Reflection

Phase 0
I started out in September knowing that I wanted my project to have something to do with our food supply but not much else. This open brief meant that I found it quite difficult to narrow down this huge topic into something more specific.
My initial ideas were based around how few people actually know what’s in their food and how it’s produced but when looking into this I became far more interested in the massive environmental impact of food production.
I then spent time immersing myself in this subject – looking into the impact of different types of food, looking into areas such as ‘food miles’, and comparing this to other more familiar environmental polluters.
Also at this time I was starting to think about what kind of design process would be appropriate and what the end result might be. I took inspiration from Dunne & Raby’s critical design projects and felt that a tone similar to this could work really well with the subject matter. Critical design uses designed artifacts as a critique or commentary on an aspect of culture or society. Both the designed artifact and subsequent use are meant to aid reflection on existing values and practices in a culture.
By guru’s day I had a vague idea of what I wanted to do – I knew that I wanted it to be a critical design piece (which would try to change existing habits and behaviours) that focused on the environmental impact of food/food waste. Through conversations at guru’s day itself I added another element to the project – that it would somehow incorporate how much other people’s perceptions of our ‘eco-friendliness’ influenced our behaviours.

Phase 1
At the start of phase 1 I produced a 100 word summary and a timeline for the project – this helped to organise my thinking and give me milestones to aim for.
I was having some doubts about my initial ideas – I was scared to fully commit to a critical, conceptual based approach as I always imagined the outcome of my final year project would be something more pragmatic. I sat on the fence for some time about whether I would be happy with the outcome being more of a statement/comment making design rather than a practical object. When I started doing the PeDeTe sheets I decided that my product would most likely be something which would exist in the kitchen – some way of encouraging and helping people to waste less food.
Towards the end of phase 1 I was beginning to worry that I didn’t really have a solid idea of what my project would be – I was floundering around coming up with product ideas which I felt were gimmicky and which wouldn’t really address the issue seriously or properly. I was also still apprehensive about fully committing to a more theory based approach to my final outcome.  It was at this point that I had an important chat with my tutor and was reminded that my final design didn’t have to be something new. This was a major turning point in the project as I felt that I had wasted almost all of my time in phase 1 trying to push my project forward in a way that I didn’t think was right.
Going into phase 2 I decided on what would be my final concept, using the more critical tone that I had lost throughout phase 1. I was much happier and more comfortable in this area/tone and felt it was more appropriate given what I was trying to achieve.
As my project had almost come full circle back to where I started at gurus day if I was to re-do my PeDeTe boards they would look very different now.

Phase 2
So at the start of phase 2 my main decision points were the materials, the style and the final form of the food waste bin. I began looking into what makes people value objects and what makes people really think ‘wow, a lot of effort has gone into that’ as this would be crucial. I took inspiration from lamps, made by my grandfather, which had always been around my house. These lamps communicated the obvious skill and effort involved in making them. They were clearly items which had been painstakingly hand crafted. I felt communicated the obvious skill and effort involved in making them – very much not something that could have been anything other than hand crafted. I then chose the materials (walnut and sycamore woods) after some quick initial prototyping as they looked expensive and would be something which people would cherish. In making mark 1 I spent time researching and learning the techniques involved in making a piece in the style I had decided upon and made a few prototypes of the shape. Looking into and acquiring these skills and agonising over the small details was probably the most fun and interesting part of the project for me.
When the ‘mark 1’ prototype was finished I was fully decided upon using that style for the final piece. I then worked on how people would actually use and interact with the food waste bin. I wanted to try and make it apparent, just from looking at the bin, that food can only go in but not come out – I took inspiration from post boxes for this as it’s something that almost all people are familiar with and would be able to understand. I also really the liked the interaction and idea of scraping food from a plate through the slot and into the bin – I feel it emphasises the thoughtlessness as the food is so obviously being wasted. The next decision was what information would be on the bin itself and how would it be displayed. I felt that a short introduction to the project would be most appropriate and sort of back up the conceptual/critical tone that I was aiming for. I opted for a sort of worn brass plaque to go below the slot as I felt it really fitted in with the visual language of the project (as well as reiterating the post box metaphor) – giving it a sort of valuable antique feel contrasting completely with the fact the bin must be disposed of when full (hammering home the whole point of the project being a comment on how much we take our food for granted).

Overall, it’s been a long and sometimes stressful process but I think my final design achieves what I set out to do and I’m really happy with the outcome. I’m also happy that I eventually committed to a statement-making gallery style of design (which I think will work well at the degree show and new designers) rather than producing a sort of bog standard kitchen utensil and not being content with it.

One Minute Video

Please change quality to 720 or 1080p.

One Great Image

100 Words

Thoughtless Food uses design to stimulate debate and discussion about the amount of food waste we all produce. It makes a statement about how little we consider the effort used in producing our food. It is a bespoke food waste bin made using traditional craft techniques – the amount of effort expended on it is obvious. The bin can only be filled – never emptied. When full, the whole bin must be disposed of – dramatically equating the wasted effort of constructing the object with the more abstract effort wasted in producing the food which has been taken for granted.

