Scope of Work
THE CHALLENGE: Create a Smart City initiative for the City of Austin, to increase Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) disposal among suburban, single-family home owners.
THE SOLUTION: A smart-home voice UI which helps users properly dispose of items and to set up curbside pickup. Users receive a modular storage box to collect HHW and dispose of through curbside pickup.
THE DIRTY: Recycling, composting, trashing, donating ... it can be difficult to remember how to correctly dispose of unwanted items; and driving household hazardous waste across town can be inconvenient. Life is stressful, but making environmentally-smart decisions doesn't need to be.
NOTE: This is a student project and working prototype. The City of Austin does not offer curbside HHW pickup at this time.
Chunk-It is a voice UI which helps users dispose of household items safely and responsibly.
ROLE: wireframing, prototyping, UX, user testing, design research, and building an Alexa skill
METHODS: empathy mapping, user flow mapping, How Might We’s, crazy 8’s, lightning demos, and rapid prototyping.
TIMELINE: March – May 2019
TOOLS: Adobe Creative Suite, Amazon Web Services
Research
ABOUT HHW
Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) is waste that can catch fire, react, or explode under certain conditions or is corrosive or toxic. According to the EPA, a household can store up to 100 lbs. of HHW and accumulates 20 lbs. per year.
Each year, the city of Austin collects more than 114 thousand tons of trash. In 2014, 344 tons of household hazardous waste was thrown away in curbside trashcans. The most common HHW includes motor oil, paint, and pesticides.
EXISTING RESOURCES
The Household Hazardous Waste Facility and the Resource Recovery Center is located off East Highway 71.
• Drop off items to be recycled, reused or safely discarded
• Visitors can pick up free items
Most Recycle & Reuse Drop-Off Center services are free to Austin residents.
Source: Courtesy of the City of Austin
VISITING AUSTIN REUSE & RECYCLE
Google Maps led me to the Safety Office and the lack of wayfinding signage made it difficult to
navigate the area. The Safety Office employees were very helpful and directed me to "take the
third driveway." I wasn't familiar with the acronym RRDOC.
The man at the check-in gate asked for my zip code and what waste I was depositing. I parked and toured the grounds on foot. ARR is broken into organized sections. In addition to HHW, they collect clothing,electronics, styrofoam, and cardboard boxes. They offer free mulch, paint, cleaning supplies, and boxes.
Additionally, anyone who'd like to start a battery collection can use one of their buckets. Once it's full, you can call ARR to arrange pick it up. Several schools and libraries currently participate.
According to Javier, an ARR employee and former sanitation truck driver, the biggest problem is paint and oil. When paint and oil are compacted in the back of a sanitation truck, the paint/oil can spill onto the road which can be dangerous, costly, and environmentally hazardous. Additionally, ARR currently offers curbside pickup for disabled and elderly citizens. The pick up truck is pictured below.
Free paint for Austin residents
Free cleaning supplies
Home pick up
Paint mixing station
IDEATION
Crazy 8's
Top to Bottom, L-R:
1. A Voice UI that syncs with a smart device. User's ask "Can I trash...X?" and it says whether to recycle, trash, send to HHW (can arrange pickup to do so)
2. HHW curbside smart container
3. Same, but punny because it's called a HAZ-MAT. (Drivers can clearly see what's being picked up.)
4. iCan- Scans items, tells you whether to trash, recycle, HHW, etc.
5. A paint, non-hazardous material community exchange. Similar to free little libraries.
6. A community truck for pickups. Could work like the Amazon Treasure truck.
7. Similar to #6, but it's a "pick up" truck. Could use the city's existing truck with some fresh paint : )
8. A modular collection box for user's to collect HHW items. Can change to fit whatever they have at that time. Could include smart features like smart container and Haz mat. The lid would be clear so drivers can see what's inside.
Thumbnail sketches
HOW IT WORKS: VIDEO PROTOTYPE
