pluvo | Jannis Wäder

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JANNIS WÄDER – 2025

Empowering citizens to prepare for heavy rainfall events

Thesis

Research

Concept

User Journey

UX Design

UI Design

Prototyping

Pluvo is an interactive platform that raises awareness of local flood risks and promotes personal flood preparedness through clear information, personalized guidance, and positive communication.

Empowering citizens to prepare for heavy rainfall events

Thesis

Research

Concept

User Journey

UX Design

UI Design

Prototyping

Pluvo is an interactive platform that raises awareness of local flood risks and promotes personal flood preparedness through clear information, personalized guidance, and positive communication.

Empowering citizens to prepare for heavy rainfall events

Thesis

Research

Concept

User Journey

UX Design

UI Design

Prototyping

Pluvo is an interactive platform that raises awareness of local flood risks and promotes personal flood preparedness through clear information, personalized guidance, and positive communication.

Situation

Heavy rainfall is one of the most frequent natural disasters in Germany, yet many citizens underestimate their personal risk. While public infrastructure takes years to adapt, individual action can make an immediate difference. However, current communication methods—PDFs, flyers, and static maps—are not user-friendly, lack personalization, and fail to activate public engagement.

Situation

Citizens often assume flood protection is solely the city’s responsibility.

Many misjudge their own risk or believe it won't affect them.

Warnings often come too late. action must be taken before the rain begins.

Task

Design an engaging and trustworthy civic platform that translates complex flood risk data into an intuitive, personalized experience. The platform needed to build awareness, present city actions transparently, and guide citizens toward protective measures motivating them to act before the rain starts.

Task

Action

We followed a user-centered design process with three phases

Action

We followed a user-centered design process with three phases

Action

We followed a user-centered design process with three phases

Action

We followed a user-centered design process with three phases

User Research

Interviews with citizens and experts revealed awareness gaps, emotional barriers, and behavioral patterns related to risk perception.

Concept developement

Multiple ideation rounds led to a validated platform concept focused on hyper-local risk insights and personal relevance.

Design

I played a key role in shaping the platform’s overall structure and visual design. I designed user flows, UI elements, and interactions to balance clarity with empathy. Color hierarchy and microinteractions were used to gently guide users without overwhelming them.

We prototyped and tested iteratively to ensure accessibility, comprehension, and emotional resonance.

Result

Pluvo combines education, localization and empathy to drive awareness and behavior change.

Through a guided, interactive experience, the platform informs citizens of risks, shows protective actions and motivates them with a positive, empowering tone.

Result

Pluvo combines education, localization and empathy to drive awareness and behavior change.

Through a guided, interactive experience, the platform informs citizens of risks, shows protective actions and motivates them with a positive, empowering tone.

Result

Pluvo combines education, localization and empathy to drive awareness and behavior change.

Through a guided, interactive experience, the platform informs citizens of risks, shows protective actions and motivates them with a positive, empowering tone.

Result

Pluvo combines education, localization and empathy to drive awareness and behavior change.

Through a guided, interactive experience, the platform informs citizens of risks, shows protective actions and motivates them with a positive, empowering tone.

Raising awareness in public

Frequently affected or particularly endangered locations in the city are marked to raise awareness and guide people to the digital platform.

Raising awareness in public

Frequently affected or particularly endangered locations in the city are marked to raise awareness and guide people to the digital platform.

Raising awareness in public

Frequently affected or particularly endangered locations in the city are marked to raise awareness and guide people to the digital platform.

Raising awareness in public

Frequently affected or particularly endangered locations in the city are marked to raise awareness and guide people to the digital platform.

Informing personally

In addition to public touchpoints, citizens are informed through personal channels such as letters, especially those in high-risk homes. Staff can now forward people directly to the platform.

Informing personally

In addition to public touchpoints, citizens are informed through personal channels such as letters, especially those in high-risk homes. Staff can now forward people directly to the platform.

Informing personally

In addition to public touchpoints, citizens are informed through personal channels such as letters, especially those in high-risk homes. Staff can now forward people directly to the platform.

Informing personally

In addition to public touchpoints, citizens are informed through personal channels such as letters, especially those in high-risk homes. Staff can now forward people directly to the platform.

Landing page

The landing page introduces the basics of heavy rainfall, explains what the city is doing to protect its residents and emphasizes the importance of personal responsibility. Transparent content creation builds trust, while clear messaging encourages users to take action.

Landing page

Guiding the user

To make the experience on the platform more personal and guided we implemented two personas. Mona and Tom are there to explain the interface, nudge the user to explore the map and give helpful tips and explanations to make the abstract topic more tangible.

Guiding the user

exploring the map

An interactive city map helps users understand local risks. Blue markers show municipal protection efforts, while flood markers indicate locations of past heavy rain events. Virtual walkthroughs visualize historical water levels to make flood risks more tangible.

exploring the map

Inspecting ones home

By entering their address, users can explore how city measures affect their home and identify common vulnerabilities. Each potential risk comes with actionable recommendations, from basic structural safeguards to expert contacts for in-depth consultation.

Inspecting ones home

Conclusion page

The final section highlights users’ progress, reinforces key learnings, and offers downloadable emergency resources. Those interested in further support can directly connect with local experts through the platform.

Conclusion page

Positive communication, personal address and the transparent presentation of dangers and measures inspire confidence in pluvo, an interactive information platform for raising awareness amongst the population.

LEARNING

My bachelor thesis taught me to trust both the design process and the knowledge I had built throughout my studies. Working independently required confidence in our abilities especially when making key design decisions without constant feedback.

Designing an interactive map and a 3D object was a fun and rewarding challenge. I learned how to use color purposefully, without overwhelming the interface, and how to create a platform that feels intuitive and easy to navigate.

My main responsibilities included the landing page, the conclusion page, and the core UI elements of the map. This experience strengthened my skills in structuring content, defining visual language, and designing for clarity and usability.

TOOLS USED