ELECTRONIC WASTE in forres
Tian Lan E-waste project Personal process journal Mdes Design Innovation & Interaction Design 2017-2018
"Electronic waste is created when an electronic product is discarded after the end of its useful life. The rapid expansion of technology means we are creating a very large amount of e-waste every passing minute. Discarding e-waste is harder than municipal waste due to a wide variety of metals and chemicals used during the manufacturing process. While some of these components can be recycled and reused, other toxic elements need careful disposal." - From Lava’s Initiatives for E-Waste Management
CONTENT PART 1 A Journey Through Design In this part, I reflect where I started, how this project has transformed by my design practice, what methdology I used.
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Where I Started
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Methodology
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Stakeholder map
PART 2 A Journey Through Electronic Recycling In this part, I illustrate my journey through local community and electronic recycling, I talk about the context, engagement and insights of this project, and describe how I got from these issues to new opportunity and design response.
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Why electronic waste
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Electronic waste
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Engagement work
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Insights
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Analysis and synthesis
PART 3 A Journey Through Concept Development
In this part, I reflect my journey through the process of concept development. How I finalised my concept through analysis and synthesis, describe how I develop my final concept to response my project, and feedback from my stakeholder.
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Ideation
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User journey
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Prototype
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Validation
How to encourage people to reduce the environmental threat of e-waste by redefining the value of e-waste by local community?
Here I explain where I started, how this project has transformed by my design practice, what methodology and methods I used.
PART 1 A Journey Through Design
WHERE I STARTED
I had an old mobile phone, its screen was broken, so I changed a new phone, but the problem was out. I don't know how to deal with this broken phone and throw it into the trash. Sold in the repair shop? Donated to a recycling agency? This incident caused me to think about e-waste, so I decided to make a project about the relationship between nonorganization and electronic waste recycling.
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Where will it go?
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METHoDOLOGY
This diagram shows my methodology and process. My design methodology refers to "Participatory design" and “DIKW theory”.
Why I use these?
“Participatory design is an approach to design that invites all stakeholders (customers, employees, partners, citizens, consumers) into the design process as a means of better understanding, meeting, and sometimes preempting their needs.” Elizarova, Briselli and Dowd (2017).
The reason why I chose these two methods is, firstly, as a foreign student, I don't know too much about Forres' industrial development, so participatory design can help me to work with relevant industry experts (ReBOOT) to get a professional perspective for initial factors in my project. Secondly, the DIKW theory can offer me a frame for specific issues. Then what is the reason behind this, what can people do about it? How to help people to promote? The key of these problems can drive me to the next step.
“Data are generated in the performa layer, reside in the forma layer, and are cognitively interpreted into information in the informa layer.” Baskarada and Koronios (2013)
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stakeholder map
This is my first stakeholder map. In this stakeholder map, I focus on the relationship between different people and recycling agency in Forres.
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Stakerholder map
Why changed? The cause for this change is that, at first, according to interviews and surveys, there are different needs for different people in electronic products, and how to bridge the gap between these differences will be the trend and direction to solve the problem. I started thinking about why people are recycling e-waste. If they recycle, where do people send e-waste? What is the reason? With the gradual deepening of survey and analysis, information indicates that people are often guided by the external environment to make choices. Although this choice will be influenced by people's need, there is no absolutely direct relationship between demand and people's behavior. If we give people guidance that matches their needs, then this guide will work.
So I focus on the relationship between the directing agency and the business organization. I want to understand how the directive agency indirectly affects people's daily lives and how to connect the ideas they advocate with people's needs. Discovering more practical divergence points from the answer. “People evaluate the kindness of an action not only by its consequences but also by the intention underlying this action.� (Falk, A. and Fischbacher, U. 2006)
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In this part, I illustrate my journey through local community and electronic recycling, I talk about the context, engagement and insights of this project, and describe how I got from these issues to new opportunity and design response.
