HydroSmart — Smart Water Management System for Rainwater Harvesting Tanks
The Smart Water Management System is a mobile-based solution designed to help rural households in Sri Lanka manage their rainwater harvesting tanks more effectively. Hydrosmart app provides real-time monitoring of water levels and quality, predicts future water availability, and enables easy communication with water distributors and neighboring households. By combining IoT technology with a user-friendly interface, the system aims to ensure safe, efficient, and sustainable water usage.
Problem Definition
What challenges do rural households face?
Through field interviews conducted with households in Parasangaswewa, Anuradhapura, we uncovered four critical pain points that make daily water management unsafe, inefficient, and stressful for families dependent on rainwater harvesting tanks.
No visibility into water levels
Families have no real-time insight into how much water remains in their tank, making it impossible to plan usage before a shortage hits.
No way to detect contamination
There is no system to monitor water quality, so households unknowingly consume water that may contain debris or harmful contaminants.
Difficult to reach water distributors
No direct channel exists to contact distributors or schedule deliveries, leaving families waiting days without access to clean water.
Water sharing relies on physical visits
When a tank runs dry, residents must visit neighbours in person to request water — a slow and inconvenient process with no guarantee of help.
Research Approach
How did we understand the problem?
To design a solution grounded in real needs, we followed the Design Thinking methodology — conducting field interviews with households in Parasangaswewa, Anuradhapura to empathize with users and define the core problems to solve.
Empathize
Field interviews with rural households
Define
Identified 4 core pain points
Ideate
Brainstormed features and flows
Prototype
Built interactive UI mockups
Test
Validated with target users
User Persona
Who are we designing for?
A stay-at-home mother whose family depends on rainwater harvesting. When the tank runs dry, she borrows from neighbours or travels kilometres to fetch water. She needs a simple way to monitor and plan daily water usage.
Pain Points
No real-time visibility into water levels
No way to detect water contamination
Manual and time-consuming water collection
Difficulty planning daily water usage
No direct contact with water distributors
Motivations & Needs
Ensure her family has clean, safe water always
Simple way to track water availability
Reduce the burden of fetching water manually
Timely alerts for low water levels
Easier way to request water from neighbours
User Flow
How do users navigate the app?
Visualise the steps users take within the app from start to finish highlighting key actions, decisions, and interactions to design smooth, goal-oriented experiences.
Wireframes
Sketching the structure before the details
Low-fidelity wireframes were created to map out the layout and structure of each screen before moving into visual design — keeping the focus on functionality and user flow.
High Fidelity Mockups
Bringing the design to life
High-fidelity mockups translate the wireframe structure into a fully visual interface — incorporating colour, typography, and real content to reflect the final product experience across all key screens.
