WaterWise is a web-based solution that accumulates water quality data and information about lead pipes infrastructure into one, easy-to-use platform. Within the site, users can uncover about the quality of water in their homes, learn about the health risks of contaminated water, compareoptions for addressing poor water quality, and connect with local government andcommunity representatives who can help.
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Although much of this information exists today, it is highly fragmented and difficult to understand. WaterWise is a first-of-its-kind platform that simplifies the water quality conversation into a digestible problem and empowers users to take meaningful action based on their needs. 
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The site leverages AI and predictive modeling from Blue Conduit, a water infrastructure consultancy started at the University of Michigan, and is designed to reach communities across United States that may be impacted by poor water quality and help them understand their water infrastructure.

‘Clean Water and Sanitation’ is sixth on the list of the United Nations’ (UN) seventeen Sustainable Development Goals for achieving a better and more sustainable future for all. According to the UN, “Water scarcity, poor water quality and inadequate sanitation negatively impacts food security, livelihood choices and educational opportunities for poor families across the world.
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Nearly 63 million people in the United States have been exposed to unsafe drinking water in the past decade. Because of the pervasive nature of this water problem, estimates for replacement of affected pipelines trend north of $1 trillion USD. Thus, it is not feasible for the federal or state governments to budget for total replacement at once.

A Michigan run startup focused on this problem has devised an algorithm to predict the lead pipe infrastructure of the area. Blueconduit’s Flint Service Line Map allows residents and local governments to get the latest service line data for their address. This not only create awareness and action towards water quality, but also helps local governments to push their funds to the AI predicted most affected areas.

Waterwise was developed in conjunction with BlueConduit where our team of designers and MBA graduates worked on an interlaced business + design sprint to ideate on solutions that would benefit the cause and the business. While we were understanding the user pain points and defining our problem statements, we were also ideating on our business model canvas to re-imagine the product for BlueConduit.

The target users are those who live or plan to live in communities with high risk of water contamination like lead exposure, such as those established prior to 1950.
To understand more about the users and their needs, we conducted contextual interviews and surveys to get a sense of their pain points.

We created a survey to gauge the understanding of the problem and current solution used by residents. We started off by listing out all the questions that we needed answers for. For example, demographics, awareness of the water problem, current solutions they use.

Based on our research we created multiple personas for our residents and community members. We identified three major target groups who directly or indirectely are affected by the water vulnerability issue.