Client
HILICO – Portable device gathers rain for clean drinking water
Services
Design & Agronomy
Usability Testing
Year
2017
The world’s first affordable rainwater harvesting system, designed to address limited access to clean water. The portable, low-cost solution was created to maximize sanitation while minimizing environmental impact.
As the industrial designer on the development team, I worked closely with the lead entrepreneur to develop a fully functional prototype, which later evolved into a commercially manufactured and sold product.
A key design challenge was creating a system that could connect to structures of different sizes and strengths, withstand extreme outdoor conditions, and remain lightweight and portable.
The product was initially designed for communities in developing regions, where users might not speak English or have access to instructional videos. This made intuitive, self-explanatory use especially important, shaping the product’s form, connections, and interaction from the start.