PART 2 A Journey Electronic Recycling
WHY ElECTRONIC WASTE
A 2017 study projected that if current global use patterns and waste management trends continue, by 2050 the world will have recycled 9 billion metric tons (9,000 million metric tons) of plastic waste, incinerated 12 billion metric tons and discarded 12 billion metric tons in landfills or the natural environment. Geyer et al., Science Advances, July 19, 2017, CC BY-NC
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Electronic waste, as part of plastic waste, has the same dilemma, whether it is incineration or landfill, it seems that they cannot really solve the burden of non-degradable materials. The difference is that because of the assembly technology and rare materials they always have more additional value than other plastic waste.
Why Forres?
Forres is a town situated in the north of Scotland on the Moray coast. I chose Forres as the area of research because Forres is a transition town. In fact, e-waste does not pose a big threat in Forres, because of they have a sustainable system for environment protect. Therefore, the observation and thinking of Forres' electronic waste recycling have a certain reference value.
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electronic waste
Why ReBOOT? ReBOOT is a charity and social enterprise based in Forres, Moray, Scotland, that recycles, refurbishes and repairs IT equipment. I chose ReBOOT as my stakeholder because they are the only non-profit organization for e-waste recycling in Moray. They rely on volunteers and local communities to promote e-waste recycling, and the participation of volunteers and local communities to process the recycling of e-waste.
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Expert Interview
Lee Mcgrath ReBOOT General Manager
I organized the first interview survey with ReBOOT's staff Lee McGrath. Through interviews and visits, I learned about their daily work mode and their opinions about the relationship between e-waste and local community. As I mentioned above, they are the only non-profit organization for e-waste recycling in Moray, so they face a plenty of e-waste every day. Behind this incident is they knew a lot of information which I can't get from desk research. These evidences helped me to propose the preliminary hypothesis.
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HYPOTHESIS
Most of the e-waste comes from the area north of Glasgow in ReBOOT.
ReBOOT's business scope is only Inverness, Nairn, Forres and Elgin.
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There are many possibilities for the insights behind this data, so I proposed two hypotheses to consider why it is like this. 1. The recycling rate of e-waste is low, so most of the e-waste can't be used anymore, and the e-waste that be used continuously can only be provided to a limited area.
This interview support me to build the initial knowledge framework: ReBOOT's main service objects (environmental protection and develop local community), ReBOOT's recycling system and the challenges they face currently (undegradable plastic and limited audience).
2. The recycling cost of electronic products is high. So there is a wide range of e-waste sources, but few can continue to be used.
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VISUAL MAPPING
Why visual mapping? The significance of visual mapping is to provide a new perspective to observe and think about the established scenarios. I tried to express ReBOOT's workflow in the form of visual mapping. This visual mapping explains how e-waste will be recycled in ReBOOT. The summary of this visual mapping is that although ReBOOT can ensure that e-waste will be properly handled, but it has some limitations, such as time and place. People need to send e-waste to ReBOOT to complete the recycling. So If people don't want to go out or don't know which kind of e-waste they need to recycle? What kind of help do people need?
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The results of the investigation gave me so many nuggets that can be divergence, and gave me a clear understanding of the industrial structure of e-waste recycling. Because of all of the opinions are from ReBOOT, so the results of this research are limited. However, I got a key clue from the observation of visual mapping. It points me to the relationship between e-waste recycling and residents.
engagement
ENGAGEMENT IDEATION Why local people? I began to collect some evidence from local people who have the experience of recycling e-waste, because Forres does not have a special garbage bin dedicated to collecting e-waste, people play a decisive role in the e-waste recycling. So I decided to start collecting people's opinions and experiences about e-waste by asking some question by an engagement tool.
“Understanding how someone would solve a challenge they face directly often surfaces new insights about their experiences. � Elizarova, Briselli and Dowd (2017)
Why I need engagement? My question is based on four aspects which from the money and time (sensibility), stress and expectation (emotional). The reason why I choose these aspects is I noticed that because of the education from transition town Forres, people have already established awareness of environmental protection. However, a good awareness not equal to a good behaviour, there are many other factors effected and limited people's behaviour. Sometimes people are more willing to do recycling for the environment, but they don't have too much energy or money to do. Sometimes people are not willing to do such things even if they have such conditions. Engagement is a good way to help me find the reason behind the contradiction.
