User Research

So how do we address this issue? I conducted my own experiment to see how easy it was to find refillable water points in London and found that water fountains or machines were few and far between.

Research from a recent Yougov survey showed that 59% of people said they would be more likely to use a reusable water bottle if tap water refills were more freely available in places such as shops, airports and parks.

However, if there is no machine or fountain available the alternative is to ask for a water refill in a shop, bar or restaurant. The research, however, indicates that a lot of British people are simply too timid to make this sort of request either because they feel they need to buy something else and as a result they do not use their refillable bottles.

The survey showed that 71% of people felt uncomfortable asking for free tap water without buying something else.

I decided to create a design for a water fountain so that Londoners would have access to water in order to use their reusable bottles or even reuse their single use plastic bottles.

Design Ideation

As part of the project at London Art Portfolio we were encouraged to follow the theme of the ‘power of nature’ for our design. I chose to focus on rock in particular to use natural resources as a material. I did research on the sustainability in particular of certain type of rocks popular in construction in the UK and focussed on what would be suitable for a sculpture and fountain.

I took inspiration from natural rock formations and the relationship between rock formations and water in nature. I explored the shapes in particular of rock formations in artwork to generate ideas for potential shapes and forms.