Approaching the due date for our finalized design, we took yet another step back from our design to consider several things, the most significant being why other projects have failed in the past, but also to ask ourselves if we were approaching the whole project the wrong way – is there a better system entirely? Both of these concepts are detailed briefly in the previous post, but proved very helpful to our continuing design.
We formulated a concept taking shape from both our core ideas, our continued research, and (perhaps most influentially) suggestions from our previous feedback session.
So what exactly do we intend to design? A Cup Deposit/Rewards System.
This essentially Combines our original idea with the “Is it possible to have bins around uni to collect re-usable cups?” and the “Exchange disposable cups” Feedback, as these were ideas we felt had great substance in the context of our project.
Rather than designing an object, we would like to design an entire system, which presents a plethora of things that must be considered should it have potential for success.
How is it possible to compete with the convenience of disposable cups?
How can we limit the accessibility people have to disposable cups?
Is it possible to make our cup the only option?
What are the economic and environmental impacts of re-usable cups/materials?
Which material best suits the cups considering cost, sustainability, and durability?
How can reusable cups be made more desirable?
How would the rewards system/card be optimized? Plastic? Or Paper?
Would the bin be Digital? Mechanical?
How many cups would the bin realistically need to hold?
Could the bin wash the cups? Separate the sizes?
How are the cups retrieved, how smooth can we make this process?
How might we coerce café’s to join – how can we make it convenient for them?
Will this save them time or money? Can it?
How can the bins be very accessible, without being invasive?
Can they be neutral in their environment? In sight, smell, volume etc.
How can we use positive enforcement and/or Guilt?
Can it display statistic? Number of cups returned over a time period or volume of waste saved?
At what volume do reusable cups become more sustainable than disposable?
How can people be prevented from stealing the cups? (Aside from the reward concept itself). Should the cups be branded? “AUT” or Cafe's Name
How significant would theft be, anyway?
From here we would like to sketch a few concepts, and consult several potential stakeholders – querying how are designs could be improved or optimized for their use. We will then assess our designs through the Three Lenses of Human Centered Design to discover which ideas are most powerful or have the most significant potential. From this, with any luck we will be able to optimize a final design concept for submission.