Studio Shots

Now that the bin is finished and the plaque is on I’ve taken some pictures in the product design photo studio. These are just to show what the finished piece looks like – the ‘One Great Image’ deliverable won’t be taken in such a boring setting.

 

Brass Chemical Etching

After trying out the different materials and styles for the plaque I decided that the one I was going to go for was the brass with chemical etched writing on it.
To start I printed my text onto TTP (toner transfer paper – normally used in the manufacture of printed circuit boards) using a laser printer and spent about  20 minutes ironing the transfer onto the sheet brass.

This transfer protects the areas of the brass which are not to be etched from the abrasive chemical. I ended up doing 4 iterations – trying different sizes and styles. The first ones I tried etching the text into the brass and for the other I protected the text using the TTP and etched away the surrounding areas.

Once the design had been transferred on I put it in the chemical etching machine which is basically a spray bath that eats away at any of the brass which isn’t covered.

After about 20 minutes in the machine the plaque was ready to come out. Once out I gave it a quick polish with some steel wool to remove the protective transfer.

Thats the four attempts (above) – as you can see 2 of the transfers didn’t quite work so I didn’t bother putting them in the chemical spray machine. So the choice was between the text being etched into the brass and it looking quite polished and clean or the text being raised and easier to read but looking worn. I ended up going for the more worn looking one.

So that is the final one which will be screwed onto the bin. I’ve already got some old fashioned domed and slotted brass screws. Although it doesn’t look as clean and polished as the other one I feel that the overall style and look of this ones suits the project’s visual language much better. It makes the plaque look as if its decayed over time, giving it an almost antique appearance which I like and feel encourages people to appreciate it more.

Deciding on Plague

Today I’ve been trying out a few different styles/materials for the plaque which will be placed on the front of the bin. I’ve tried one in plywood (as I’ve posted about before), one in black plastic and one in brass. I’ve also changed the wording a little that goes on the plaque – made it a bit shorter and more succinct. I think the brass one goes best with the overall ‘feel’ and aesthetic of the project. The prototype one (pictured) is a little hard to read (due to problems when making it which I’ll post about later) so I’m going to remake it and hopefully oxidise it so that the lettering stands out more.

Plaque

The next big decision was what was going to be on the plaque below the opening. I’ve decided that it will be a sort of short introduction/summary of the project as a whole. I think this will help as it will make it more apparent what the bin is for and the what the thinking behind it is. I’ve not decided on a final material for it but have done a quick mock-up of what it might look like using some plywood. The user would remove this to keep as a memento before the bin is discarded. Almost like a small ornament which would remain in the home to remind people to be more appreciative of their seemingly endless food supply.

This plaque will be placed just below the opening – again echoing the design of a post box.

I only had access to the laser cutter at the last minute today, so the wording of this will likely change – right now it is a slightly updated version of the 100 words that I submitted for the degree show.

Making the Surround

Recently I’ve been working on making the surround which will go around the opening of the bin. I used a thin (about 1.5mm) sheet of basswood which I laser cut to the right shape then painted with 5 coats of matt black spray paint.

I’ve also painted the inside of the bin black to create the impression of more space. It also helps to reinforce the idea of the post box – looking into a sort of blackness – and therefore the idea that food can go in but nothing comes out.

Sanding and Oiling

Today i’ve taken about 3mm off of the top and bottom surfaces of the bin so that they are now exactly equal to the thickness of two of the layers. I’ve also given it the first few coats of Danish oil. I started oiling with a mixture of 60% oil and 40% white spirit (so that the wood absorbs it better) then worked up to pure oil.
Half way through the first coat.
Second coat finished.

Overall I’m happy with the way it looks – the oil really brings out the natural colour of the woods and increases the contrast between them.

Opening

Over the past few days I’ve been working on a few different things – mainly trying to get the actual bin itself finished. The opening was cut out by drilling 6 holes (one near each corner and two in the middle) then roughly jigsawing between these holes – I then used a chisel to remove the remaining wood.

It was then sanded on each surface until smooth.

After that I filled all the small gaps between each of the segments and layers by rubbing in a mixture of bees wax and pine rosin. So the outside is pretty much done now and ready to be oiled using Danish oil.
I’ve decided that I will make some sort of surround to go on the opening as I feel that being able to see the flat edges of the segments is distracting. I may also spray the inside matt black to give the feeling that there’s more space inside – to reinforce the post box idea.
I did a quick mock up of the sort of surround i intend to make using card which I coloured in with black marker. The final will probably be made out of plastic (a non eco-friendly material) which will remind the user of how unsustainable wasting food is.

The two other parts of the project I’ve been trying to finalise are the title and what will be on the plaque below the opening. For the name/title of the project I’ve been thinking something like ‘Thoughtless Food’ (trying to emphasise how little people really consider where their food comes from and what’s gone into producing it) but I still haven’t made the final decision. For the plaque I think it will be a short explanation/summary of the project itself but I’m still unsure wether this will be something the user can take out and keep or if it will be binned along with their food waste.

