ASHLEY SMITH
RMIT University Pre Major Project Durable Visual Record Published in June 2012 by Ashley Smith 0447210598 ashsmith20@gmail.com http://au.linkedin.com/in/ashsmith Copyright
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Ashley Smith
SHARE SMART 2030 Visualising Domestic Washing of the Future
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Thank You to everyone who has helped this book come to fruition.
Contents Foreword
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Introduction
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Reflection Who And Why? Why Design? My Practice Process & Abilities Moving Forward
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Research Systematic Or Sporadic? Sushouse Project Xerox Model Collaborative Consumption Electrolux Gotland Changing Behaviours Clean Clothes Technology Reflections
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Statement Agenda Approach The Future - 2030 Exploration Opportunities Sharing Smart Technology Behaviour Change Washing Technology Artefact System Service Interaction Object
40 41 43 44 49 50 52 54 56 58 61 62 66 68
Conclusion
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Bibliography
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Contentsďťż
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Foreword Share Smart - 2030 documents the research undertaken through the first half of my final year of Industrial Design at RMIT. This project is something that has been brewing for a considerable amount of time; sustainability is something that I have never whole heartily engaged and as of 6 months ago I knew relatively little about it. This has been a great opportunity to explore and broaden my design practice and capabilities. This project is part of the larger Social and Sustainable Studio at RMIT University headed up by Soumitri Varadarajan. So far it has been an enjoyable experience and many thanks must go to my peers for their input and insights throughout the journey. Without their help this project would not of reached the level it has. Although at some points a stressful and frustrating experience, it has ultimately been an enjoyable one. I look forward to the following semester and moving the project foreward. Ashley Smith
Prologueďťż
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Introduction In the future water management is set to be one of humanities biggest challeges, unlike energy that is set to be produced from renewable sources, water is a finite resource that cannot be created. 2030 is a world where consumption and the purchasing of products is banned, where renewable energy has taken over as the dominant source of power, over 75% of the population live in urban areas, and one of the greatest issues is the growing lack of water to produce food for the ever-increasing population. Cleaning your clothes is still a required task but it is vital that the amount of water used to do this is kept to a minimum. This project’s hope is to produce a solution to this basic need through the investigation of collaborative consumption methodology and the development of products within such a collaborative system.
Introductionďťż
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Reflection
Why & How? Before writing this reflection I was sceptical of its value. Being a “Gung ho� sort of character growing up I never took the time to sit down and look back at what had happened in my life, whether good or bad; I always had a desire to move on to the next thing that could satisfy my need for instant gratification (something we discuss a bit later.) In essence undertaking this task has been one of the most confronting things I have done. Defining who you are and why in a passage for others to read honestly challenges your perceptions of yourself and the world. Writing a personal reflection has the inevitable danger that you unintentionally warp this perception creating a more favourable account of who you are. In order to gain true value from the exercise this reflection has been put together after a number of conversations with those closest to me. Overall reflecting back upon what matters to me and why, has explained a lot of the decisions I have made so far in my life and why I love design and chose it as a career path. In order to gain a true reflection you have to start at the beginning and so here we go...
Spending the majority of my childhood living in the United Kingdom, in a small town called Cheltenham in the county of Gloucestershire, has given me a vast number of experiences that I may not of had growing up somewhere else. With the UK being so close to Europe many of these experiences came through travel to different countries including France, Belgium, Spain and Italy. Along with travelling around Europe I was also given the opportunity to visit the USA, Caribbean, Bahamas, and Australia on numerous occasions. This constant travelling as a child exposed me to many diverse and varied cultures. This was a great contrast to the small town I grew up in, something I am grateful to my parents for exposing me to. Seeing these other countries has taught me an appreciation of other cultures and the insight that not everyone experiences things in the same way. A skill that perhaps explains one reason why I took such an interest in design; design is the essential reflection of culture.
Reflection
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Why Design?
A photograph of the Pompidou Centre in Paris, France taken on a school excursion (2003).
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Reflection
I have been lucky that through my life I have been encouraged to take an interest in art and design by my parents, although they admit not to be overly knowledgeable of the area, they have always had an appreciation of it and believed in giving my brother and I the opportunity to experience it. I have many fond memories of going along to different museums and historical buildings and this transferred into my strong interest in history as a child. It soon became evident that I was less interested in the people and more in objects. One of the clearest memories I have is from a year 9 school art and design trip I took to Paris where we visited a number of museums and galleries that included the Pompidou Centre. On that same trip we had visited a large number of galleries including the Louvre, but this was the one that struck me the most. The Pompidou Centre holds the Musée National d’Art Moderne the second largest collection of modern art in the world after MOMA in New York. When making my way through the centre I remember thinking “Wow this stuff isn’t old, people are still designing and creating this stuff today.” This was the start of my interest in Industrial Design as a career.
This appreciation for objects over people comes back to my father; when I was young child my father worked hard to set up his own business and in a traditional sense provide for the family, while my mother stayed at home and looked after my brother and I. Obsessed with technology and gadgets he would often come home after a long day at work with the latest TV or video camera and would spend hours playing with them and showing me how they worked. This led to my subsequent desire to take apart many of my own objects to see how they worked on the inside. My father’s obsession with the technical transferred to me and so did his desire for perfection in everything he did. Perfection is something he believes he picked up from his father who served in the Navy where the importance of organisation and perfection went beyond just a desire. To me these experiences, skills and traits that have been passed onto me through my upbringing, sit at the core as to why I studied design. The combination of an interest in culture and aesthetics, the technical, and the desire for perfection and organisation are all things that to me create great design and something I aspire to.
