PASSION PROJECT · CIVIC DESIGN · MOBILE UX

Making global water scarcity visible through an app people already open every day

I started by designing a standalone water tracking app. Then I realized: people don't need another app. What they check every day — the weather — already has the reach. This case study is about pivoting from a good idea to a better one.

ROLE

Designer · Researcher

TYPE

Passion project (self-initiated)

PLATFORM

Mobile (iOS / Android weather app)

METHODS

Survey, usability testing, secondary research, design exploration

Civic design

Mobile UX

Feature Concept

Inclusive design

Self Initiating

5+

Regions surveyed across US and Philippines

5 Usability testers across the final prototype

All 5

Found the design easy to navigate — familiar patterns at work

WHY THIS PROJECT

A problem I couldn't stop thinking about

Fresh water is finite, and most people have no frame of reference for how scarce it is or where their region stands.

The goal: make water availability information as accessible as checking the weather — common, free, and impossible to ignore. This started as a personal passion and became a design exercise in inclusive communication.

THE PIVOT

I started with an app. Then I scrapped it.

My first instinct was a dedicated water tracking app — a focused, purpose-built tool. I designed wireframes and early prototypes. Then I stopped and asked a harder question: who would actually download another app for this?

Original idea

Standalone water scarcity app — dedicated, focused, purpose-built.

Better idea

A water information layer added to existing weather apps — zero download barrier, universal reach.

The question that changed the direction

What's one thing all people check daily, regardless of gender identity, ethnicity, or age? The weather.

PRIMARY RESEARCH

Do people check the weather daily?

I surveyed users across Portland OR, Maryland, San Diego CA, Arizona, and Manila PH — deliberately different climates — to understand how people use weather apps. The data confirmed: people of all ages check the weather regularly, often multiple times per day, almost exclusively through free apps. A weather app is the right vehicle.

SECONDARY RESEARCH

Understanding the scale of the crisis

Secondary research grounded the design in the urgency of the problem — global fresh water data, usage patterns, and regional scarcity statistics. This informed what information to surface and how to prioritize it in the hierarchy.

DESIGN APPROACH

Familiar first, informative second

I analyzed popular free weather apps — studying their UI patterns and hierarchy — to ensure the water information could slot in without disrupting what users already know how to use. The goal was for the addition to feel like it had always been there.

THE PIVOT

I started with an app. Then I scrapped it.

Finding 1

Daily weather is the primary job. Keep it at the top.

Finding 2

The 10-day forecast caused scroll fatigue — made it collapsible.

Finding 3

4 of 5 said the colors and aesthetic made them want to use the app.

Finding 4

Users felt water info was important — but weren't yet feeling urgency without local government validation.

FINAL DESIGNS

Water, local and global, in the palm of your hand

The final iteration kept daily weather dominant, made the 10-day forecast collapsible to reduce scroll fatigue, and added a line graph showing local water levels for visual learners. Water data is surfaced by location — giving users a personal stake in regional availability.