Designing for a Better Tomorrow: The Vision of Liza Feil, Designer Behind the Nimue Smart Buoy

In a world where water quality is vital for both ecosystems and human life, product designer Liza Feil has taken a bold step toward safeguarding natural waters through innovative design. Her creation, the Nimue Water Quality Monitoring Smart Buoy, winner of the BIG SEE Product Design Award 2024 – Grand Prix, goes beyond mere functionality, embodying a vision that blends technology, sustainability, and intuitive design.

Growing up near rivers, Feil’s deep-rooted connection to nature shaped her design philosophy. “Water is not just a resource—it’s life, culture, and beauty,” she reflects. This personal passion fueled her determination to create a device that measures water quality but also protects aquatic ecosystems by enabling early detection of environmental issues, allowing timely interventions to prevent ecosystem damage.

Collaborating with the Hungarian tech company Waterscope, the award-winning designer faced the challenge of combining cutting-edge IoT technology with practical, user-centered design. The result was Nimue, a smart buoy that is as efficient as it is visually appealing.
Central to the design is modularity. The buoy’s internal components are easily accessible, allowing for maintenance or upgrades without replacing the entire device. This feature extends the product’s lifecycle, aligning with sustainable design principles.

Feil also prioritized usability. A large handle on the buoy’s top enables water workers to deploy and retrieve it effortlessly from boats, docks, or land. “I wanted the design to be intuitive, so no additional training would be required,” she explains.
Feil’s design approach is driven by a mindset of constant learning and adaptability. “One of my best mottos is, ‘I might be wrong,’” award-winning designer says. “This mindset opens doors to new possibilities and innovative solutions.” This openness to improvement, coupled with her background as a three-time gymnastics champion, has instilled in her a relentless drive to overcome challenges and push boundaries.

“My motto is: I might be wrong.
This mindset opens doors to new possibilities
and innovative solutions.”
Liza Feil

Nimue monitors five critical water quality parameters, helping prevent environmental damage while contributing to a healthier aquatic ecosystem. Yet for the award-winning designer, the project is about more than technology—it’s about redefining the role of design in addressing global challenges.
“I didn’t want to design just another technical gadget,” she asserts. “I wanted to create something that combines real needs, design, and functionality.”
By integrating sustainability, usability, and beauty into the Nimue Smart Buoy, Liza Feil demonstrates that great design can transcend aesthetics. It can inspire change, solve real-world problems, and contribute to a more sustainable future—a vision that flows as naturally as the rivers she’s always cherished.