My brother and I as young ‘designer builders’ taken on one of my dads new cameras. (1993).
Reflection
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My Practice My design practice is something that has grown and developed over time, especially through university (something I was unaware of until I began to write this.) As previously mentioned culture, technicality and perfection are all at the core of what I see as good design. So in turn when looking back on my design practice these are things that constantly pop up as themes in my method. Many of my most enjoyable projects have been those that involve all of these aspects. Along with these attributes something that I previously alluded to in the introduction to this reflection was the desire I have for instant gratification. Although I am unsure as to where this came from and whether is it related to design or just growing up in a generation bombarded with over stimulation. Interestingly though when talking to many other industrial designers it is something that we all have in common. This seems to express itself in the need to prototype and experiment throughout the design process.
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Reflection
Although these are all aspects that sit in my practice, it is clear that I have a routine when designing that links to a set of abilities I have developed. It is common knowledge to everyone in the design field, and even anyone who has attempted to solve a problem or create something from scratch, that the processes we go through are not always linear. Although they may have an order to them, rarely does it move directly from one phase to the next; rather, often the design process is an iterative one that moves back and forth and side to side before presenting a solution - and my design process is no different. Although I believe many of the different phases of my practice overlap and happen simultaneously, it is possible to isolate and distinguish the different phases and individual attributes something that I aim to do in the next part of my reflection.
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ITEM NO. PART NUMBER 1 Base Plate 2 Body Cover 3 Heating Plate Exploded technical drawing 4 Left - Button of a Phillips iron concept. 5 PCB 6
Right - Button Right - Water reservoir Steam and water controls Water spout cover Temperature Controls Left - Water reservoir Main Body
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DESCRIPTIO PET - Injection M PP - Injection M Aluminium coated w Steel - Cas PP - Injection Mo OEM - PCB and PP - Injection Mo Semi Translucent PP Moulded Combination of OE Injection Moulde PP - Injection Mo
PP - Injection Mo Semi Translucent PP Moulded PP - Injection Mo
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UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED: DIMENSIONS ARE IN MILLIMETERS SURFACE FINISH: TOLERANCES: LINEAR: ANGULAR: NAME
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Small Consumer Appliance - Iron
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Ash Smith
IDEO Method Cards combine a mixture of traditional design methods along with social science research tools.
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Reflection
My Process & Abilities Research for me is something that happens both at the start and also continuously throughout the whole of my process. When researching I immerse myself within the problem which helps me to understand it better. In an age where so much information is on the Internet (an obvious source of reference for any designer) this is often my first port of call; I will spend hours at my desk (with a beer or two) searching through sizable amounts of information. This research is often related directly to my problem but also other sources that interest me. In combination with research online, the use of many social and service design tools assist in understanding the key stakeholders and players within the brief are helpful. For clarity I will often portray and map the insights from this research either by hand or digitally to help me understand it. Adobe Illustrator is a program I continually find myself using; I find it is a quick and easy way to create sharp and clear diagrams, as demonstrated later in this book.
The next phase of the design process is often referred to as idea/concept generation (the fun bit), but in order to give an in-depth account of how I go about this phase I have broken it down into two stages, each with its own set of tools and methods. The first stage is initial creativity/inspiration - the first set of ideas that you visualise in your mind. As you often can’t turn these ideas off, this phase overlaps enormously with the research stage. The second stage is the documentation of these ideas - how to get them somewhere they become tangible. For me, the first stage – initial creativity – is one that is built into us as designers: to visualise ideas. Within my process this stage usually requires stimuli and I go about this in a number of ways, from continuing my research, to reading, to observing the world, to hanging out with mates and chating about the project.
Reflection
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When moving into the preliminary documentation of my initial creativity one of the many skills that I believe I possess is my passion for sketching and doodling, which is often the way I like to document my ideas. Sketching is a useful way to get ideas out of my head and into a tangible domain on paper. I find this works best when I am relaxed and surrounded by relevant stimuli. Sketching is something I attempt to use in all of my projects. For a number of reasons stunted imagination or ‘designers block’ is something that can occur in any project - the feeling that I have exhausted all possible avenues and cannot find a solution that works. To me this is the hardest part of any project and I like to use one particular method to help overcome this hurdle. Since my youth, sport has always been a large part of my life. I have always played sport and I will often use this an escape from my work, as it forces me to stop over thinking the project and focus on something else, giving me a fresh set of eyes when I next return to the problem.
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Reflection
Another vital tool that can be utilised to document or facilitate creative ideas is CAD, a program that helps me to quickly visualise 3D forms on the screen to aid in proportion and styling. CAD is something I find is best for basic forms and shapes. If you add too much detail too early it can cloud the form of the object and waste time that can be used to formulate other ideas. Solidworks and Rhino are my preferred choices of program for this type of work. As evident with CAD, the introduction of technology into the field of design has only made our lives easier, with more possibilities for quick communication of ideas being available. Another option available is the use of Wacom Tablets to digitally draw our ideas straight onto the screen something I also like to use when presenting ideas.
Ideation sketching for a personal project (2012).
