Facing the Limits: Designing Data Physicalizations to Reduce Water Consumption in Mountain Huts

Mountain huts are buildings in remote mountain areas that depend on local water sources, such as snow, rain, and springs, as they are not connected to centralized water systems. In this pictorial, we report the design process undertaken to explore how data physicalization can communicate the problem of water scarcity in mountain huts with the ultimate goal of encouraging visitors to reduce water usage. The process led to two concepts: one that materializes the impact of each visitor on the water reserve of the hut through a participatory installation, and the other that invites visitors to explore the concept of limit, encouraging reflection on what they are willing to renounce and helping them to make informed choices within tight water constraints. With our work, we aim to contribute to the ongoing efforts in Sustainable HCI to shift the purpose of behavior change from personal gain to the common good.