washi is a friendly water saving device that helps you build better handwashing habits

throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the most important piece of advice has been to wash your hands to prevent the spread of the virus. with studies showing that close to 97% of people don’t wash their hands correctly, different strategies such as singing songs have been used to encourage good hygiene habits. however, as these can be easy to forget, designers ana maria gonzalez londoño and farshad saffari ghandehari have conceptualized a small device to prevent both underwashing and overwashing, the latter of which could lead to increased water usage and waste.

all images courtesy of ana maria gonzalez londoño and farshad saffari ghandehari

the designers imagined washi: a waterproof attachable device that helps people build hand hygiene and water saving habits by using nudge techniques that induce behavioral change. washi works by using proximity sensors, time tracking, and easy to understand visual cues and feedback. with a friendly display and customizable covers, it is a product that caters to both adults and children. its technical simplicity also gives it potential to be used in both homes and public places, such as in schools as an educational tool.

the washi device comes with a suction cup that allows it to be placed on different surfaces and locations and it consists of 2 main function modes. the first is oriented towards improving handwashing and the second is geared towards saving water.

in the first mode, the sensor activation starts a 20 second timer displayed on screen while visually instructing how to wash your hands properly. after this time, positive feedback is given with a simple and friendly character to let you know you’ve done it properly. if proximity continues to be sensed, the display will notify excessive water usage, if it stops sensing the proximity before the 20 seconds pass, the timer will continue briefly but will eventually provide ‘sad feedback’ if there is absolutely no proximity.

the second mode is manually activated with a rotating wheel that allows a personal time goal to be set for other functions such as teeth brushing or showering. the duo wanted to design an effective product that is also affordable to increase its reach and impact. with this in mind, they have optimized the design and simplified the technology as much as possible. another challenge was thinking of usability and integrated functions within the product.

washi is designed in a way that makes it useful for a pandemic scenario but also after the pandemic so that it can continue to instil good hygiene habits. the concept has been created by colombian designer ana maria gonzalez londoño and iranian designer farshad saffari ghandehari, who are both studying integrated product design at politecnico di milano, italy.

project info:

project name: washi

design: ana maria gonzalez londoño and farshad saffari ghandehari

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lynne myers | designboom