Reflection
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Once the idea generation phase has reached completion, it is time to choose an idea or ideas that works best. For me this process is often the one that happens the quickest; all the ideas are out and now it is time to pick one and run with it. Regularly most of the tools used in the previous phase are used to facilitate this. CAD and prototyping now take a more prominent role though. This often moves an idea to the stage where it is near completion and can be tested. Within a product-based project this often results in a prototype being created for testing and to study the form. As with Wacom Tablets and CAD, technology is making it easier to see an idea in the flesh. CAM/CNC modelling has been around for some time, but it is a time-consuming and lengthy process to go through in order to only end up with a foam model. One of the new technologies that I like to use is 3D printing as it can create more intricate forms and also provides a more durable model than traditional CNC modelling.
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Reflection
CAD rendering of a compressed air powered Extreme Touring Motorcycle.
Moving Forward I am a person who is not necessarily an idealist, however I do believe that as a designer I can influence the world for the good. Using the key values that I have identified in my practice as the core, I aim to continue to develop the way I work to become someone who is relevant to the design industry and can add value to any project. I am aware that design is not a science and the same approach is not beneficial to every problem, but I do hope that through experience I am able to develop a range of approaches that allow me to competently tackle any brief. This task of reflecting upon my practice and process has been very valuable in allowing me to see what I am doing right or wrong, and is something that I will endeavour to do again in the future to enable further development. In conclusion I wish to be able to continually progress and further my own practice, developing new approaches and methodologies that make me a better designer and benefit the design community as a whole.
Reflection
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Research
Systematic or Sporadic? Research is a word that today is used in all areas of society from business to education; we live in a world where every decision that is made needs some justification or reasoning behind it and this often comes in the form of research. The Oxford English Dictionary (2012) defines research as the “systematic approach of investigating different sources and materials in order to come to establish facts and come to new conclusions,� but I don’t see design research as something that is that finite in its definition. Whilst as designers we often sit within the traditional research methods framework we also sit outside it and look to push the boundaries. As described by Frankel and Racine (2010) design research can be broken down into three distinct areas, Research for Design, Research about Design and Research through Design. Research for Design and Research about Design sit close to traditional scientific research methods but Research through Design is something that is an action reflective activity whereby doing provides opportunities for greater insight. This might include activities such as sketching and model making.
Alongside this method of categorising design research I like to use a more traditional method of collect, understand, visualise and reflect (Schneider & Stickdorn; 2010). This method can sit over the top of the different categories of research previously described and helps to structure an outcome from the research activities. Recently in the Research for Design area there has been a strong connection developing with social science methodology in developing a set of research tools that can be used to better understand the stakeholders within a project. Some examples of this are the IDEO Methods Cards and the book This is Service Design Thinking. Along with a user approach there are often physical and technical aspects to a project. I like to use a Research about Design approach and look at existing similar cases to see what knowledge is already in that space. In order to technically innovate a product, new or existing technologies may need to be actioned within the problem space, this type of research is more random and involves creating links and associations within different fields. All research starts with a topic that needs to be addressed, in this case the issue is sustainability within the home. Research
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SusHouse Project With my current focus being within the area of social and sustainable design, many of the tools within service design and co-design are incredibly pertinent to the way I go about my research. Social and sustainable design involves a user-focused approach with much of the success of such projects reliant on how the user interacts with or uses the outcome. The SusHouse Project is an example of a project that focused on using these methodologies to provide solutions for domestic living of the future. SusHouse was a project that ran in 6 research teams across Europe between 1999 and 2001 and focused on technological and behavioural change for sustainable development. By working cooperatively with a variety of stakeholders including government, residents and industry the project was able to provide a range of outcomes for the actions of clean clothes, nutrition and shelter. When constructing their scenarios each of the teams also used a Design Oriented Scenario approach whereby they backcast from a 2050 scenario what would be the required needs in the future allowing them to break each action down (Green, Quist, Toth, Toth, & Young, 2000).
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Research
One of the insights that came from this project was that in order to provide greater environmental change a combination of technological, behavioural and organisational change is needed. Along with this it was discovered that merely providing a service around an action does not provide environmental benefits, in fact in some cases the outcome can be more detrimental (Klapwijk, Knot, Quist & Vergragt, 2006).
Mapping ideas onto a matrix of behavioural change and technological change allowed the observation that without both it is hard to implement considerable environmental change. Confirming the observation that a combination of factors need to be changed for environmental improvements (Knot & Van der Wel, 2001).
Research
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Xerox Model When looking at the aspect of technological change specific tools such as Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) take a more scientific approach to gathering information about existing products and standards. This helps to identify technical, manufacturing and end of life opportunities within a products life cycle. Xerox was one of the first companies to introduce a holistic technical approach to their business model where they shifted from being a copier manufacturer to a complete document solutions company. This has become known as a Product Service Systems (PSS) approach where a system is placed around a product in order to provide a service (Isaksson, Larson & Ronnback, 2009). By analysing their product lifecylce Xerox recognised that by stream lining their business to a leasing model (PSS) they were able to gain greater control over the product and in turn design the product components to be recycled or reused.(Roy, 2000).
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Research
Taking a holistic approach to providing an action such as printing and copying, as demonstrated by Xerox, is a great way to provide environmental benefits and still provide a great service. Along with this Xerox were also able to provide a large amount of additional revenue and jobs within their organisation that without this holistic approach they would not of created (Fuji Xerox, 2011). Today we would call this approach the triple bottom line approach of people, profit and planet (Elkington, 1997). Sitting in a business domain Xerox’s PSS model has worked well with the company moving from struggling to now being a major force in the copying economy, but one has to question why this methodology has not been moved into other areas if it is so successful especially within the domestic environment.
