Adequate hydration not only contributes to a healthy lifestyle, but can also prevent dehydration. Regularly people are admitted to the hospital due to dehydration symptoms. This percentage is particularly high among older people, partly because their thirst stimulus diminishes with age.
In response to a request from a large German care institution, Obli was developed with the aim of supporting people in taking sufficient fluids. The designers of Panton were asked to participate in the development of the product because of their attention to the user-friendliness of design and their knowledge of behavioural change techniques.
An innovative remembrance tool
Obli supports people in a healthy lifestyle by encouraging them to regularly hydrate and by giving them feedback about their behaviour. Obli stimulates in a simple and intuitive way through the color wheel that is clearly visible on the product. When the circle turns green, the fluid balance is good; when Obli turns red or orange it is wise to drink a glass. After drinking, Obli indicates how much of the daily requirement the user has already drunk that day.
A smartphone app allows users, carers or healthcare professionals to view the compliance data in a clear manner. Personal settings can be changed per user. Obli is therefore a good example of a project where product design and interaction design come together.
"Obli is a great and simple solution for people who drink too little. Our clients find Obli a very user-friendly device and our staff immediately has a tool to monitor drinking behaviour. And most important: we immediately see a significant increase in fluid intake," says Thea Vorenkamp (district nurse Sensire, Zutphen).
Support for behavioural change
In our opinion, technology should never be coercive, but should be at the service of the end users. Obli reminds users in a friendly way to drink water, but there are a number of other powerful persuasive principles incorporated into its product design.
By means of the light ring, Obli gives a clear but not compelling signal that something has to be drunk. The carafe of water is placed in Obli so that it is easy and immediate to actually drink it.
