Slideshow:
Google Slides: SS Applied Design – pH2O
Design Brief:
When prompted to create an applied design basing on the natural dye experiment color results, I looked to daily life activities as a foundation for my product development. Everyone washes their face and hands on a daily basis, however, a lot of people are unaware that the pH of our water affects our skin. According to www.healthline.com our tap water sits at an average level of 7 pH, however this can actually hurt our skin. This is considered ‘hard water’ as it contains more minerals which could cause skin problems such as breakouts, dryness, and irritation. NYC dermatologist Rachel Nazarian says that “your skin performs and looks its best within a narrow pH level (around 5.5) because the natural 5.5 pH level (or the acid mantle) of skin is slightly acidic, which makes it ideal to seal in moisture while also “creating the right environment for the correct microorganisms”. This is to say that the ideal pH of our water should sit around 5.5 pH to be safe for washing our face.
With that problem in mind, I wanted to create a solution that is practical and convenient. Our brand name is called pH₂O, which is derived from the 2 words pH and H₂O that make up the essence of our device, “pH-Responsive LED Faucet”. The system for the device is the LED lights that will illuminate the running water with the corresponding color of pH to the natural dye experiment color results. So for instance, if the water is alkaline the LED lights will illuminate the green color to create the illusion that the water is green. The inclusion of a turbine inside the shell of the design enables the LEDs to be powered entirely by water pressure, so there is no need for batteries or cables. The built-in pH sensor chip is programmed to be able to detect the pH of the water and therefore sending a signal to the LED lights of the water’s pH level. The device is easy to install.
This is to raise public awareness about the pH of their bathroom water so that people are more careful and that people are conscious of whether their bathroom water is safe or not for their skin. We are marketing this to the general public as it is possibly a necessity for everyone to observe deeper at their daily activities. Through this device, customers become aware of the contamination of water and are able to act upon these circumstances like installing a sink filtration system.