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Who is the audience? Old people have a high proportion of the Forres population, they may be familiar with or even unwilling to actively participate in regular interviews or surveys. And also random surveys are unable to predict the peoples' interests. So I need a new fashion tool to get people's attention and use a few words to let them understand what I am doing. And then, support me a positive feedback from the process of engagement.
“Beauty, fun, and pleasure all work together to produce enjoyment, a state of positive affect.� Norman, D (2007)
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ENGEGEMENT work Why engagement tool? People's opinion has affected by their experience. For me, a good engagement tool can help me to transform people's intangible experience to specific opinion. At that time, I was wondering how to add some interactive things on this engagement tool for attracting people to participate. However, the random survey is very quick and the people's attention is limited. What I can do is catching people's opinions in a short time, so I tried to use visual language to make a simple engagement tool by graphic form. “Function can be visible or invisible. Designers have translated function into emotion and sensibility by appealing to the human senses.� Kim and Boradkar (2002)
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What I got from it What is exciting is that this tool has played an important role in my random survey, people are attracted by this tool, and have responded positively according to my question. It took me about two days to carry out the engagement work on the High Street in Forres. There are eight people participated in the survey, and sometimes people directly answered my questions, but sometimes people are more willing to talk about the topic they interested. These topics are more generally valuable. Because they give me a new perspective and new possibilities for my research.
New perspective Electronic culture
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Electronic collect
People who rarely use electronic products
According to my engagement work, I gained some insights from the opinion of local residents. These insights reflect people's perceptions of e-waste recycling, but I still need to further explore and analyze how to solve these problems in the next step. Lecturer Iain inspired what I need to do at this step in a workshop about design strategy "The process of carefully framing a project of what to design, before you figure out how it should be designed". So I decided to make a frame for these insights.
INSIGHTS
INSIGHTS
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How I framing insights? Locate insights by different dimensions. I still chose the previous four aspects, time, money, hopeful and stressful as four different dimensions, I put these insights into this “coordinate system� and made two versions. The purpose of this step is to connect ReboOT's services or functions by understanding the needs of local residents. And then, I used ReBOOT as a springboard to develop the recycling of e-waste in the local area while solving people's needs. So one is the perspective of the local resident who as a user, another one is the perspective of ReBOOT who as a recycling agency.
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W
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insights
What I found? I found that the same insight is quite different for local residents and ReBOOT by these two views. For example, “Convenience facilities can encourage people to recycle". For local residents, convenience facilities save their time, but for ReBOOT convenience facilities will increase their budget. So what kind of gaps exist between them and how to bridge the gap is the next issue to observe and analyse.
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In this section, I analyse and think about the reasons for these gaps and how to find the new opportunities by synthesis.
analysis and synthesis
analysis
Mapped analysis As shown in the last diagram, not only different and also similar. These similar parts are concentrated in the “stressful” dimension, and this pressure on e-waste recycling needs to be properly guided. So I chose education as one of the solutions. People want convenience facilities to save time and help them to recycle e-waste, so I chose to expand facility as the second way. Different people have different needs, and their needs can connected by a platform or medium, so I choose trading as the third way.
“ A wide variety of training courses may help in developing active coping techniques—for example, assertiveness, communications skills, time management, problem solving, and effective management.” (Michie, 2002)
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WORKSHOP At this stage I broke down the three aspects into multiple questions, and I made a map for the workshop. I want to use this map to communicate my previous research and develop the final concept of project with ReBOOT staffs.
Why workshop In terms of my current phase, I need workshop as a platform to help me test whether there is a blind spot before thinking, and to get more objective conclusions through multiple perspectives.
For me, the workshop is a big challenge, because I never organized a workshop before. However, there are some reason I have to do this. First, workshop is a great way to communicate the results of my work to the public. Second, the workshop can give people a good occasion to think about the problems which they did not aware of it.
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Workshop with ReBOOT
Workshop For some reason of time, the other staff in ReBOOT is unavailable, so I only invited ReBOOT general manager Lee attend my workshop. We got some notions for these aspects through this workshop. However, the problem is that most of these ideas are based on Lee and my known or existing knowledge.
