Product design supporting improved water, sanitation, and energy services delivery in low-income settings

Abstract

Several approaches have been proposed in the literature supporting product design applied in low-income settings. These approaches have typically focused on individual-and household-level beneficiaries, with an emphasis on participatory, human-centered co-design methods. In this paper, we present a design approach that is, in contrast, focused on supporting providers of improved water, sanitation, and energy services. We establish requirements for design in these contexts, especially addressing design iteration. We describe sets of feedback systems between designers and various sources of expert knowledge, codifying roles of design stakeholders in this context. We demonstrate these principles across three case studies: a sanitation service monitoring technology in Kenya; a water flowmeter technology in Kenya; and a water storage monitoring technology in Sierra Leone.