The Shower plant is an interactive pot designed to foster an emotional connection with users and inspire them to care for the environment. By displaying emotions, it aims to influence behavior towards sustainability, specifically reducing water consumption. The design of the Shower plant encompasses considerations for both human users and the broader ecosystem, acknowledging the importance of designing for more than just humans.
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Keywords: Climate change, Sensory UI, Behavioural design
Tasks: Concept development, system design, Arduino programming, UI design
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Exhibited in SSDD: from project to design festival
The project was exhibited at the Malmö design festival SSDD, providing a valuable opportunity to engage with other designers and visitors, and expand the project’s scope through sharing opinions and insights.
Shower plant pot prototype
Electronics behind Shower plant
System exploded view
An interface that uses light, sound, and movement to convey emotions and foster a stronger connection between humans and nature.
Shower plant is an interactive pot that displays emotions. It is designed to be used in the bathroom, where users are encouraged to place a plant inside the pot. As the user takes a shower, Shower plant tracks their water consumption and seeks to influence their behavior to reduce water waste. It does so by leveraging the intrinsic connection between humans and plants.
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Tamagotchi effect
By expressing the emotions of the plant, Shower plant aims to evoke a caring effect for the environment in users. The intention is to foster a deeper understanding of the impact of our actions on nature and to encourage users to make more informed and sustainable choices regarding water usage.
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More than human
Through the emotions displayed in the pot, users can perceive and understand the connection between their actions and the harm caused to nature, due to water waste. It serves as a tangible reminder of the importance of reducing water waste and making more sustainable choices. By acting as a natural environment display, the pot encourages users to reflect on their behaviors and make conscious decisions to mitigate their negative impact on the environment.
A paper concerning the design for more than human was written in relation to this project. It can be checked here:
Paper-embodied-interaction.pdf
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