a device that would make people conscious of their water usage.
In Sight, In Mind
In Sight, In Mind, is a project by Toronto industrial design student Adam Kereliuk, which was selected as an Excellent Work at the International Design Competition Osaka 2005.
From Metropolis Mag:
In Sight, In Mind is designed as an attachment for sinks, showers, or even garden hoses and has a backlit LCD display that can be set to show how much water has been used that day, week, or month. iSave is remarkably similar in function and has two forms, one is built directly into the faucet hardware and a second model is an attachment; it uses an LED display powered by the flowing water, employing the Faraday effect. Numbers appear in blue when water use is in the moderate range and in red when use is excessive.