Considering the results of previous research, I know that if I want to encourage people to participate in the recycling of e-waste, I need to consider how to help them to meet their needs from the current situation. So Lee and I tried to synthesize these notions and find a possibility to break through the barriers between different needs.
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analysis
Dispered and isolated In some ways, these notions can solve specific problems in specific situations. But these conditions are dispersed and there is no connection between different user groups. For groups like local community, people need cohesion to develop non-profit businesses. So non-profitable businesses need not only to solve their problems, but also to make a strong connection between them.
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analysis
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Public collection point
Why I deleted facility? Lee directly vetoed the concept of facility in the last workshop. He explained that if we build a facility to collect e-waste in public areas, then security will be a big problem. Because electronic products always have a higher value, so it is difficult to guarantee that no one will steal or even destroy it. On the other hand, electronic products are fragile, they are easily damaged during the process of putting them into the box. Afterwards, I investigated the public recycling area of Forres. In addition to the daily garbage bins, there are also some clothing recycling bins, and these clothing bins have locks. Obviously, for higher value electronic waste, the function of the lock may be futile. So I chose to give up "facility".
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synthesis
Intersection or Union? This synthesis is not complicated. After adding the points mapped out in education and trade, I have to face a choice: “Intersection or Union?� I considered two possibilities in the two situations, the result of the intersection is too broad that I cannot find an effective target as soon as possible. And the result of the union needs to overcome the resistance caused by the connection between different functions. Because of my research question is how to encourage people to reduce the environmental threat of e-waste by redefining the value of e-waste by the local community, I chose the result of the union.
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In this part, I reflect my journey through the process of concept development. How I finalised my concept through analysis and synthesis, describe how I develop my final concept to response my project, and feedback from my stakeholders.
PART 3 A Journey Concept Development
The result of union emphasized the potential interconnection between different groups. This interconnection was weakened by the exchange of interests between groups in the previous context. The results of this synthesis explain the existence of a new possibility in the current e-waste recycling business in Forres.
IDEATION
IDEATION DEVELOPMENT
System development I analyzed the correlation of these modules. I found that voucher can be a good medium to connect different groups. So my system based on points mall, people can gain points by recycling electronic waste. And also this system based on social media, so I chose to design an application for people to use.
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System framework This figure shows the system framework. I named this system “Electronic Trove�, because of the trove means a store of hidden valuable things. This system as a bridge to connect users and recycling agencies by points. Agencies can get more quality and quantity e-waste through this system. And then, they can put reassembled electronic products into the system for sale. Points can bring benefits to user for meeting their needs.
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IDEATION DEVELOPMENT
Audience in scenario The premise of people recycling e-waste is that people use electronic products. So people who use electronic products are my main audience. In general, electronic products always have a longer life for using, and their recycling frequency is lower than other daily waste. However, sometimes people choose to renew because of high repair costs. As a result, the burden of recycling is increased, and the repair shop cannot obtain benefits. But in fact, there are many options for repairs. So people need more thinking to face multiple possibilities. In this case, people's behavior will make different decisions because of their different needs.
I did a simple analysis of audience motivation predictions. The purpose of this audience analysis is to anticipate people's behaviours by analyzing current known scenarios, thereby developing their needs and potential possibilities into motivations that can be implemented. But audience analysis is difficult to accurately locate people's genuine psychology. So the more value of this analysis is to verify the availability of my concepts reversely and provide a preset for user journey.
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“Motives and orientations are always mixed. Sometimes there are no motives. � (McQuail, 1997)
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user journey
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“Electronic Trove” is an application with the intention of encouraging people to integrate a platform based on points hall by social media and local community. It can drive the sustainable development of the e-waste recycling through people’s consumption and participation. Make the electronic waste recycling stable and effective through promoting mutual cooperation among different groups.
PROTOTYPE
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PROTOTYPE
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"ELECTRONIC TROVE"
This app can make a connection between the user and the electronic recycling service, according to the different needs of the user.
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Users can arrange the pick up service for their electronic waste and also get points after finishing.
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Recy
After the user has searched for the electronic product category, the app will match the store near the user based on the results and provide location information.
Trading
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airin
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There may be some shortage in the online test that make it hard to diagnose accurately, but the significance of this feature is more in establishing contact between users and community activities.
