My human use analysis was conducted on the campus water filling stations. These are the stations around campus that are used to fill up water bottles, and are typically located near water fountains.
The main purpose of these stations is to provide users with a quick and easy way to fill up their reusable water bottles. They are much more efficient than trying to juggle filling up a water bottle from a typical drinking fountain, and include a filtering system so are theoretically better than just refilling a water bottle from the tap. In addition, they provide users with a feel-good justification after use, because all of them include a display screen that increments after every use and shows the number of plastic water bottles whose waste had been eliminated. Americans use 50 billion disposable water bottles a year, and the U.S.'s recycling rate for plastic is only 23% (source). With going green a global trend, this makes users feel good that they are contributing to helping save the planet.
Located all around campus, frequently near a bathroom, the stations serve most of the MIT population. Owning a reusable water bottle is almost part of MIT culture. More likely than not, even if a student comes in without owning a reusable water bottle, they will walk out of the first career fair owning at least three for free.
The filling stations around campus are all from the brand Halsey Taylor, though not all of them are of the same model. A quick walk around campus shows the inconsistencies of the types of stations that exist. Here are some photos of the assorted water stations and water fountains around campus:
