Industry overview
What is shaping water
Water research covers households, utilities, purifier brands and development programmes. Access, quality, reliability and trust in the source decide how people use and pay for water.
- Many households combine several water sources
- Trust in water quality drives purifier adoption
- Utilities are judged on reliability and billing
Client background
A water technology company, working in Australia & New Zealand. Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.
- Organisation
- A water technology company
- Sector
- Water
- Team engaged
- Market Research
- Services
- Consumer panel, Quantitative research, UI/UX design
Client challenge
Utilities were piloting smart meters, and the company wanted to know whether households would use consumption data and alerts, and how to design its customer app. Utilities worried that customers might see smart meters as surveillance rather than a helpful service.
Research objectives
- Deliver on the brief: testing households’ readiness for smart water meters.
- Understand the views, needs and behaviour of households.
- Measure how widespread each pattern is, and explain the reasons behind it.
- Give the client evidence it can act on within 7 weeks.
Target audience
The work focused on 1,500 households.
- households1,500
Audiences we typically reach in water
HouseholdsUtility customersPurifier buyers and ownersCommunity water committeesWASH programme beneficiaries
Geographic coverage
Coverage: Australia & New Zealand. Markets: Australia and New Zealand.
- Australia
- New Zealand
Research methodology
A mixed-method design: structured research measured how widespread each pattern was, and qualitative conversations explained why.
- 1Brief
- 2Online survey
- 3App prototype testing
- 4Insight
We surveyed households about water bills, conservation habits and interest in usage data, then tested an app prototype with leak alerts and comparisons. Usability sessions were held in homes and by video, and participants completed tasks such as finding a leak alert and comparing usage with neighbours.
Consumer panelQuantitative researchUI/UX design
Sampling strategy
- households
- 1,500
- Respondents were selected across Australia & New Zealand using quotas set in advance for each location and respondent type, so no single area or group dominated.
- Online respondents were drawn from verified panel members who matched the screening criteria, with quotas on key profile attributes.
- Qualitative participants were recruited purposively to cover the full range of experiences that mattered, rather than for statistical representation.
Data collection
- usability sessions
- 20
- Trained local-language interviewers conducted interviews in person, supervised in the field.
- The online survey was mobile-friendly and offered in respondents' languages.
- Interviews and discussions were led by experienced moderators using a guide agreed with the client.
Data quality & validation
- Back-checks on a share of completed interviews
- Time and location checks on field interviews
- Supervisor accompaniment in the field
- Digital fingerprinting and duplicate checks
- Attention, speed and straight-lining checks
- Review of open-ended answers
- Recordings and transcripts for every session
- Re-screening of qualitative recruits
- Logic and range checks on the final data
- Work carried out under our ISO 20252 quality procedures
Data analysis
- Cross-tabulation by key groups and locations
- Significance testing on the differences that mattered
- Thematic coding of interviews and discussions
- Journey and decision mapping
Key findings
- Leak alerts and bill forecasts were valued most, while detailed charts were rarely used.
People wanted actionable alerts, not more data.
Recommendations
- The company simplified its app around alerts and forecasts.
- Share the findings with the teams closest to customers so they can act quickly.
What we recommended, and the client put into practice
Business impact
- Utilities piloting the app reported high engagement with leak alerts and faster repair of household leaks.
Deliverables & next steps
- Insight report and management presentation
- Cleaned data file and data tables
- Repeat the measure after changes are in place to track progress.
- A natural follow-on question: how satisfied are utility customers?
Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.