Xerox today now aim to recycle or re-use 100% of all in their copiers through there closed loop manufacturing process (Fuji Xerox, 2011). Using a closed loop system like this gives them greater control over the manufacturing processes and end of life of the product.
Resource Recovery
Recycling
Natural Resources
Raw Materials
Supply Chain
Approximately 30% of all of Xerox’s parts are remanufactured into new products.
Products
Customers
Collection
Sorting & Disassembly
Remanufacturing
Research
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Collaborative Consumption Botsman and Rogers (2010) describe Product Service Systems as part of the collaborative economy along with redistribution markets and collaborative lifestyles. These three markets according to many are set to boom with the internet as the catalyst. There are dozens of collaborative consumption entrepreneurs popping up every week on the internet each with a new way to share. As described in the Xerox example a PSS has great benefits both technically and at an organisational level that work well in a business to business model, but as discovered by the SusHouse project without the combination of addressing behavioural change it is hard to make great gains in the domestic space. It is suggested though that the world wide web is changing peoples behaviour towards sharing; long thought of as a dull and ‘uncool’ activity it is now fast becoming the ‘hip’ thing to do. Using the internet consumers are able to gain genuine feedback about products and with the participation in social networking over the last 10 years online trust issues are becoming a thing of the past.
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Research
The collaborative economy is on the rise through a desire from customers to no longer fill their cupboards with stuff, but instead take an informed choice about how they consume. All sharing models have a set of attributes they have in common and need to be successful: - They are self sustaining. - They make use of things that were before not in use. - They tap into peoples want to share. - They rely on trust.
A PSS has a variety of interactions both at an organisational and user level. Today with the increase in use of digital and virtual technologies many of these interactions are moving into a digital space and allowing for more concise and clean services to be provided. Here is some early mapping of a possible PSS system that could sit within the domestic environment.
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Early visualisation of streamlining the current domestic service model.
The Home User Utilities Product
Ammenities Providers Services
Information Payment & Information
Payment
Information
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Research
Service Provider
Electrolux - Gotland Experiment As discussed sustainable design although believed to be primarily a technical approach, also has a strong social connection with many of the problems sustainable design aims to fix being contributed to by peoples behaviours. One such example is consumer habits when washing clothes. By only half filling the machine, the amount of energy, and water wasted increases. Similarly there are instances of people washing clothes that do not need washing in order to fill a load. These two examples are both social norms that result in significant environmental impact, and issues that technical innovation alone would not fix. In the second example users may believe that they are in fact doing the right thing by washing a full load, showing how a lack of knowledge and education can lead to poor environmental behaviour patterns (Klapwijk, Knot, Quist, & Vergragt).
In 1999 Electrolux put in place a trial PSS on the island of Gotland. Within the project they loaned consumers washing machines and simply charged them to use it. These machines were linked to smart meters and the consumer received a bill every month. The machines were regularly serviced and replaced after 1000 washes but the program was deemed a failure. When analysing the downfalls of the project it was clear that consumers were not aware of the benefits - at the time people believed it was cheaper to ascertain credit for a cheap washing machine (McAloone & Anderson, 2004).This is an example of a service being placed around the product with little thought given to technical or behavioural change, reiterating the importance that all three aspects need to be considered. It is possible that today this project would work with less credit available and the improved infrastructure available due to the internet.
Research
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Changing Behaviour It is often believed that behaviour change orientated projects require a greater level of involvement within the research stage to gain a clear insight into the needs, culture and sometimes issues that lie in the target group, in order to change the way they act. There is one problem with this though, peoples behaviours can change depending on a number of different variables meaning they can change from day to day. Fogg (2009) breaks human behaviour down into three factors; motivation, ability and triggers. In order for a behaviour to happen all three of these factors must occur at the same time. For example if someone is triggered and motivated to do something but it is too hard they will not perform the action as the ability factor is lacking (Fogg, 2009). All three factors must be considered when looking at changing user behaviour towards washing within the home.
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Research
By assuming a trigger is present and then mapping motivation against ability it is possible to determine how to target actions both now and in the future so that behaviour change can occur (Fogg, 2009).
Trigger The trigger is quite simply the spark or ignition that triggers the action; this can come from a number of different sources from emails to sounds. The trigger is something that is always present when an action happens. Fogg (2009) states that “First we notice the trigger. Second we associate the trigger with a target behaviour. Third, the trigger happens when we are both motivated and able to perform the ability.� Bearing this in mind a trigger also has the ability to impact the other factors of behaviour change in the way it is delivered. For example the trigger can influence motivation by providing a spark to the user by provoking emotional response or perceived ability, with it showing the task is easier than first thought (Fogg, 2009).
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Motivation Motivation is the greatest fluctuation within this model as peoples motivation levels cycle from high to low. This constant fluctuation as described by Fogg (2009) has peaks and troughs where peoples desire to do something changes over time. When analysing this wave it is clear that people are able to perform hard tasks when at a peak and easy ones when in a trough. It is more common for high motivation to happen less often so it is important to target these opportunities by getting people to perform hard tasks when in this state as it is possible to set up future behaviours. (Fogg, 2009).
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Ability Ability is identified by Fogg (2009) as the key factor in this framework; even with high motivation and a trigger present if the ability to do a behaviour is hard the subject is unlikely to do it. In essence if all behaviours were easy then little motivation would be needed to do them. As previously mentioned though when people are motivated to do something that is hard it should be used as an opportunity to set up future behaviours, this can be done in a number of ways. First it is possible to put in place structures for future actions, secondly it is possible to reduce barriers from the subject, and finally there is increasing capability so that the ability is changed and becomes easier.