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vALIDATION and reflection
“For me, I may not follow the map to buy. I think this is a waste of time. Do you think it is possible for people to buy second-hand products online? You know, like Facebook or Gumtree.”
"I really appreciate that you help in the development of the local community. Sometimes people just lack some opportunities to participate in community activities."
"I have to say that this points system is very interesting. You know, if we buy people's e-waste of cash, in Forres. We will soon close down... Because sometimes people don't need business organizations to intervene, they prefer to follow the principle of mutual help."
"I don't have a TV or a computer, but I have a mobile phone, it worked for me for eight years. I think I will use this app soon."
“I feel a bit strange, Facebook has the same function, you know? And its account needs to link with Facebook. But it can provide pick-up service. It is very convenient for me!”
"I saw it can push the event information about the repair cafe, I am curious if I have never detected my electronics online, will it push this event?"
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I was excited to test it with local people. I know that there are still some unresolved problems with this result. For example, buying second-hand electronic products online. If so, then I have to consider recycling organizations or stores as users to participate in this system, and the function of this system will be dominated by commercial value. , which may weaken the development of activities in the local community, but encourage more and more people to contribute to electronic recycling. And the idea behind E-Trove applies to a broader electronic recycling environment where relationships between agency with customer are changing, and local community is playing an increasingly important role in this context.
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rEFERENCE AND BIBLIOGRAPHY Baskarada, S. and Koronios, A. (2013). Data, Information, Knowledge, Wisdom (DIKW): A Semiotic Theoretical and Empirical Exploration of the Hierarchy and its Quality Dimension. [online] Australasian Journal of Information Systems. Available at: http://journal.acs.org.au/ index.php/ajis/article/view/748/550. Dalsgaard, P. (2012). Participatory Design in Large-Scale Public Projects: Challenges and Opportunities. Design Issues, 28(3), pp.34-47. Dahlbäck, N., Jönsson, A. and Ahrenberg, L. (1992). Wizard of Oz-studies. Linköping, Sweden: Linköping University, Dept. of Computer and Information Science. Dietrich, C. (2010). Decision Making: Factors that Influence Decision Making, Heuristics Used, and Decision Outcomes. Inquiries Journal/Student Pulse [Online], 2. Available: http://www. inquiriesjournal.com/a?id=180 Elizarova, O., Briselli, J. and Dowd, K. (2017). Participatory Design in Practice | UX Magazine. [online] Uxmag.com. Available at: https://uxmag.com/articles/participatory-design-in-practice. Falk, A. and Fischbacher, U. (2006). A theory of reciprocity. Games and Economic Behavior, 54(2), pp.293-315. Hakobyan, L., Lumsden, J. and O'Sullivan, D. (2015). Participatory Design. International Journal of Mobile Human Computer Interaction, 7(3), pp.78-92. Robertson, T. and Simonsen, J. (2012). Challenges and Opportunities in Contemporary Participatory Design. Design Issues, 28(3), pp.3-9.
KIM, D. and BORADKAR, P. (2002). Sensibility Design, Proceedings of the IDSA National Design Education Conference, 17-20 July 2002, San Jose State University, San Jose, USA; 155163. http://new.idsa.org/ webmodules/articles/articlefiles/ed_conference02/22.pdf [Accessed 14 January 2008]. Luck, R. (2003). Dialogue in participatory design. Design Studies, 24(6), pp.523-535. McQuail, D. (1997). Principles of Audience Formation and Continuity. [online] Sage books. Available at: http://sk.sagepub.com/books/audience-analysis/n5.xml [Accessed 15 Aug. 2018]. Mefalopulos, P. and Kamlongera, C. (2004). Participatory communication strategy design. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Michie, S. (2002). Causes and management of stress at work. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 59(1), pp.67-72. Moggridge, B. (2007). Designing interactions Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press. Norman, D. (2007). Emotional Design. New York: Basic Books, p.103. Robertson, T. and Simonsen, J. (2012). Challenges and Opportunities in Contemporary Participatory Design. Design Issues, 28(3), pp.3-9. Tidwell, J. (2011). Designing interfaces. Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly.