Case Study
Co Founder • Physical & Digital Product Design • UX Research • UX & UI • IoT • Business & Product Strategy • Fundraising
Wata
— Intro
What
WATA Solution improves water management where populations suffer from consistent uncertainty and apprehension about their limited source of water.
How
An IoT (Internet of Things) unit that monitors water tanks, reflects real-time information to a mobile user app, enabling decision-making, and enhancing water management.
For
Households & Local Authorities in developing countries.
With
Muhanad Kharraz, my Co-founder, a Water Engineer from Palestine.
A diverse multidisciplinary team made of Engineers, Data Scientist, Software Developer & a Community Developer. And a network of international executive advisors from MIT, Harvard, MassChallenge & more.
When
2018 - End 2019
01
Research
& Discovery
Access to safe drinking water is a basic human right.
Sounds obvious,
isn't it?
... & Yet,
3 in 10 people lack access to safely managed drinking water services.
Each day nearly 1,000 children die due to water and sanitation related diarrheal diseases.
Water scarcity affects more than 40% of global population and is projected to rise.
The insufficient supply of water and sanitation is costing the MENA region around $21 billion per year.
Jordan
Zambia
Haiti
Peru
Cuba
India
It is a severe global problem
Amjad, 35
West Bank, Palestine
Uncertainty, apprehension & Dependence
01
Do I have enough water?
02
Is my water safe to drink?
03
How can I safely refill my water tank?
*
Households in the West Bank
660K
Runs out of
water annually
Are concerned about water quality
69%
79%
Holds smartphones
92%
Despite not being familiar with the water scenario in the west bank,
I realized it is about time to get closer and deeper as possible.
Supported by my co-founder, who is a Palestinian citizen, we made extensive research, knowledge sourcing, initiated & activated multiple connections.
I took the lead on a series of interviews, field research, Design Thinking methodologies & analysis, that gradually revealed a much clearer view and an objective understanding of the field. Then I could thoroughly enlighten the various stakeholders, the pains, and the bottlenecks.
Stakeholders Map >
How does the water ecosystem in the WB, is structured? Who are its stakeholders?
And what are their dynamics?
02
Problem Definition
Households:
Uncertainty
Water-Tankers:
Chaotic Business Operations
It was a deep dive into a vast and severe global challenge. Therefore, in order to solve in such a complex system, we had to identify & focus on a specific problem to tackle as a beginning.
We utilized valuable research insights, on-going discussions with our target audience, and potential end-users to focus our objectives.
We realized that the major 'pain' is derived from insufficient resources, and most of all — major inaccessibility of information & inefficient management.
Problem Definition >
How might we enhance water management where it is most needed.
Stakeholder's major 'pains' & bottlenecks:
Local Authority:
Inefficiency
03
Solutions Exploration
Ideation sessions & Design sprints >
@ MIT DesignX Accelerator & @MassChallenge
Defining a solution:
An IoT (’Internet of Things’) solution communicates real-time data about water resources, directly to its consumers, by a simple and intuitive digital interface.
04
Solution Definition
How does it work?
By providing technology based on real-time data collection, WATA enables family members and authority level to control & manage water consumption, distribution, and supply with a more educated decision making, instantly.
05
Solution Design & Development
Roadmap, Go-to-Market, Business model
Product Strategy >
06
Prototyping & Iterating