Research
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Clean Clothes Clean clothes is a process and desire that has existed for generations and like many other systems the technology and habits that surround the way we wash our clothes has changed dramatically. It would commonly be believed that people wash in order to fit in with societal values but when looking deeper into the issue it is clear there are a number of other reasons. These can be broken down into three categories of pleasure and duty, justification and natural balance, each with their own reasoning. No matter what values are at play though it is clear there is a normalisation of standards whereby comfort and cleanliness is hard wired into everything we do. There is no longer a cultural difference when discussing these practices; comfort and cleanliness is no longer an option or social status it is the norm (Shrove, 2003).
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Research
When analysing the practices of comfort and cleanliness Shrove (2003) discusses the role that convenience has to play in their frequency and adoption. The technological advances and desire for convenience along with the need to be comfortable and clean has moved many processes that used to sit outside the home into the domestic space. The washing machine is a clear example of this; by allowing the process of cleaning clothes into the home the environmental impact of the activity has changed. With the grip of consumerism taking hold of products within the home there was an increase in the number of machines that ended up in landfill, this however is not the only environment impact. Shrove (2003) also discusses that by bringing washing into the home the habits and behaviours towards washing have changed. With the convenience of being able to wash at any time people are washing their clothes more frequently and often in small loads using large amounts of water and energy in the process.
Between 1965 and 2010 in the United Kingdom the uptake in the ownership of washing machine increased rapidly due the cost of them decreasing and more people wanting the luxury of washing at home. This lead to a huge decrease in the number of launderettes available with most going our of business (Office for National Statistics, 2010).
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Technology The basic methodology used to clean clothes has not changed for generations; a combination of water, heat, mechanical force and some form of detergent or soap. The technology advances that have taken place have simply made the process more efficient and less labour intensive, with machines now doing the work for the user. Recently there has been improvements in detergents with the introduction of cold water detergents reducing the amount of energy needed to heat the water. There has not however been much innovation in the other areas. The typology of the washing machine has not changed since it first came into the domestic home.
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Research
When researching into technology there is more room for scope, some of the greatest innovation comes from taking ideas from other fields very different to the issue. A common example of this is James Dyson taking cyclone technology from an industrial application to a domestic one. This approach can be used in the process of cleaning clothes too with many new and improved methods to sterilise objects that do not include water. Water usage is one of the greatest environmental impacts when it comes to washing clothes.
WATER
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The four main elements that are currently used to clean clothes; mechanical force, water, heat, and chemicals.
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Reflections Although there are designers out there that suggest that research can constrict a designer and stop the creative flow of ideas, my philosophy is that without research you are not designing but guessing. In order to conscientiously and ethically design the best outcome for a project, a background and knowledge of the area you are working in is required. This process is not a simple one though and it has been no different in this project with the process being iterative and many of the areas recounted in this chapter being revisited a number of times over the journey. This chapter was aimed to logically map out the main areas I analysed to help frame my agenda and approach discussed in the next chapter. This was not the end of my research practice though with it continuing into the next phase of the project.
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Trialing washing by hand to gain insight into the evolution of clean clothing (2012).
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Statement
Agenda For decades Industrial Design has been tarnished with the perception that its only purpose is to stylise existing objects for clients with little emphasis placed on innovating the way these products function. In recent years, with the growth of knowledge surrounding the damage these products cause to the environment, there has been a significant calling for sustainability to play a larger role in their design. There is a large discourse though between the publics desire to be sustainable and the ability many of these products give them to do so. By creating a link between the user habits and sustainable practices it is possible to innovate and develop a set of products that can create environmental improvement through their use phase. This accompanied with collaborative consumption systems can provide a holistic improvement to a products life cycle.
Water is a resource that in the future will be at a premium. Increased population demands and a changing global environment are going to lead to this commodity needing to be conserved in greater levels than ever before. Washing of clothes is one activity within the home that currently uses large amounts of water and a task where there is a need to reduce its use. Although I considered other functions within the home that used consumer appliances, washing was the most generic need most people would be able to associate with. Washing of clothes is a need that has grown and developed over many years giving it great opportunities to be radicalised in the future. A combination of lack of large technical improvements and poor unsustainable user habits has lead to the environmental impact of washing growing rather than reducing. By engaging a collaborative consumption model, technical innovation, and behavioural theory I will endeavour to visualise a new and more sustainable method for domestic washing in the year 2030.
Statement
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WASHING 2030 SHARING
Reduce number of user interactions
Increase efficiency and capability
Reduce waste to landfill
USER HABITS
TECHNOLOGY
ECONOMICAL
PSS TECHNICAL INNOVATION
EASY TO USE
reduce waste
save water
save time
reduce end of life waste
reduce water consumption
reduce water consumption
REDUCE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
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Statement
Approach The approach taken when tacking any problem will often define the solution and the approach connects closely to the position of the project. In this case I felt that creating a provocative and disruptive scenario for the proposed future would be the best way to position the project; subverting the way in which people live in the future. Therefore this project investigates this question of a future sustainable home by addressing the hypothetical scenario that the practice of consumerism is disrupted with the purchasing of products outlawed. This setting will be positioned and targeted at providing solutions for the top tier of consumers; those that habitually consume and are less likely to enter into a cascading system where older products are continually traded and repaired (a model already in place today.) As previously outlined the function within the home that will be used to demonstrate this new future is that of cleaning clothes.
