2. CONTENT
Course: PROJECT INTRODUCTION PROTOTYPE
Concept Workshop Predisposition 1 Label Prototype 10
Tutor: Packaging Prototype 12
Eli Blevis, Phd RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS
@ Indiana University
Observation 2 STRATEGY
Literature Research 3 System Overview 15
Interview 4 Planning Diagram 16
Insights 6
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
Concept System 8
0
3. PREDISPOSITION
Today, it is noticed that host of restau-
rants provide disposable chopsticks,
spoons and packaging, etc. instead of
reusable ones. And consumers use
disposable products especially when
buying take-away food.
When it is Produced
Disposable take-away food packaging
is a big problem both for Hong Kong
and China. It exerts negative impacts
on environment and users’ health,
however, people are not fully aware of
those harm. Also, better solutions for
users and suppliers are needed.
When it is Disposed
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4. RESEARCH
> Observation
School Canteen
There are many different kinds of disposable tableware pro-
vided in school canteens. And some of them are packed up as
a set, which usually includes knife and fork or chopsticks,
spoon and tissue.
Even for the same meal, take-away food would need 8 pieces
extra compared with eating in canteen.
Studio, School of Design
The students of Interaction Design generally have their take-
away food to studio or classrooms in the rush hours. And
normally, the packaging end up in trash bin, sometimes with-
out fully use all of the tableware provided.
Dormitory
Sets of unused disposable tableware are left in the garbage
bag with leftovers in the dormitory. One interviwee Yolanda
just uses her own chopsticks and spoon in dormitory.
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5. Information Source:
The New York Times, Disposable Chopsticks Strip Asian Forests, by RACHEL NUWER, http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/24/disposable-chopsticks-strip-asian-forests/ ;
Greenlaw China, China Environmental News Alert, by Greenlaw(NRDC) http://www.greenlawchina.org/page/2/ ;
Time, The World's Most Polluted Places--Linfen China, by Bryan Walsh, http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1661031_1661028_1661016,00.htmlBBC ;
BBC News, Living in China’s Coal Heartland, by James Reynolds, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6271773.stm ;
Possible Health Risks of Metal Residues in Disposible Chopsticks, by Fwu-Ming Shen, Hong-Wen Chen and Chun-Yu Chuang, PSP Volume, 2008 ;
Chopsticks, by Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chopsticks;
> Literature Research
Environment The heavy metal contamination of disposable chopsticks is a public
The Chinese use 57 billion pairs of disposable chopsticks every year, health issue. Manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu), in the order of
which adds up to 1.7 million cubic metres of timber or 25 million abundance, are the three most common heavy metals found in chop-
full-grown trees, which means badly depleted forests. sticks of both types.
What’s more, China is the world's largest maker of disposable chop- Some small factories use low quality wood to reduce costs. In order to
sticks. Each year, the equivalent of 3.8 million trees go into the manu- make the chopsticks look of better quality, some factories illegally use
facture of about 57 billion disposable pairs of chopsticks in China, sulfur, chlorine, or hydrogen peroxide to whiten the wood.
according to statistics from that nation’s national forest bureau. About There have also been concerns regarding the use of certain disposable
45 percent of disposable chopsticks are made from trees like cotton chopsticks made from dark wood bleached white that may pose a
wood, birch, and spruce, while the remainder are made from bamboo. health risk, causing coughing or leading to asthma, abdomen illness
The country's environment is getting steadily worse - the World Bank and skin rashes.
says 16 of the world's 20 most polluted cities are in China.
Policy
Health In 2007, China imposed a tax on wooden chopsticks with the goal of
More than 400,000 people die prematurely each year from pollution- helping the environment.
related illnesses. In 2010, the Chinese government issued a notice urging restaurants to
go green, although Greenpeace said that the notice did not include
specific measures for reaching that goal.
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6. > Interview
To found out why, how, when and where people use disposable take- What do you feel about when using disposable packaging?
away food packaging, we conduct interviews with 10 people, including 4
male and 6 female. The result is a guide for us to decide what we could - Nothing special, just as usual.
design for changing the situation. - I feel like that it is more delicious to eat in the restaurant.
Have you bought take-away food? Why? - A little bit guilty.
- Just enjoy it.
- Happy, because usually I am so hungry when I get my food.
- Yes, because there are too many people in canteen.
- Yes, my friends want to order take-away food, so I join them.
What do you think about the packaging?