The next big decisions once the bin has been finished are the ‘one great image’ and the 1 minute video hand ins – more to come on these later.

Degree Show Catalogue

Although the project is not over, we have all been asked to submit a short (under 150 words) summary of our project along with a picture which represents it to be used in the degree show booklet. As my final piece isn’t completed yet the picture I’m using is quite ambiguous and just shows some detail of the wood working/style. Summary:

A critical design project based around the amount of food waste that we all produce. The project aims to make a statement about how little we think about the effort and resources that have gone into producing our food and how carelessly we throw it away.
Simply, it is an intricate food waste bin which can only be filled – never emptied. Each bin is painstakingly crafted using traditional decorative woodworking techniques – making obvious to the user the amount of effort expended in constructing it. It is sealed so that once filled the bin must be disposed of along with the food waste inside – instantly and visually equating the obvious wastefulness of discarding the object with the more abstract wastefulness of the resources and effort used in producing the food which we have taken for granted.

Practising the Opening/What’s next

Today I had a go at cutting the slot out of my bin which the food waste will go into. Luckily I practised on my mark 1 prototype first, as it was a lot more difficult than I anticipated. I’ve decided that the best way to do it is to drill four corner holes then jigsaw between them but getting the angle of the drill right is quite difficult on the curved surface.

I’m going to have another go at it tomorrow then move onto the actual one. I think I will also put a small wooden surround on the opening just to make sure it looks as neat as possible.

The next big decisions are the name of the project and what is going to go on the little plaque/card below the opening. I’ve had a few ideas regarding this but no concrete decision has been made.
I’m thinking it’s either going to be a sort of explanation of the project and/or something which the user takes out and keeps after the bin is full and has been disposed of.
I could also go a bit more out there with it since my project already exists in a sort of fiction (as in it’s a bit more of critical/discussion piece – not something practical that people would buy) and make it a sort of dystopian “This card states that you have wasted all the food that you are allowed to.” kind of thing.

Defining the project

* is a conceptual project based around the amount of food waste that we all produce. But rather than simply discouraging people from wasting food, the project aims to encourage people to think more about the resources/effort that have gone into the food which they are discarding.
Simply, it is an intricate food waste bin which can only be filled – never emptied.
Each bin is painstakingly crafted using traditional decorative woodworking techniques – making obvious, to the user, the amount of effort and resources expended in constructing it.
It is sealed so that once filled the bin must be disposed of along with the food waste inside – instantly and visually equating the obvious wastefulness of the object with the more abstract wastefulness of the effort used in producing the food which we have taken for granted.

*I don’t quite have a title/name for the project yet.

Mark 2 – Part 4 Turning

Today I finished turning the bin (started yesterday) so thats the basic shape finished now.
Quick video of me checking it was all level and smooth – is also quite trippy on the eyes.

I’m happy with the way it has turned out and I feel that the look of the contrasting woods works well and will give my final piece a strong visual identity.

The next step is to decide on exactly the size and shape of the slot then get it cut out of the bin. I also still need to decide on what information will be on the card below the slot – I’m now pretty much decided that it will be something that the user will be able to take out and keep once the bin has been used. So that makes it an even bigger decision as it will need to be something that the user would want to keep once the bin has gone.

Slight Rethink

After a chat with my tutors I’ve decided that rethinking the shape and design of the bin is the way to go. As I said in my last post, I wasn’t happy with it being such a literal translation of a post box – I was essentially going to make a mini wooden version of a post box.
So I’ve decided to make the overall shape of the object as simple as possible – I don’t want the design to become over complicated which I think it was becoming. The new shape will simply be a cylinder with the slot cut out.
One thing that really interested me that my tutors said was that the simple shape of a slot with a rectangle below displaying some sort of information instantly brings to mind a post box which kind of makes any other post box related elements of the design quite tacky and gimmicky.

Above are some sketches I’ve done playing with the idea of these two shapes instantly bringing to mind a post box. I was considering if changing the shape slightly from two standard rectangles but I think this would again just be over complicating things.

So the next big decision is what will be displayed in the rectangle below the slot? I’ve been considering a few things such as something which the user would be able to keep once they have filled the bin an disposed of it (what could this be?) or maybe simply a piece explaining the project and the concept behind it. I’ve not made any firm decisions yet but I will update when I have.

Mark 2 – Part 3

Today I’ve been clamping and cutting the base and top of the bin and joining it all together.

After this one of the technicians added that I should probably try and sand down some of the angles on the main body as they may catch whilst turning and gouge out chunks of wood.

So now that’s pretty much it ready to go onto the lathe and be turned.

However, I have been having some second thoughts on the overall design. I feel that having the domed top and wider base as well as the slot is taking inspiration too literally from a post box. It just feels a bit heavy handed and obvious so I’ve been doing some sketches and trying to rethink the design slightly.

I think keeping it as simple as possible is probably the way to go – the slot should be enough to evoke the idea of post box and communicate the same things. It may seem late in the day to be rethinking it but I wasn’t overly enthusiastic about my original plans and I’m glad I’ve decided this before I put it on the lathe!

Mark 2 – Part 2

After gluing each of the fifteen rings together I’ve started gluing the layers one on top of the other. This time, to try and minimise the small gaps between each layer I’ve sanded each of the rings individually and glued them in much smaller amounts (instead of gluing all 15 at once then clamping I’ve been doing it in groups of 3).

 

The next step was to join the two planks of Walnut together (the piece I bought isn’t wide enough to form the base and top without being cut and glued). After clamping and drawing on these two planks I was advised to use biscuit joints to make sure they were absolutely flush and wouldn’t come apart when I went to turn it on the lathe.

The biscuit joints are basically a small crescent shaped hole each of the bits of wood, a ‘biscuit’ (oval shaped piece of absorbent wood) is placed in one of the holes – when glued this biscuit expands and locks the two pieces together.

The next decision was about the best way to cut the slot where the food waste would enter. After advice from the workshop technicians I decided that it would be best to cut this after the bin has been turned so that the chisel doesn’t get stuck whilst turning.
I’ve also been thinking about wether or not to put a small surround on the slot to add to the overall aesthetic as well as preventing the food waste from spilling onto the outside.

Mark 2 – Part 1

So I’ve been to Brodies Timber in Dunkeld again and got the materials to start my mark 2 prototype. Same as last time, American Black Walnut and Scottish Sycamore, just in much bigger quantities as the mark 2 will be around 3 or 4 times the size of the mark 1.
The wood has been planed and cut, this time with much more accurate angles to make sure there are no gaps between each of the segments.
These are the plans along with a quick rendering I did of what I want the mark 2 prototype to look like.

             

Some of the cut segments along with a shot of four of the rings gluing in clamps.             

So that’s where the mark 2 is at the moment. This time there will be 15 layers each consisting of a ring of 8 segments of the alternating Walnut and Sycamore woods. There will also be a solid piece of Walnut at either end (roughly double the width of one of the layers – making the whole thing a lot taller and wider giving the object a much bigger physical presence.

Post box

I’ve decided that the final design for my food waste bin will take inspiration from post boxes. I feel that this is a good starting point as it’s something that pretty much everyone recognises. I feel it also quickly communicates the idea that you are allowed to put things in but not take them out – similar to my food waste bin.

The bin will still be made in the same style as my mark 1 prototype – using traditional woodworking techniques to give a sort of ‘beautifully crafted’ feel and look to the product. The bin will be sealed at both ends and have a slot near the top (similar to the post box slot) where plates can be scraped straight in. I like interaction that the user would have with this – semi inserting a plate and scraping their leftovers into the bin. I think this would again remind the user of the effort of producing the food since a meal would have just been cooked.

I’ve been doing some sketches and this is the sort of thing I’m thinking about. Trying to keep the form simple yet still communicate the post box idea as I feel adding too many details would detract from the crafted feel.

The lid

My main concern at the moment is deciding how people will use the bin. How will the user physically get their food waste into it? This interaction will be critical to the project so right now i’m focusing on that and what it could be. Not just from an engineering ‘how will this work’ point of view but from a designers’ point of view – how/what will it communicate to the user. The aim is to create something that will be able to instantly convey what the project is about to someone who has no background knowledge of it.
As per the advice given to me at my mark 1 presentation I’ve been taking my ideas to the extreme in search for inspiration. Looking into how you might seal something whilst simultaneously communicating this fact. A few thoughts I’ve been having on the very general ‘sealed things’ have been; welding, rivets, clasps, safes, combination locks, post boxes, plastic packaging and even ideas such as meshes or grills so that anything going into the bin would have to be cut into tiny pieces or liquidised. Whilst these are pretty ridiculous it’s a starting point from where more sane ideas could be worked out.
I quite like the comparison with a post box as it’s an object which almost everyone is familiar with and its also universally understood that you are able to put things in but nothing can be taken out.

Final Decisions

Since my last update I’ve made a firm decision that it is important to the project for the bin to be sealed and for people not to be able to empty/re-use it. I’ve also decided that it will definitely exist as some sort of a critical design piece – not necessarily an everyday practical object. 
I’would also like to somehow communicate this through the way it looks – so that a person looking at it for the first time would be able to understand immediately.

My mark 1 prototype presentation went reasonably well and I’ve decided to continue with the traditional woodworking techniques as I think these quickly and concisely communicate the amount of effort and craftsmanship involved in the process. The only negative feedback I received was due to the mark 1 not having a lid/top and this sending some mixed messages about the project. Also, being able to see inside  was again confusing as it still looks somewhat unfinished and rough. One suggestion on where to go next was to think about the lid – take it to extremes and come up with some completely unworkable designs then try to narrow that back down to something more pragmatic.

The size of the piece is the next big factor – right now I’m thinking roughly 3 times the size of my mark 1 prototype as I want it to be a tabletop/worktop sized object yet still stand out – so that it’s not easily hidden away.

Thoughts on Branding/Sealing

Today I’ve been thinking about the branding of the bin and how this will affect the way people think and interact with it. To go along with the bin I’ve decided that it would be good to include some sort of information explaining the concept and possibly how it was made and the effort that’s gone into it. This would hopefully help to emphasise in the users mind the wasted resources going into the food which they are throwing away.
Some sort of leaflet/booklet or printed packaging could be included. The branding and over all look of these would be extremely important, influencing how the user sees and interacts with the product.

I’ve also been considering how important it is that the bin is sealed and thrown out after use. I like the idea and the critical point that it makes when the whole product needs to binned after use. But would a well crafted and beautiful object be enough to encourage people to waste less food on its own? Still making the same point – equating the effort of producing the food with producing the bin – but without such an overtly critical tone.

Do I want my end result to be so overtly critical/an impractical object?

Making Mark 1 – Part 3

So my mark 1 prototype is off the lathe and the chipboard has been sawn off.

Testing some different waxes/oils on spare segments to see what they look like on the walnut and sycamore.

Decided to make a quick base for it from some 6mm birch ply (would probably have preferred to use more sycamore but the birch will do for the mark 1).
Gluing the base on.

After that, it was a case of a bit more sanding and applying some Danish oil (the oil that I decided suited best).

So thats the main body finished bar a few more coats of the Danish.
My main decision now is what do to for a lid. I’ve been thinking about how important it is, especially for the mark 1 prototype, for it to be sealed so the user can’t get the food waste out once its in.

Making Mark 1 – Part 2

Continuing to make my mark 1 prototype.

Gluing the seven layers together with the chipboard on each end to attach to the lathe. Using all the clamps the workshop has to offer.

Turning.

Beginning to take shape.

Finished turning, ready to saw off the chipboard and sand.

Making Mark 1 – Part 1

Over the last couple of days I’ve been planning and making my first major prototype. I’ve been taking time over each step of the process to ensure that the end result communicates the amount of effort and skill involved as this is an integral part of the project.

Started out by getting my two bits of wood cut by the technicians in the workshop into pieces of equal dimensions.

Then spent a few hours cutting and sanding these strips into exactly equal segments with 22.5° angles on each side.

Gluing and clamping each of the seven layers.

Once these dry they’ll be ready to be glued vertically and have the chipboard attached to the top and the bottom in preparation for being turned on the lathe.

Beginnings of a Mark 1

Today I took the first steps towards what I think will be the mark 1 prototype. After drawing up plans for the food waste bin and having a conversation with Malcolm in the workshop I decided that it was probably best to practice making parts of the prototype with cheaper wood rather than jumping straight in with the stuff I got at the wood mill.
And although its only the mark 1 prototype I do feel its important to make it out of reasonably high quality materials as part of the project will be seeing how people interact with the object and what message it communicates.

Basically the bin will be made up of 7 disks of wood each with alternating light and dark segments (these will then be stuck together and turned on the lathe). Technical drawing and first attempt at creating the segments. 

The first attempt at making one layer was not bad but some of the angles were off – creating slight gaps that would be problem when turning. I made another, more carefully measured this time which was better (less gaps) but its still pretty difficult to cut and sand 8 identical pieces of wood all with a perfect 22.5 degree angles. So for tomorrow I’ve made some MDF templates for the segments which I can draw round and cut – making them all (hopefully) identical.

Phase 2: Desk in need of a tidy.

Ideas from Grandad

I’ve decided to move forward with a prototype in the style of one of my Grandad’s handmade lamps (see last post). In light of this I’ve done a few quick sketches of ideas and also purchased some nice wood from The Old Sawmill in Dunkeld. I’m planning on using a two different types of wood which will give a contrasting effect. So I got some American Black Walnut and some Scottish Sycamore.

Quick renderings showing two-tone.

The wood.

I’ll update when I have more solid plans/have started making!

Form, Materials and Initial Prototyping.

This week I’ve been looking into what shape my food waste bin will take and what kind of materials will be used. In order to get people to value the bin and be aware of the effort exerted while producing it, I’ve been trying to use shapes and materials that would give it a a real ‘craftsmanship’ type feel. Something handmade but not tatty or sloppy – made by a skilled hand.
I’ve also been trying to think of ways that the user will be able to put food waste into the bin without any way of getting it out again (i.e. sealed so the whole thing must be discarded once used).

On the craftsmanship side I’ve been taking inspiration from a variety of sources as well as looking at some of my grandad’s work – he used to make wooden table lamps (amongst other things) that I really like and think communicate well the amount of skill and effort involved.

I’ve been taking inspiration from these, especially the chequered one with the light and darker woods.

Some quick initial idea sketches.

Some quick sketch prototypes – playing about with different forms using blue foam. Two done on the lathe and two just using hand tools. (Obviously they are at different scales!)

TedTalk on Food Storage and Presevation

A really good ted talk from Korean designer and artist Jihyun Ryou about proper storage of fruit and vegetables and some quirky products she’s developed to help preserve food better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NByNOOaCzI

Save food from the fridge.

End of Phase 1

Today marked the end of Phase 1 of the project and the beginning of Phase 2. Phase 2 is the final stage and means I need to start prototyping the final concept (prototype mark 1 is due on 25/02/13). To mark this, heres a video of all the pages in my main note/sketchbook for the project. Its mainly text but hopefully that’ll change now I’ve decided on my concept and am about to start prototyping.