This disruptive position sits above the tools and methodologies within my approach; by placing the project in a future space it becomes propositional and allows me to push the boundaries of the key elements within my methodology. These three key elements of sharing, technology, and user habits when placed in this proposition scenario should be able to provide a clear and progressive visualisation of future domestic washing. Throughout the rest of this chapter I will aim to analyse both the position I took and my exploration of each of the methods I used to help me identify the key atributes of the artefact for this project.
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The Future - 2030 When looking at the future of washing it was firstly important to frame what the future would be like and how this would affect such activities. I chose to use 2030 as the year in the future I would target my approach at. Although I considered dates further in the future I felt for the project to have realistic tangible outcomes and for me to be able to philosophise what the proposed future might be like more accurately this date was best. If we look at the rate of innovation and technical advancement over the last decade it has been exponential and there is no evidence to suggest that the next two decades will be dissimilar, leaving 2030 as a time that is set to be very different from now.
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A visualisation of a future city scape. (1)
With consumerism and the end of a products life at the core of the agenda it became clear that in the future this would somehow be addressed at a policy level. True innovation often occurs after policy change as policy reflects the needs and problems of the period. In this case stipulating that in 2030 the practice of consumerism is disrupted with the purchasing of products outlawed frames the paradigm in which the solution will be developed. This frames the 2030 scenario as something that forces people to adopt a collaborative system in order to go about their tasks. By doing this I am able to focus upon the other aspects of this model and look at what a product within this system could look like without the possibility that the product needs to be sold. This however does not mean that the product does not need to be desirable to the customer as it is possible that there will be more than one provider of such products within a service.
It was a challeging task when proposing what a 2030 future would be. In order to help form this image for the project to sit within it was important to work from current issues of importance and see how they would develop in the future. Some of the major issues that arose were population increase, increased demand on agriculture, growth of urban areas and technology advancement. These are all aspects that can influence the ecosystem that the proposed artefact will sit within and things that need to be addressed when formulating the outcome.
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Mapping out the key factors in a 2030 future that will impact he way in which we live.
Food
Uses most water
Population
Localised farming returns
Set to be between 10 and 15 Billion
Strain on services Ground to mouth encouraged to remove strain on services.
Needed in vital areas
Ageing population
Water
Policy
Cut back in non essential areas
Service only model
2030 InďŹ nite Increase
Consumption banned
Cascading model encouraged
Technology
Cost reduced
Communities 80% from renewable sources
In home generation available
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Energy
Dense urban living
80% of the world lives in urban areas
Increasingly digital community
User Diversity One of the issues that I looked at was the change in lifestyles of the future, as culture has a large sway in how a product is developed. One of the most prominent discoveries that arose from this analysis is that the demographics of the population will become increasingly aged. This means there will be increasing varied needs from the population with the elderly having more of say in how they live than ever before. This along with the younger populations increasingly instant and busy lifestyles will mean that products need to be more versatile than ever with the possibility of using a univeral design methodology.
Statement
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Exploration As with all design orientated projects exploration of a problem and the formulation of ideas plays a key role in developing a solution. In this case as I am more interested in the general characteristics of domestic washing in the future I chose to use a mind map to flush out my ideas and thoughts. This process was take over a number of days with the use of different stimuli such as conversations and the internet. I chose to break my ideas up into sections of the map as I thought of them; these sections related to the different locations or types of machines that I envisaged in the future. One of the main outcomes from this activity was the identification of the array of different opportunities there are when it comes to washing clothes domestically. There also seemed to be a lot of smart technology concepts that linked to the user behaviour.
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Opportunities By transferring the ideas from my mind map into a convergence tool that categorises the different aspects in sections based on their impact I was able to come up with a circle diagram. This diagram breaks down each of the ideas into what aspect of my approach they apply to. This includes technology, system and user habits, but also an additional category of intelligence. This new category was one that became apparent when sorting the concepts from the mind map and it seemed worthy of its own category separate from technology. The intelligence section deals with a whole range of new technologies that are able to learn and interact with the user in the same way smart phones do. This leaves just the washing methods in the technology section. As well as these main groups some of the categories are able to be broken down into sub groups for ease of sorting.
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Once this circle diagram was complete it became clear that by taking one or more items from each other sections of the circle concepts were able to be formed that held the necessary attributes. Not all of the combinations work however with some of them contradicting each other. For example a user habit that aims to encourage more habitual washing habits clashes with a single item instant washing technology. Although a good tool it was clear that more thought and analysis was needed into each section in order to define the atributes of the artefact.
USER HABITS Ability
Make behaviour easier
INTELLIGENCE
Motivation Levels of clean
DI G
EN ER G Hot vs cold Y Washing
S ES Ozone RL Radiation
W AT E
During wash feedback
Mechanical Efficiency
Silver nano Technology
Automated when to wash User inputs Dirtiness
CLEAN CLOTHES
Water Filtering Chemical water Cleaning
R HE
Nano Chemicals
Movement
OT
ED AT M
P2p
Self sorts RFID chips recognises items
AU TO
Points system
Program options
Reduce need to wash
UX designed interface
Usage updates
Communal Washing
PH Y
Ergonomics Of use
ME CH
Ball vs drum
Space savy
Talks to other machines
Routine Orientated
Vibration
Pre Sorting Connects to server
Physical Needs
Compressed Air
Learns behaviours
Bill per wash
Pre specified min load
Work out
Spin speed
Water reuse
Links to calender
Create you own cycle
Cycle length
Soap nuts Microwaves Uv
Set goals
Load size
Negative ions Remote Washing
Encourage multiple wears
TECHNOLOGY
NG VI SA
Tap into eco awareness
Digital washing community
Links to wifi
Steam
Apps
M A
Links to calender
L CA SI
AL IT
Links to clothes share initiative
AL IC AN
Recognises colours from whites
Wash database
SYSTEM
L UA N
App notifications
Apps
Remote Washing
Trigger
Remove ability to wash?