- Yes, sometimes I don’t have time to go out for meal.
Too much? Not enough?Suitable?
- Yes, I don’t want to go out.
- Yes, I want to watching TV drama when eating.
- Yes, because of no companions for lunch or dinner. - A little bit too much.
- Yes, it is convenient. - I don’t need that much actually.
- Sometimes too much, some of them are not needed.
- It is OK for the packaging, because I hate packaging that mess
When/where would you buy take-away food? up rice and dishes.
- I fell better if food is packed well.
- Weekend in dormitory.
- Night time at home. Do you know it is harmful?
- Before deadline in studio/school. What kind of negative impacts do you know?
- During OT in workplace.
- Weekday afternoon in office/workplace. - Of course, I know it cuts down trees, and do harm to environ-
- At home/dormitory when no mood to cook by myself. ment.
- It is made by trees, so it sacrifices forest.
4
7. - Have some recycling problem. - Hardly can, people would still use it, I think.
- It uses chemical materials. - More or less, it would be helpful.
- ICost a lot to deal with the used ones. - I believe eople would reduce the times of using.
- Harmful to huaman, health. - It would educate people and society.
Why still use it?
What do you think about REUSABLE, RECYCLABLE and
DISPOSABLE? Order them.
- No other better solutions.
- It is convenient.
- I don’t think much when using it. REUSABLE > RECYCLABLE > DISPOSABLE
- It si not our, consumers’ problem, but the suppliers’.
- A lot of those harm and bad influences are exaggerated.
Do you know what the labels on them mean?
- No, totally not.
- No, I never notice it..
- I know those label, but don’t know what they mean.
- Yes, I know what it means roughly.
- I heard of it, but not much understanding.
Do you think it would help if people be aware of its harm?
- Absolutely yes.
- At least would make people think twice before using it.
5
8. INSIGHTS
> General Insights
1. There is a need--the need of taking away food is out there.
The answer for WHY, people’s needs for eating outside the restaurant is hardly changeable unless people are forced to not
taking away food.
2. It is convenient, especially when hurry to work, or just lazy to go out -- workplace and home is
the place we need to focus on.
The answer for HOW, WHEN and WHERE, people who eating taking away food have some situations and places in common.
3. People have the awareness of protecting environment, they all believe that disposable package
harm the environment.
The answer for their OPINION towards taking away food packaging and protecting environment, people do knows it is not
good, which is a good news for us.
4. But they didn’t think to much about it, they think it is not their responsibility, they didn’t realize
it is actually closely connected to their life.
The answer for their ATTITUDE towards taking away food packaging and protecting environment, people don’t know very
clear about the results and the meaning of using disposable food packaging, which is where we state off.
6
9. From the analysis to the interview results, we identified what we could design for changing the situation.
We can do it within two phases:
1. to INFORM people that how bad it is.
2. to ACTIVE people to go to the good way.
> Insights for Inform People > Insights for Active People
1. Label could change some people’s behavior, specially girls, 1. People do think one meal uses too much food packaging ,
who are higher environmentally sensitive. but because they have certain requirement for taking-way
food successfully, they don’t know which part can be reduced.
- about ½ of our interviewees says they will have less
- soup not spilt, food not mixed up, can be heated, not
tendency and behavior if given the information.
poison, light weighted;
- Many interviewees do not understand the exact mean-
- When throw it away, people don’t want the remaining
ing of labels, but interviewee with high environmental
food spilt out easily, so they usually fold it well, one
awareness says she knows it and will pay attention to it.
interviewee says he will eat as clean as possible.
2. Which information matters?
- Health related > Environment related > Energy related 2. All people think reusable is better, but concerning about the
cost.
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10. CONCEPT
> LABEL > LUNCHBOX
PLAN
For For
Awareness Action
From the insight, we come up with two phases plan, and we call them “Label” and “Lunchbox Plan” .
8
11. > Label > Lunchbox Plan
By graphic expression, clearly and directly deliver: By recycle system creation and lunchbox redesign, we want:
- Information of health harm; - Make use of government’s power, law and regulation’s power
- Information of specific degree of environment harm; to control and manage this system.
- Information of energy wasted; - Involve every citizen, including consumers, hosts of restau-
rants, pakaging producer, cleaning factory all taking their part
Aims and Goals: in this system.
- Help users to make better-informed choices when using - Do some good to our environment, less trees be cut down,
products. less land be filled, and fanally we can have a better future.
