Folia Water Filter
- Kayla Long
- Jan 3
- 2 min read
Human Centered Design | Cultural Understanding | Prototyping | Project Management
Many low income families in Bangladesh struggle with water security. The people earning $2-$10 a day do not have enough income to purchase many safe and available water filters. They are instead drinking dirty, bacteria filled water that exposes them to avoidable diseases.
Folia Water is a water filter manufacturing company that works to provide clean water to Bengladeshi families for “pennies not dollars”. The Folia Water Filters are antimicrobial filter paper cones that are placed in the plastic funnel. Each paper filter can provide 20 liters of germ-free water. Folia designed the funnel to work specifically for the Kolshi jugs that many low income families use to collect water.
Following the Kolshi jugs jerry cans are widely used for water collection and drinking. My team was tasked with creating an adapter so the funnel and filter can be used on jerry cans. Our main goals for the adapter were building around the current filter, ensuring ease of use, and maintain low cost production and distribution.
As the project manager of the team I was responsible for contacting and communicating with our Folia Water client and ensuring our design was within their constraints and feasibility, ensuring team communication and managing the timeline of the project. During our project I also coordinated a meeting with the Folia Water Customer Advocate to ask questions about our stakeholders’ use of the product and their true needs.
Our design for the Folia Filter Adapter is an octagonal net set into an octagonal base with a spout for water flow. The below prototype is made out of a corrugated plastic.
The octagonal net shape and octagonal base can be stamped out of a sheet of plastic and shipped flat to reduce manufacturing and shipping costs.
The Folia funnel sits inside the octagon and water is filtered through the paper. The support legs of the adapter rest on either side of the jerry can handle to stabilize the adapter.
Throughout this project my team worked to uphold the design goals and philosophy of our client, Folia Water. Feedback and guidance from Folia allowed us to create a suitable adapter that considers the use of the product, the materials, costs, transportation, and the cultural differences of our market and users.
Comments