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.

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.

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.

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.

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.).

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

 

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

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.