Final Concept Decided

I’ve finally made some concrete decisions about what the final outcome of my project will be. Heres a quick outline of the project:

My project is based around reducing food waste, specifically getting people to buy less food (that will go uneaten) by getting them to think about the massive amounts of resources and effort that have gone into producing it. My idea is that I will produce a beautiful and well crafted food waste bin that is sealed and therefore cannot be emptied or reused and would have to be thrown out along with the food waste that it contains. The idea behind this being it would make people consider the effort thats gone into producing the food – sort of equating it in the users mind with the obvious effort thats gone into producing the bin.

Obviously this isn’t an everyday product that would be used in every home. Its a bit more of a conceptual, critical piece of design that makes a statement about the carelessness with which we regard our food (which I’m much happier about).

Now I need to start looking into what makes people value and become attached to objects and what makes them think ‘wow, thats really well made’ or ‘a lot of efforts gone into that’. The form and size will also be key decision points.

Another aspect, which was raised by my tutor, is that the final outcome could actually be seeing how people interact with the bin and how attached they become. How much do they not want to throw it away and how does this affect their food wasting habits?

Whacky Inventor?

I’m not particularly happy with the ideas that I’ve been coming up with so far, they seem to me to be quite boring, gimmicky and a bit sort of ‘whacky inventorish’ which is really not the aim of this project. I’ve been reminded that the final product doesn’t have to be something new.
I would like to get back to where I started on guru’s day – using a more critical design tone and making a statement with the final concept. Since the project will form the centrepiece of my portfolio when I’m finished I would also like the outcome to be a highly resolved piece of industrial design.

In light of this I’ve been looking at existing food waste disposal bins and designs. They are all incredibly practical, often resembling a scaled down wheelie bin. Could their be something there that I could work on? I’ve also made the decision that, instead of taking on the huge task of convincing absolutely everyone to waste less food, I’m going to focus on users who are already quite eco-concious. Trying to shift the emphasis from composting food waste to preventing the waste in the first place. Again, highlighting the importance of the amount of resources already consumed by producing the food (transport, water, processing, packaging, deforestation, etc.).

Past its Best

One of the reasons why we waste so much food as a society (50% according to http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20968076) is not eating something before it goes off. Some of this waste can be prevented with proper storage, clearer labelling by food companies and maybe a bit more common sense – using your senses to check if somethings off rather than relying on the date on the packet. Although, from talking to people it would seem the biggest reason is simply forgetting or not knowing what to do with certain food item.
In light of this I’ve been coming up with a few ideas to help solve this. Some kind of container or system that would remind users when an item is due to go off is a really simple way of keeping on top of it. This could be Tupperware style boxes with count-down clocks or alarms, or a device which the user would input the food bought, the dates on that food and it could remind them when it’s going off and give recipe ideas incorporating those specific foods.

Meal Planning? Visualising food?

I’ve been coming up with a few ideas based around getting people to buy less food. One is simply meal planning – getting people to plan their meals and snacks in detail. The idea being that people would only buy the exact amount of food that they will eat – leaving no waste. This could be turned into some sort of product which could either be portable (enabling users to take it shopping with them) or a kitchen based device with the possibility to print out shopping lists.
I’ve also been thinking about some way of getting users to visualise the amount of food they are buying and how much they actually use. Maybe even something as simple as a product that takes up space in the cupboards/fridge possibly with reminders about the amount of energy that has gone into food that isn’t being used.
Just a few ideas that I’ve been thinking about before I commit to a single one and take it into phase 2.

Decisions Decisions

Basically, I’ve been starting to panic a bit recently due to the fact that I’ve still not decided on my final concept and we only have a few weeks left before we have to present our mark 1 prototypes. I’ve been trying to narrow down my project to make it something more specific rather than just ‘reducing food waste in the home’. I’m also still not sure whether my final concept will be a single product or a sort of service, or maybe even a range of linked products.

However, I have definitely decided that the core of my project will be about reducing the amount of food that goes to waste and making people aware of the effort and resources that goes into food production. Making people more focused of prevention rather than thinking ‘as long as we compost it’s still fine’.

PeDeTe Boards

Not gotten round to blogging for a while so here’s a quick update. I finished the People, Design and Technology boards as per my last post. I was a bit stumped for what to do for the Technology ones as I’ve still not got a concrete concept so I’m not totally happy with them but it was a good exercise to complete at this stage of the project. They are a bit rough but atleast now I’ve got something to work from. Below is a link to the PDF of the 9 boards.

PeDeTe_DonaldStruthers_dec7

 

People Design Technology Brief

As part of our assessment on the course we’ve been given a task to complete. I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it before but the final outcome of this project will incorporate 3 main themes – people, design and technology. So we’ve been asked to hand in 8 different presentation boards. 2 boards on people – who the project is about, what user group(s) it is aimed at, etc. 2 boards on design – what kind of visual language or tone of voice will be used in the project. 2 boards on technology – what kinds of technology might be incorporated into the final design, what technology might be used along the way with prototyping etc. The last 2 boards are about how these 3 elements relate to each other and what the weighting or importance of each is. The briefing document we were given sums it up like this:

“Each of your projects will involve people, design and technology––in some way. This exercise is about reflecting on and determining your project’s take on each, and the relationship between the three.”

