Smart rainwater buffer dashboard.

Abstract

Recently, Enschede is often flooded because of frequent and heavy rainfall. To resolve this issue, Smart Rainwater Buffers (SRB) were developed: conventional rain barrels equipped with a control unit discharging the barrel before rainfall. Buffering rainwater reduces strain on the sewage system, potentially preventing flooding. To give owners of such an SRB insight into their system, a web-based dashboard was needed. This dashboard should also engage owners with their device, maintaining it and spreading the word about the SRB project.

This bachelor thesis describes the development of a web-based SRB dashboard that engages the user with their SRB. For this purpose, previous SRB dashboards, general utility device dashboards, weather dashboards and behavioural reinforcement were studied.

Dashboard concepts were designed from preliminary requirements obtained form stakeholders. After several iterations improved by stakeholder feedback, the final concept was realised as functional prototype.

The prototype was responsive, and incorporated gamification elements using competition and self improvement. This prototype gave insight into the SRB’s status, and the past and future precipitation, fill level and temperature. Evaluation with stakeholders proved the prototype aesthetically pleasing, easy to use, and lightly engaging. Evaluation also showed users to be more motivated by stimuli of self improvement than competition.

Thesis on essay.utwente.nl