- Educate users about disposable products are all con-
nected to them. Aims and Goals:
- A plan to really to stop disposable food packaging.
- Start a newy way for take-away food.
9
12. PROTOTYPE
> Label It may cause It may cause
Coughing Coughing
Attention, It’s all about you! Asthma Asthma
Every data is related to you!
Abdomen Abdomen
It is unhealty Illness Illness
Skin Skin
Rashes Rashes
Coughing Abdomen
Asthma Illness It costs It costs
3700 cm³ 3700 cm³
Skin wood wood
Rashes a tree a tree
2.19 days 2.19 days
to grow to grow
It is waste
you to run you to run
a tree 82 m 82 m
3700 cm³ 2.19 days for power for power
wood to grow
4 days 4 days
to transport to transport
you to run
82 m 4 days
to transport
for power
Calculated From:
(health-related) Chopsticks, by Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chopsticks;
(3700cm3 + 2.19 days) Disposible Chopsticks, by Baidu, http://baike.baidu.com/view/299676.htm;
(82m) The Information About Production Line of Disposible Chopsticks, by Nanchang Jianxing Company, http://www.jxkj88.com/jjmy/kuaizi.htm;
(4 Days) Logistics Information From Human to Shenzhen, by 56110.cn, http://www.56110.cn/line/list_from0755_to0745.html?fromname=%c9%ee%db%da&toname=%bb%b3%bb%af&traffic=200&class=%b0%fc%b9%fc;
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14. > Lunchbox Plan
Change the vicious life line to the virtuous life circle
Production Distribution Using Disposing Polluting
Packaging Restaurant Cleaner Dump
Producer & & Food Supplier Customer Recollector
Cleaner
to Wild
Distributor
Distribution
Environmental Restaurant Packaging Sorting
Policy & Food Supplier Systerm
Packaging
Distributor
Controlling Using
Government & Customer &
Managing Reusing
Produce & Recycle
Factory Cleaner Waste Sorting
Environmental Recollector Systerm
Management
Recollection
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15. Easily to Assembly and Adapt
Design for
Standard cleaning process
Come with different standard size
Easily to add in and take out
Convenient to carry
Meet the needs of different dishes and the requirement of restaurant
Unfold to eat, like a small table
So it won’t smudge your table
After eating, simply to fold it back
13
16. Standard Dispose Method in Workplace
Big container for a whole office to use
Government unite the take-away food packaging cleaning work
Recollector cleaning all the lunchbox in time
Remainning food will also be collected and utilized
14
17. > System Overview STRATEGY
The Overview of “Label”(which creat
social desirability), and “Lunchbox Lunchbox
Plan”(which build economic viability Plan
and technological feasibility ) to
co-create the ecosystem of taking- Economic
away food packaging.
Viability
Law Build Capitalization
Chasm Crossing
...
Ecosystem
Label Lunchbox
Plan
Social Technological
Desirability Feasibility
Digital Game
Public Activity
Exhibition System Design
... Factory Build
City Plan
...
15
18. > Planning Diagram
LEVEL 1 Y1.Q1 Y1.Q2 Y1.Q3 Y1.Q4 Y2.Q1 Y2.Q2 Y2.Q3 Y2.Q4
Social Desirability
Planning
Local Research
Information Design
Label Design
Posibility Promotion
Label Release
Luchbox Design
...
LEVEL 2 Y1.Q1 Y1.Q2 Y1.Q3 Y1.Q4 Y2.Q1 Y2.Q2 Y2.Q3 Y2.Q4
Technological Feasibility
Planning
City Plan
Research
System Design
Evaluation
...
LEVEL 3 Y1.Q1 Y1.Q2 Y1.Q3 Y1.Q4 Y2.Q1 Y2.Q2 Y2.Q3 Y2.Q4
Economic Viability
Planning
Chasm Crossing
Management Build
Capitalization
Promote System
Relationship Create
...
LEVEL 4 Y1.Q1 Y1.Q2 Y1.Q3 Y1.Q4 Y2.Q1 Y2.Q2 Y2.Q3 Y2.Q4
Ecosystem Planning
Data Analysis
Meeting & Studies
Policy & Regulation
Public Relationship
Prototype Studies
Case Analysis
Models Build
...
Legend: ongoing activity
preparation for activity
primary activity
16
19. Design for Sustainable Take-away Food Packaging
XIE Binhuan + WEI Yanfang
MDes in Interaction Design, School of Design
March 2012 1
