Objective

Design a water purifier that fills an identified gap for a chosen market.

Outcome

A water purifier and kettle hybrid designed for van dwellers.

CONTEXT

The lifestyle of living in a camper van is growing in popularity around the globe. Whether to save living costs, for increased mobility, or for freedom and autonomy, this alternative to conventional housing brings both benefits and challenges. One of the major needs of van travellers is access to clean water for consumption, particularly purified boiled water for beverages and easy-to-prepare foods.

SCENARIO

Personas: Jenna and George, 27 and 29

With the rising costs of housing, the couple has decided to convert their van into a home to live in temporarily as they take the opportunity to work remotely and explore their country. They like to have tea and coffee in the morning, and rely on boiled water for instant meals like oatmeal and soup when on the go. In their free time, they enjoy hiking and other outdoor activities.

LIMITATIONS

SOURCES OF WATER and WATER FILTRATION NEEDS

Van dwellers often have to get creative in seeking available sources of water. Places where travellers can fill up their tanks include family and friends’ houses, city parks, campgrounds, rest stops, grocery stores, and natural water sources such as lakes and rivers. The water from these sources, ranging from residential to off-the-grid areas, will vary greatly in its suitability for consumption.

City Water: The most common contaminants are chlorine and chloramines, added by municipal systems to disinfect from microorganisms.

Well and Surface Water: Common contaminants include nitrite, fluoride, heavy metals, organic chemicals, and microorganisms.

Store-bought Water: While this water is usually fully purified, it is expensive, and produces plastic waste.

The water is typically stored in either a large fixed tank that is held inside or mounted under the van, or inside multiple portable storage containers. A faucet can be hooked up to the van water system.

TEARDOWNS

CURRENT MARKET

WATER PURIFICATION

Water purification options for those living in vans include point-of-entry in-line filters, multi-canister filtration systems, chemical additives, and UV filters. While the various options will remove some major contaminants, none are 100% effective, and can be complicated to install or too expensive to afford. While reverse osmosis in particular comes close to removing all impurities, it is costly, removes healthy minerals, and produces large amounts of wastewater. The above larger systems can be supplemented with typical portable home-use water filters, such as pitchers and countertop gravity purifiers. However these mostly target chlorine and often need pre-filtered water to operate.

TRAVEL KETTLES - ELECTRIC

Travel electric kettles are an easy, fast, safe, and convenient way to boil. These kettles use low power (DC12V) to operate and can plug into a vehicle.

PURIFYING KETTLES

Purifying kettles currently on the market specifically target the removal of minerals to purify hard water and prevent limescale buildup. Current purifying kettles are not made to be portable and are limited in their filtration types.

IDEATION

CONCEPT 1: CLASSIC KETTLE

My initial concepts explored a traditional kettle-style purifier and boiler. These ideas boil larger volumes of water, some with a removeable base and some without. I gravitated towards more grippable, tall and narrow forms to conserve space, and determined ways into incorporate a storage area for unfiltered water, the filter, and then the purified water into a device that boils.

CONCEPT 2: TRAVEL mug style

My second concept was an appliance more tailored to a single person’s use or for sharing with another. These developed into travel mug forms, and I explored ways of incorporating a cup as a lid to reduce the number of additional items needed. As I explored handles for the cup, I found that some of the forms would work well for my larger-volume concepts as well.

PROTOTYPES

CONCEPT 1

This mockup includes a filter nested in a reservoir that holds the unpurified water, allowing it to go through the filter into the main kettle body below. This model holds a larger amount of water and is more familiar as a classic kettle. The body includes a cutout at the back where three handles can be attached for testing.

CONCEPT 2

This version is taller in proportion and resembles more of a travel insulated bottle form. The lid doubles as a cup. The prototype on the right provides an alternative form to assess aesthetics and grip.

USER TESTING

TASKS

1. Boil the water for ‘tea’

2. Replace the filter

3. Rank the 4 handle options in terms of comfort (no handle, A, B, and C)

QUESTIONS ASKED

1. Do you prefer concept 1 or 2, and why does it hold more value?

2. For concept 2, do you prefer the cylindrical or curved form?

3. What did you like and dislike about the handles?

4. Any other comments?

RESULTS

CONCEPT EVALUATION

• Concept 2 was preferred due to its multifunction

• The cylindrical form for this concept appealed to the majority due to its “modern” minimal appearance, grip, proportions as well as compactness

• The handles were ranked A, B, then C when tested with prototype 1, but no handle was preferred for Concept 2

COMMENTS

• Spout may drip directly onto the button below

• Difficult to access filter with larger hands

• Reservoir height blocks the view of the spout when pouring

• Many van-dwellers already own their own dishware, and will not require a built-in cup

• Unsealed spout and open cup can spill when travelling

KEY TAKEAWAY

• Concept 2, while it appealed to most users, does not provide a truly portable solution that is convenient to use in a moving vehicle or to take outdoors

• A solution to this would be a vessel that can be taken to-go that is more compact and potentially contain prepared beverages

ADDITIONAL PROTOTYPING

MODULAR CONCEPT

I made a quick mockup of a new two-part iteration, where the purifying portion was separate and stacked onto a cup which contains the heating element. This model was not to scale but was helpful in testing the use cycle of purifying and boiling the water.

A new version allowed for the filtration portion to fit inside the kettle, meaning the components could be stored in one rather than two separate pieces. It also reduced the number of components required, reducing the chances of them being lost and simplifying the steps.

One of the concerns that came up when testing the last prototype was that flipping the interior component is not intuitive. Additionally, when first opening the top lid to pour in water to be purified, the first thing the users see is the bottom of a filter with a handle. Users attempted to either pour water directly onto the filter right away or tried to remove the filter. The previous prototype was modified so that no flipping action is required. The interior container slides upwards and secures with a twist and lock mechanism, and proved to be easier to use.

FURTHER SKETCHING

RESTRICTIONS AND MECHANISMS

At this point, I did research on the restrictions when designing vacuum flasks. These included wall thicknesses, materials, and the design of the lid as well. From there I began to figure out how the two main pieces could fit together while incorporating a lid overtop. I also explored filter and lid forms.

FINAL DESIGN

DESCRIPTION

VARRA is a purifier and kettle in one that allows users to purify water and then remove the filter to take a travel mug to go. They can either make their beverages right inside the mug or can take clean boiled water with them on a hike and prepare food outdoors. VARRA can be used as a standalone boiler as well if clean water is already accessible.

The container for unpurified water holds 300 mL, while the kettle body holds 600 mL, meaning that one to two purifying cycles provides enough water to make a variety of instant foods in another vessel if desired.

The device operates with 12V and plugs into an auto power socket.

USE CYCLE