Smart hangars
Transparency of habits
Redefine clean
Education Change association people have with activity
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Sharing When looking at sharing in this context it relates to the PSS system model that was developed and analysed by Morelli (2002). Although not a new methodology it is a complex one that often involves a large number of stakeholders and actors. These actors must all work together in order for the PSS to be a success (Morelli, 2002). In this project the challenge is to bring together the features of technology and behaviour change in the service to provide a holistic and complete approach to washing. It must be noted that technology and behaviour change have a role to play in both the product and service side of the system.
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The domestic home is a complex and diverse system and one that has many inputs and outputs making it complicated for the user. By analysing and simplifying these interactions into a concise service for the user it would open up opportunities to create better dialogue between the user and the service provider. Technology and smart technology give a vareity of opportunites in this area. This new dialogue can be used to help direct the users behaviours towards being sustainable, by providing them with a simple easy to follow system where they can see how to save money and improve their environmental impact.
-P SS G IN R A SH
Statement
53
Smart Technology Smart technology is something that has come to prevalence in our products in recent years. Smart phones, smart TVs and smart heating systems are all examples of this. Derzko (2006) describes smart technology as “if a machine/artefact does something that we think an intelligent person can do, we consider the machine to be smart.� This brings us back to the behaviour theory outlined by Fogg, (2009) where he states that often the greatest problem when getting someone to perform an action it is not the motivation or trigger but the ability to do it. This introduction of smart technology into washing, where user habits are one of the main down falls in its environmental impact, could allow for the ability of users to wash more sustainably to be made easier.
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With its increased introduction today it is safe to say that smart technology will be much improved by the year 2030, giving a range of opportunities. For it to work smart technology must play a large role in defining the habits and routines of users, both making sustainable behaviour easier but also making unsustainable practices harder. Smart technology sits within a larger digital ecosystem where information is transferred instantly and gathered autonomously giving the service provider more information about the user’s habits. It is plausible that in this scenario this information will be able to be interrupted by the smart machine and acted upon accordingly; planning routines, sending reminders and even loading you washing for you.
Statement 55
ECH
TT
SM AR
LOG Y
NO
Behaviour Change When discussing behaviour change it is important to identify the three key aspects that need to be present in order for an action to happen. Just as relevant is the idea of removing one of those in order to make a behaviour harder to do (Fogg, 2009). By targeting specific behaviours it is possible to dramatically change the washing habits of a user. As outlined by Shrove (2003) the trigger for cleanliness and washing is defined for most people, this however can be altered to manipulate the time washing takes place or to extend the period between washes. Motivation can also be altered to reduce the desire to wash with a pay per wash system reducing the motivation to wash clothes regularly. These are all grey path changes though - promoting the reduction of an activity (Fogg, 2009).
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When looking at green paths that look to create new habits and activities it is important to look at the link between ability and motivation. These paths are usually more beneficial in creating new long lasting behavioural pattern, this can be done by targeting specific actions at different motivation levels (Fogg, 2009). Customisation is also a tool that can be used to engage part or all of the user group to interact with a change in behaviour. This is an example of a tool that can be made easier so that it can be tackled at any level of motivation. When linking this with smart and washing technologies it can be a very powerful tool to dramatically change washing behaviours.
Statement 57
S
CH AN BEH GIN AVI G OU R
Washing Technology Like smart technology, washing technology is set to improve in the future. There is always new and radical scientific advances and even today there is theory and examples of washing machines without water. Many of these processes however are incrediably energy intensive and to some extent unstable. In 2030 it is unlikely that we would have moved completely away from using water as a mean of cleaning clothes but it is likely that the amount of water used will need to be reduced significantly. When looking at the four components of contempory washing many of these have not changed much since their inception into the home. There is plenty of scope to improve the efficiency of this process in regards to water conservation and with the realisation that in the future most energy will be from renewable sources, the issue of energy efficiency although important is not such a priority compared to water which is a finite resource.
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As previously outlined the washing technology links strongly with the both the user habits and smart technology aspects of the product. All of three of these factors need to be addressed together in order push user habits towards a more sustainable practice. The system as a whole sits around these linking ideas. The next part of my process was to map out and identify the outcomes that will meet my agenda, this is described in the artefact.
S A W
G N I H
TE
CH
NO
LO
GY
Statement
59
Service mapping a proposed ‘smart washing machine’ and its surrounding service.
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Artefact The next step is to identify what this final artefact will look like. This is broken down into three sections; the system, service interaction, and the object. It must be made clear that the system sits above the other two elements and that all three influence each other.