As its still only phase 1 of the project our tutors have explained that the reason we’re doing 2 boards on each element is that if your unsure of what your visual language will be or your unsure who the project will be aimed at then use the 2 boards to convey different ideas – showing each as a possible route to take. However, if you are pretty settled on any of the elements then use the 2 boards to illustrate the choices you’ve made and explore more deeply the thinking behind them and maybe some very slight nuanced differences.

The boards have to be presented to a pretty high standard – “boards you wouldn’t mind showing a client you’ve been working with for a while” and we’ve been given some great examples of previous students work. I think I’ve got a pretty good idea of what i’ll use each board for but hopefully actually having to put it down on paper will make me think a little more and move my project on further.

Probe to gain user insights (hopefully)

I’ve decided to try and gain some user insights by giving out research probes. What these consist of is basically a container which the participant is to collect their household food waste in over the course of 5 days and an accompanying booklet for them to jot down any thoughts on the process. The booklet contains and introduction/explanation page and 3 main sections – one to fill out before, during and after the 5 day collection period. I didn’t just want to give out a plain box and word processed booklet as I think the more effort I put into making the probe, the more effort the participants will put into engaging with it. And therefore the better the insights I will get back from them. The containers are resealable to try and avoid unpleasant smells and the booklets are printed on high quality paper and supplied with a decent fine liner pen.

Black and white low quality – just to get the spacing and everything right

There is a front cover then the intro page that tells the participants what to put in the box – basically, all food waste (i.e. left overs, out of date items) including unavoidable waste (i.e. peelings, cores, stalks). In the ‘before’ section there are a couple of questions regarding their existing views and opinions about household food waste. The ‘during’ section I’ve intentionally left quite open in order to encourage any insights they may have without pushing or directing them one way or another . In the ‘after’ section theres a few questions about their reactions to the amount of food collected and if seeing it could change their habits in the future. Also theres a question about how much, if at all, they consider food waste to be an environmental problem.

Prints

The container is intentionally clear, with just a label, so the participants can physically see the waste that is being collected to get them to keep it in mind when responding to the questions in the booklet.
I’ve given out one probe package already to a family home, I intend to give another to a student flat with (ideally with more than 3 people living in it) and the other I would like to give to someone living alone – so as to get a good cross section of participants. After I get the responses back I may also print out some more booklets and send them out again.

Final research packs

Timeline and Brief

For the start of ‘Phase 1’ we’ve been encourage by our tutors to come up with a 100 word summary or brief for our project (expanding on the 50 or so words we already had for gurus day). And also some king of visual plan for the next few weeks so that we remain focused and have something to work towards. My 100 summary is:

My project will focus on the sustainability of our food supply – specifically the amount of food that we waste. I am interested in what role other people’s perceptions of our own ‘eco-friendliness’ play in our actions and decisions concerning how much food we use or waste. I am also interested in whether simply being more aware of the amount of food that we waste (and therefore the wasted resources used in producing that food) can change people’s habits and behaviours. The overall goal of the project is to decrease the amount of wasted food on an individual basis.

And here’s a picture of the visual plan that I’ve come up with for the period up until the Christmas break:

Gurus Day – How it went

It’s taken me a while to get round to writing up this post – ‘Guru’s day’ was a week ago today. I’ll start by talking about what I had on my desk and how it was laid out. Basically I had two boards, one which described a bit about the massive problem of food waste in our society and another which had some examples of critical and persuasive design (design which tries to influence or change people’s behaviours). I also had an A4 board which had my 50 word project summary (which i changed slightly between the last post and the day itself) and another 50 words on what I would like to talk about.

*Click the pictures to see them full size.

The layout of my 1/3rd of a desk for Gurus Day

The ‘Gurus’ were Richard Banks, Tim Regan, Paul Greenhalgh and Martin Bontoft. Banks is the head interaction designer for Microsoft research; Regan is also a researcher at Microsoft with a PhD in computer science (he claims he’s not  a designer but he’s been working with them for most of his career and he definitely thinks like one); Greenhalgh is the director of design for Team Consulting (a medical industrial design company) and Bontoft is head of design research at Team who focuses on ergonomics and user centred research. So we had a good mix of highly experienced professionals.

The day itself ran quite smoothly and was a good experience for all of us. From 10am until about 3.30pm we all manned our desks as the gurus made their way around talking to each student about their project so far; areas they found interesting or insightful and where they thought the project could go next. As there are about 60 students over the two courses, I only managed to speak to Richard banks. We talked for about 15 minutes – he was really helpful and gave some good insights into my project. The main insight that i’ve taken away from the conversation is what role other people’s perceptions of your ‘eco-friendliness’ plays. For example: driving a Prius may not actually be all that environmentally  friendly (after all the parts being transported around the world several times) but it certainly makes a statement i.e. ‘I care about the environment’. Is this important to people? He also gave me some pointers on where to go next, such as going to environmental and freegan (people who live off of food disgarded by others) groups to talk to people – one anecdote from someone could spark a specific idea or direction for my project. Whilst the gurus were making their way round I also spoke to some of the masters students (studying design ethnography or service design) who were also really helpful and gave me some good areas to look into.

