Southern Water is preparing to install water meters in 500,000 households in the next five years. It provides water to more than a million customers, but how does it understand what will motivate such a variety of different people to get them all saving water?
The Design Council helped Southern Water appoint design agencies to help them understand how and why their customers use water. Design research and ethnography conducted by designers from Radarstation and STBY showed that installing water meters alone wouldn’t be enough to make Southern Water customers use less water.
They found that people are worried about having a water meter installed and that many don’t know that meters can help them better manage their water usage, use less energy on heating water, and ensure they pay a fair price for the water they use.
Customer personas
Four different customer personas have been identified by STBY after in-depth ethnographic research. Southern Water is using these to change how they communicate with their different customers and to develop new services that cater to their individual motivations so they more effectively drive behaviour change.
I consciously use as little water as I can; my natural instinct is not to waste anything Savvy Savers
Sensitive to both cost-saving and eco-issues. Their daily routines limit their water use in line with their needs. Have a strong urge to not waste any resources, be it water, electricity, money or food.
Water is like magic— something that is always there. You don’t really give any thought to water do you Contented Consumers
Want a convenient life, so aware but rarely influenced by cost or eco-issues. They will try some easy ways to save water, but aren’t driven by saving either money or the environment.
In your daily round, you have plenty of other things to think about apart from water Busy Bees
Driven by the practicalities of everyday life, these are cost-sensitive and eco-aware but neither are crucial factors. Focused on their families, jobs and homes – water usage is not a priority.
It’s got less to do with money than about not feeling guilty. As a person, I want to concentrate on certain things, like the environment Green Guardians
Eco-sensitive and act accordingly – they recycle, minimise their use of natural resources, and feel good about doing it. Their routines are based on beliefs, not cost.
