Uni Green
A solution to improve plastic waste management practices in Universities.
My role
We are a team of 3 members, took lead of applying UX Research Methodologies, as I was the only UX researcher in the team.
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Team Members
Bhanu Kowshik, Teja
Project Time
3 Months
Objective
As part of the Design Thinking course, the objective of the project was to come up with a design solution for the problem we have chosen.
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To come up with a solution, we were supposed to support the concept with solid research and coming up with potential pain points and problem areas.
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A Vague Problem Statement
Initially, before beginning the design journey we went on to define a 'vague' problem statement that would be redefined in the later stages.
While plastics can be recycled, 85% of the recyclable plastics in the U.S. ultimately end up in landfills.
How might we enhance the efficiency of the recycling process to ensure a more sustainable future for plastic disposal?
User Research
The Analysis
Phase 1 Research
We started of with doing online research and contextual inquiries. We reached out to grocery stores, restaurants and Austin Waste Management Department etc., and also referred to handful of articles, videos and research papers.
1. Online Research
What did we do?
Collected data from -
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Articles
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Youtube videos
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Research papers.
And, why?
To learn about -
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Post waste collection
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Recycling process
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Waste management system
2. Contextual Inquiries
What did we do?
Observed and Interacted with
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Stores
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Universities
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Restraurants
And, why?
To emphasize process of-
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Waste Collection
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Collecting different materials
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Recycling
What did we find?
After doing the research we realized that this a problem with very wide scope and there will be too much data to process and understand. So we wanted to narrow down our focus area as we had limited time to find a potential problem and also come up with an ideal solution.
"Content Under Construction, will take a week or so"
Thank you for stopping by.
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Please feel free to check my arts page.
"Content Under Construction, will take a week or so"
Thank you for stopping by.
​
Please feel free to check my arts page.
Narrow Down Focus Area
We narrowed our focus and went on to focus only on University Waste Management Practices.
"Content Under Construction, will take a week or so"
Thank you for stopping by.
​
Please feel free to check my arts page.
Phase 2 Research
Our first objective was to understand the various types of plastic generation and potential recyclable materials within the university. For doing the research and collecting data we chose the Qualitative and Quantitative research methods approach.
We used the Qualitative research methods approach to collect data and do in-depth research to find the potential problem which needs a design solution.
The second objective was to learn more about the existing recycling system in place and find potential flaws in the system which can be improved using a design solution.
1. Surveys
What did we do?
Collected responses from -
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University students
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University staff​
And, why?
To learn about -​
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Waste Disposal Methods
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Student's Awareness
2. User Interviews
What did we do?
Interviewed -
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University Students
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School Students(Family & friends)
And, why?
To learn about -​​
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Current Practices
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Challenges in Current Methods.
3. Subject Matter Expert Interviews
What did we do?
Interviewed -​
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UT Waste Management Department
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Part Time Cleaners
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Food Stores on Campus
And, why?
To learn about -​​
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Waste Generation
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Waste Collection
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Waste Disposal
#Research Findings
Based on the collection of data from multiple sources, we used the method of card sorting to organize data based on our findings. In order to understand better, we added some pictures of the scenarios and added data points based on different categories.​
What did we learn?
With the above Journey Mapping we gained comprehensive insights into the entire workflow of recycling. This includes how the trash is disposed, collected. recycled and also types of materials etc.,
Pain Point #1
During Collection, Recyclable materials do not always end up in the recycling bin and ends up in landfill.
Pain Point #2
All Plastics are not recyclable and all facilities cannot recycle all types of plastic materials that are collected.
# Define Problem
Asking the necessary questions -​
Who are causing these problems?
Who is it impacting and How?
What are they doing wrong?
Who all are directly involved during this process?
#Problem 1
For Students
-Bins are confusing, and not sure the particular trash goes into which bin.
-Not sure whether the item is recyclable or not.
-Out of habit/convenience which leads to the recyclable plastic to end up in the wrong bin.
#Problem 1
Types of Plastic
-There are 7 different types of plastics in which only few are recyclable.
-Recycling facilities needs extra costs to segregate the plastics.
-If all types of plastics are mixed, it leads to contamination.
Re-Define Problem Statement
How might we help students to help segregate different kinds of plastic and in turn help universities have better waste sorting systems?
Competitive Analysis
Based on the competitive analysis, the below are the competitors solving the problem in one or the other way. We studied different existing products which are directly and indirectly related to this problem. (Findings discussed druring case study presentation).
Direct Competitors
Pneumatic Waste Collection
AI Waste Sorting
Tomra
Indirect Competitors
E waste Kiosks
Solar Waste Compressors
Brainstorming
Ideation
Concept
once the problem was defined based on the research, we conducted multiple brainstorming sessions to come up with an appropriate solution to solve the problem of sorting bins.
Solution 1
Color Coded materials
Universal color coding for plastics ie., recyclable plastics should be manufactured in a certain type of color and non recyclable should be manufactured in a different color.
Solution 3
Redesigning Existing Bins
Add scanners to the existing bins and, based on NFC segregation can be done for different types of materials, when students scan the trash that particular bin lid will open automatically.
Solution 2
Waste Management Camps
Create awareness through camps or make it a mandatory training as such to make students about recycling and waste management.
Solution 4
Using only one material
Promoting all the university stores and chains to use only one kind of plastic overall. So that this way, the segregation ambiguity for student can be avoided.
Feedback and Learnings
We learned that a solution like color coded bins is not an ideal solution as it would be problem for different brands and it might be impossible for all of the brands to use plastic of same colors.
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We also found that Training is also present in the existing system, and still it does not ensure the efficiency of collecting recyclable waste properly.
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Prototype & Test
Final Concept
Prototype 1
What did we do?
We tested our "redesigning the existing bins to smart bins" prototype. There will be scanner present at the bins, and the students need to scan the trash, based on the NFC Code, that particular bin lid will be opened.
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We made this prototype upon the existing bins in university premises and tested this prototype with 12 students around the campus.
What did we learn?
11/12 Participants felt the bins are so clear and easy to understand and felt more responsible than before.
Feedback
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As we attached the scanner to the existing bins It will be a daunting process for students to use the mandatory scanner to scan the trash every time.
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Also, students felt that they might not find motivation to use this bins every time they want to dump the
Based on the feedback and our research we designed our final solution "Green bins". This solution had a digital application and physical product.
Final Solution
Green bins are located around the campus, where students can dump both recylable and non recyclable plastic waste and receive rewards and monitor their earnings and disposal amount using the mobile application.
Physical
Students can find these bins around the campus. It has 2 parts,
1. Bins. 2. Scanner
Student should first scan their ID cards to login and then start scanning the plastic they want to dump and the respective bin lid opens based on the plastic detected.
Testing
We tested this solution with 15 users around the campus. we divided the whole test process into four different scenarios and tested out both physical and digital platforms together.(Further details given during the case study presentation).
Digital
(Design process is explained during case study presentation)
Mobile app will help the students to track their earnings, rewards etc., Based on the plastic they disposed, they will be given rewards and they can redeem this rewards into "BEVO CASH" which is university debit card account. This card can be used anywhere in the campus to buy food, stationery etc.,
What did we learn ?
11/12 participants found the whole experience of disposing the trash and monitoring their progress to be easy and clear
No need for the students to know if the particular item is recyclable or not and avoids the confusion among them.
Participants found it easier to have bin locations on the app, this way they don't have to look for it. The placement of the bins is also one of the factors which should be considered to improve the efficiency of the task.
Takeaways
How important role feedback plays in the design process.
Value of good research.
How to narrow down the research findings and stick to the scope.