Smart Shower Display: Product Design for a Shower Display that Encourages Water Conservation

Challenge: Encouraging Water Conservation Without Compromising the Shower Experience

Amphiro developed a technology whose first application was the amphiro a1. The smart shower display shows water temperature as well as water and energy consumption directly while showering. The challenge was to present this information in a way that users could easily understand while encouraging more conscious water consumption in everyday life. At the same time, the amphiro a1 should not feel like a technical measuring device or overwhelm users with information. Saving water and ease of use needed to go hand in hand.

Approach: Sustainable Nudging 

Milani developed a product design and user interface that make consumption data simple and immediately understandable. Rather than overwhelming users with numbers and warnings, the amphiro a1 uses a playful cue: a small polar bear on the display visualizes water consumption, making the impact of the user's behavior tangible while showering. The simple and appealing product design reinforces this approach. Unlike many competing products with a distinctly technical appearance, the amphiro a1 was deliberately designed to feel approachable and friendly. Direct feedback on consumption encourages more conscious use of water and energy without being preachy or detracting from the enjoyment of showering.

Together with Amphiro, Milani also developed the entire brand experience around the amphiro a1, from naming and product design to the user interface and packaging.

Result: Entering the Market with a Strong Product and Brand Presence

The amphiro a1 enabled Amphiro to enter the market with a clearly positioned, distinctive product. Its consistent overall presence strengthened the young company's profile and helped it stand out from more technically driven competitors. At the same time, the integrated development approach accelerated the path to market and enabled Amphiro to present itself professionally from the outset.

The product also demonstrated measurable impact in everyday use. Tests showed that households using the amphiro a1 reduced their consumption by an average of 6,400 liters of drinking water and wastewater per year. The annual savings potential of around 210 kWh of thermal energy per household is roughly equivalent to the annual energy consumption of a washing machine.