At half 3 we then had a 1 1/2 hour question and answer session with the gurus and Graham (our tutor) which I thought was probably the most interesting part. Although it wasn’t specific to each project it was good to hear the opinions and thoughts of people who have been in the design industry for over 20 years.

Dunne & Raby

(Image: Is This Your Future, 2004 – Dunne & Raby)

Dunne & Raby is a London based design studio founded in 1994. Mostly they use design to start discussions between the public, industry and designers or as a medium to make a comment on a modern issue. The tone of their work is usually quite critical and i think this is something which I would like to try and incorporate into my project as i feel it would be an appropriate tone for the subject.

I have also taken inspiration from their design process, particularly in their ‘placebo’ project ( which you can find out about here (http://www.dunneandraby.co.uk/content/projects). For this project, rather than going straight and asking people their thoughts and opinions to gain insights, they created their objects and observed how people reacted to them. This led to much deeper insights and a better overall outcome for the users and designers. I’m also a fan of this particular project as it has quite a critical tone but at the same time it doesn’t take itself too seriously.

http://www.dunneandraby.co.uk/content/projects -a link to Dunne & Raby’s projects

Gurus Day

Gurus Day is an event that is run each year by the joint 4th year of the Product Design and Digital Interaction Design courses in the university. It’s a chance for us (the students) to get advice and insights from some leading figures in design industry. The format is this: each student is allocated a space in which they present their research and work so far and where they think the project is heading and the industry experts walk around and chat with the students giving advice on areas to look into and what the next steps might be. Its a really good opportunity to gain feedback from people who have a wealth of experience in design practice.

As the ‘gurus’ or experts walk around they are each given a ‘menu’ that lists all the students and gives them a brief (50 word) summary of their projects so far, so if they feel they have particular expertise in an area that a student is looking into then they can go directly to them for a chat.

Each student gets 1/3rd of a desk to present their work in whatever format they think is appropriate (physical objects, pictures, videos, presentation boards etc.) – we have been advised not to make the boards too text-heavy as the gurus only have a short time with each student.

So far I’ve come up with my 50 word summary: My project will focus on the issue of food waste in the home. I want to create a product, with a critical design tone, that will increase people’s awareness of the problem and encourage them to be more conscious of how much food they throw away.

I’m going to try and get advice on what the next steps might be and what research techniques would be most appropriate.

Scottish Government – Food Waste Prevention

I was quite surprised to see that the Scottish Government has recently launched a food waste awareness campaign as part of their ‘Greener Scotland’ initiative. Definitely a step in the right direction, getting people’s attention. It’s a short TV and online ad which uses a slightly comedic angle to get the point across.

Waste – Uncovering The Global Food Waste Scandal

As part of my research, and to give me a broader sense of the problem, I’ve been reading Tristram Stuart’s book ‘Waste – Uncovering The Global Food Waste Scandal’. There a lot of very interesting and shocking points made in the book along with even more shocking statistics to back them up. I’ve been thinking about the best way to encourage people to waste less food and it seems simply making people more aware of the problem would be a massive step in the right direction. Stuart makes this point in his book and also states that the more aware people are the more pressure they will start putting on food suppliers to waste less. There is massive unnecessary waste all the way up the food chain and a lot of this could be changed by supermarkets changing their views on things like cosmetic standards, ordering more than they can sell and multibuy deals which encourage waste. People’s perceptions would also need to change, how would you feel if you walked into the supermarket at the end of the day and the shelves were almost empty? Most people would feel the food is somehow inferior, not as good or fresh as if the shelves were fully stocked and this encourages supermarkets to order way more than they will sell. As if food is somehow a ‘commodity’ that we have an infinite supply of.

I feel that at the core of the issue is that fact that we don’t respect food enough, we don’t give a second thought to the work, effort and limited resources that have gone into producing it. Simply put, we don’t appreciate our food.

Tristram Stuart (the author I talked about above) has also given a really interesting TedTalk on the subject of food waste, its a really good starting point if you’d like to know a little more.

Introduction

For the final, year long, project of my product design course I’ve decided to look into the issue of food waste and sustainability. With an ever increasing world population, the amount of food we use and the amount of land we use to produce this food is rapidly increasing to the point where we will have to either sacrifice our diets or our planet. But is this really necessary? I’m interested in finding out exactly how much we all waste on a daily basis and the impact that our carelessness or fussiness has on our environment.

My initial thoughts are centred around raising awareness of the issue of food sustainability and waste. By educating people about the subject I think this would encourage people to value and respect their food and the effort gone to producing it more. And therefore make them think twice before chucking out perfectly edible food or buying extra food knowing that there is no way they will finish it all.

Welcome.

This blog will document my progress with my final year Product Design project at the University of Dundee.