SYSTEM OBJECT USER INTERACTION
Statement
61
The System When identifying the key features of the system at this point we must look at what interactions the key actors have from the start to the end of the service. Any service can be broken down into three periods; pre-service period, service period, and post service period. Each of these must be succinct and there must clear links between all three in how they communicate with the user. Within the pre-service period it must be simple and easy for the user to sign up and join the service, with clear and concise information available to them. With 2030 being a digital environment most of this will take place virtually using smart phone apps and the internet. There must still however be a physical and tangible display of the service, this will take place in a ‘display store’ where examples of the object or objects within the service can be viewed and trialed. Although 2030 will be a digital world the system will still include the option of human contact with the service provider - the value of human interaction will not diminish.
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The service period is most important when looking at environmental change - the agenda of the project. Within a product service model the service provider is able to have much more control over the users experience during this phase. Like the pre-service period this phase will also rely heavily on digital media in order to manage the users experience. This will be done by a smart pay per use system where the user is able to make a recognition between their environmental impact and the cost - increasing motivation to wash less. This will all be managed digitally using smart applications and an online database that helps the provider to develop and improve the service provided to the user. It is also envisaged this system will make it easier for the user to have sustainable washing habits - increased ability - this will be built upon with the user interaction aspect of the artefact. The end of service period is simple as it is developed upon a closed loop system where the service provider collects the object and 100% of the materials in the product are reused or recycled by them.
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63
HUMAN ACTORS
AMENITIES PROVIDER
ORGANISATIONAL ACTORS REPAIR SERVICE
DIGITAL ACTORS
OBJECT
USER ONLINE COMMUNITY CLOTHING
INTERNET OTHER USERS
SMART PHONE
STORE
ONLINE DATABASE
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Statement
SERVICE PROVIDER
MANUFACTURER
DESIGN GROUP
Actor Network Theory is a methodology that can be used to map out the actors in a system in order to see the different connections they have, both human and digital. When mapping out the visualisation for washing in 2030 there are a large number of organisational actors indicative of the PSS taken to the project. Along with this there is also a lot of digital and virtual actors reflecting the growing involvement of technology in this proposed system.
DELIVERY SERVICE
ENGINEERING GROUP
SERVER
Statement
65
Service Interaction Focusing on user interaction within a service is vital to ensure the service performs it task well. In this case the user interacts with both the service infrastructure and the product that sits within the service. These two touch points must accurately interact with each other. Within this system smart technology will primarily be used to facilitate the interactions experienced by the user. The smart technology will sit across a number of platforms that includes the object itself and the many digital touch points within the service. These digital touch points include a smart phone app, a website and the digital interface on the object. The combination of these mobile digital interactions, that allow communication with the machine from anywhere, enable the ability to change users washing habits with the user no longer needing to be present to start a wash. Routines and cycles are also able to be set up to get washing done when it is most efficient to do so - for example when a load is full.
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Smart technology in its purest sense is technology that is able to make decisions and act without the user. By having a product that is able to make decisions over washing times, cycles, and even reminding the user when they might need to wear a piece of clothing that is dirty and so they should wash it with a full load rather than individually are all aspects that will make the ability to wash sustainably and save water easier. An element of customisation is also needed to help facilitate a change in behaviour. A platform that allows the customer to use both preset intelligent washing cycles and also ones that they themselves or other users have developed motivates engagement with the servicea and change in behaviour. This customisation will also encourage education of the user as to what goes into washing their clothes. Washing of clothes is a process that requires the user to at some point interact with the product physically something that is to be discussed in the attributes of the object.
By looking at the motivation levels of a user over the period of the service it is possible to map where these user interactions sit in relation to behavioural theory.
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67
The Object The object section of the project has been the least refined over this journey with most of the focus being placed on the systems and service sides to the solution. However, it is clear that the technology and interface aspects of the object will be heavily influenced by the service and behaviour changing methodology. Technology is a key component of the object and its ability to create environmental difference both at a washing and smart technology level. There are a variety of opportunities within this area from touch screens and holograms to radiation and nano technology. Although the project is targeted at 2030 and is aimed at conserving water rather than removing it completely from the process, waterless technology is not completely disregarded from the equation at this point and is something that will be considered in more detail in the next stage of the project.
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So far aesthetics is also an aspect of the object that is yet to be explored; the look and feel of an object can also have a role to play in helping the user engage with it. This is also something that I wish to investigate further as the project moves forward. Being placed in a proposed future and in a service, where the service provider has greater control there is greater scope and freedom in regards to styling the product. Although it must be noted this is not the main priority with function being the major role of the product. Visualising the physical product within the system along with its service interfaceis envisaged as the next step in the project moving forward.
The Share Smart - 2030 artefact envisages a dramatic decrease in the amount of water consumed through the act of washing clothing.
NOW 2030
Statement
69
Early concept visualisations of a smart washing machine that sits on the wall.
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Conclusion The future is set to be a different place and if we are to continue to exist in this world into the next decade we must change the way we undertake many of the actions in our lives. No longer can we blindly consume and believe that things will work out for the best. By using the framework I have developed through this reflective process, the evolution of products within a consumerism free world are set to revolutionise the way we interact with technology. Intelligent products that sit within an ecosystem are set to define the future of our everyday needs. Share Smart - 2030 has given me a belief that there are opportunities that not only improve our environmental impact but also our lives. The system I have developed through this research intensive process is one that has an object at its core and moving forward I am excited about envisaging this. Designing this product will be a technical task, but is a challenge I am excited and invigorated to make a start on. Most importantly I have a true passion for the project and am committed to producing an outcome that truly evokes the principles of my practice and helps me display my skills.
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