VISUALIZATION IN RECYCLING

Magdy Ruslan

MAY 18, 2016  DESIGN THINKING

Challenge

Some friends of mine and I have started a project about recycling. It consists in

getting the people to separate their plastic bottles and bring them to a specific spot where  they can obtain a compensation for them (some sort of discounts in different restaurants  and business). When the bottles are delivered, they are weighted. Is intended to receive  bottles from different kind of products each day of the week (example, Monday beverages,  Tuesday oils, etc.). The project is intended to impact people from all ages but is best focus  in young people around their twenties that live near to a university. The problem with that is  that we need to discover all the reasons why people wouldn’t take their plastic bottles to the  recollecting spot and what we can do to change it. This is the main purpose to make this  activity and use the techniques learned in the course to evaluate the situation. Just as  general knowledge, we put the plastic recollected in a specific process to transform it into  different kinds of plastics forms that can be used to produce other type of products that are,  then, sold to obtain founds to reinforce the ecological mindset in the community.

Selection

We selected this tool (visualization) because it helps to view in a graphic way the

situation and with that, start viewing for possible solutions or ways to act toward it. This  allows the team to analyze the situation from different perspectives and understand them,  to select the best path of action and know what could go good and bad. It also helps that,  even that the team decides to focus in one specific aspect at the beginning, after a time we  can go back to the diagram created and continue with other important aspects for the project.

Application

For doing the activity we first started by putting the collecting spot in the middle of a

big white paper. And decided, as a team, that we were going to put circles around the spot.  Each circle represented how far or how proximate a problem or situation was with respect  to the recollecting spot and the team control. For each given situation we recognized we  draw an icon or object that represented it. For that process we started from the inner circle  through the farthest one. We take turns to say something that we see can happen, if  someone have nothing to say the following person can take his turn. But this was no limiting  to keep just the original idea told by the member of the team, it was important that the rest  of the member construct over that idea by complementing it. At the end we get another round  for every circle starting again from the inner one through the farthest, this with two purposes  in mind. The first purpose of that ending round was to add more ideas if there were left and  the second one to move ideas from one circle to another if they needed to be reconfigured.  At the end of the process we have a schematic view of the recollecting process and the  situations that can arise and make it not to happen in a right way.

Insight

What we get from the activity were some important insights to consider when

selecting the spot and the process of collecting the bottles. I describe the insights in the  following list, starting from the ones of the inner circle to the ones of the farthest one.

•  Inner circle:

o People would not come to deliver their bottles If the weighting system is broke  o If the recompensating process does not work in a proper way  o If they do not see the results of all the plastic bottles recycled

•  Middle circle:

o If they don have the culture of recycling  o If they do not have the information that the recycling spot is available for them  o If the day for recollecting the bottles of a specific product does not fit to them

•  Farthest circle:

o If the recycling spot is far from their homes  o If they do not have the time to go to the recycling spot

Approach

In another chance of doing this process I would like to take the same activity,

visualization, but made in another way. What I would do different would be to create a net  to match the situations that are related or could be attended by similar actions. I would also  like to have people from the community involved in the process and not just the team  members. This would help to have different points of view and opinion of people that is not  cycled with the project.


VISUALIZATION IN RECYCLING Magdy Ruslan MAY 18 , 2016 DESIGN THINKING Challenge Some friends of mine and I have started a project about recycling . It consists in getting the people to separate their plastic bottles and bring them to a specific spot where they can obtain a compensation for them ( some sort of discounts in different restaurants and business ) . When the bottles are delivered , they are weighted . Is intended to receive bottles from different kind of products each day of the week ( example , Monday beverages , Tuesday oils , etc . ) . The project is intended to impact people from all ages but is best focus in young people around their twenties that live near to a university . The problem with that is that we need to discover all the reasons why people would n’t take their plastic bottles to the recollecting spot and what we can do to change it . This is the main purpose to make this activity and use the techniques learned in the course to evaluate the situation . Just as general knowledge , we put the plastic recollected in a specific process to transform it into different kinds of plastics forms that can be used to produce other type of products that are , then , sold to obtain founds to reinforce the ecological mindset in the community . Selection We selected this tool ( visualization ) because it helps to view in a graphic way the situation and with that , start viewing for possible solutions or ways to act toward it . This allows the team to analyze the situation from different perspectives and understand them , to select the best path of action and know what could go good and bad . It also helps that , even that the team decides to focus in one specific aspect at the beginning , after a time we can go back to the diagram created and continue with other important aspects for the project . Application For doing the activity we first started by putting the collecting spot in the middle of a big white paper . And decided , as a team , that we were going to put circles around the spot . Each circle represented how far or how proximate a problem or situation was with respect to the recollecting spot and the team control . For each given situation we recognized we draw an icon or object that represented it . For that process we started from the inner circle through the farthest one . We take turns to say something that we see can happen , if someone have nothing to say the following person can take his turn . But this was no limiting to keep just the original idea told by the member of the team , it was important that the rest of the member construct over that idea by complementing it . At the end we get another round for every circle starting again from the inner one through the farthest , this with two purposes in mind . The first purpose of that ending round was to add more ideas if there were left and the second one to move ideas from one circle to another if they needed to be reconfigured . At the end of the process we have a schematic view of the recollecting process and the situations that can arise and make it not to happen in a right way . Insight What we get from the activity were some important insights to consider when selecting the spot and the process of collecting the bottles . I describe the insights in the following list , starting from the ones of the inner circle to the ones of the farthest one . • Inner circle : o People would not come to deliver their bottles If the weighting system is broke o If the recompensating process does not work in a proper way o If they do not see the results of all the plastic bottles recycled • Middle circle : o If they don have the culture of recycling o If they do not have the information that the recycling spot is available for them o If the day for recollecting the bottles of a specific product does not fit to them • Farthest circle : o If the recycling spot is far from their homes o If they do not have the time to go to the recycling spot Approach In another chance of doing this process I would like to take the same activity , visualization , but made in another way . What I would do different would be to create a net to match the situations that are related or could be attended by similar actions . I would also like to have people from the community involved in the process and not just the team members . This would help to have different points of view and opinion of people that is not cycled with the project .