2022 Service Design Challenge
SERVICE DESIGN COLLEGE
How to design for more access and less ownership
Duration
November, 2021 - June, 2022
My Role
Service designer, researcher, UX/UI designer, video maker, graphic designer, presenter.
The Brief
âHow to design for more access and less ownership.â
What Did We Focus On - Local Furniture Waste Problem
SCAD enrolls over 14,000 students from the US and worldwide, with 17% being international, and the majority of students live off-campus, among whom, dealing with furniture is a big problem.
Design Concept & Solution
We established Furnico, a service that offers clean, organized furniture packages and facilitates the collection and recycling of unwanted furniture. Furnico efficiently handles previous room owners' unwanted items, evaluating, cleaning, and sanitizing them for reuse. We provide various furniture package options tailored to each user's unique needs and room type.
Design Scenarios
Letâs start with the Design Scenario!
The service caters to both move-ins and move-outs, with distinct processes tailored for each scenario, as depicted in this illustration.
Mobile Application
Furnico!
To enhance the service, we have developed a mobile application to facilitate seamless communication between service providers and customers, ensuring a smoother and more convenient experience for users.
How Did We Get There?
Design Process
Stage 1 - Identify & Explore
Introduction
Our project is based on the circular economy model, exploring more possibilities for ownership and sustainability. In view of the fact that there is a lot of waste in life, dealing with these wasteful products and letting these products participate in the circular economy is the main purpose of our project.
The biggest takeaway from our survey is:
Despite concerns surrounding the purchase and sale of secondhand goods, the majority of participants express positive sentiments about engaging in this activity.
Interviews
We also conducted some interviews with students and with 4 experts who are from the circular economy and sustainability background.
From our primary interview with students, we got: Not flexible time for transaction, lack of trust, time and effort value waste, unformed community atmosphere are problems for students to deal with the second-hand household objects in the circular way.
From the conversation we had with experts, here are some of biggest takeaways: 1. Circular economy needs to consider not only the reuse of goods to help the environment, but also the personal value. 2. To achieve circular econmoy, people should be reconnected to communities and make value toghther. 3. Digital intervention is a support of physical service to to close the gap for the needs of international students (tool library, pop up shop)
etc.
And here was our initial problem statement:
How could we create a safe, high efficient (time and energy), reliable and circular community for college students, and also through that to maximize the utilization of household goods.
Stage 2 - Emphasize & Discover
Personas
We developed personas representing students and the community to gain deeper insights into their needs and pain points from their distinct perspectives.
Stage 3 - Frame & Refine
Journey Map & Service Blueprint
The main users of the service are student buyers, graduate-to-be, students selling their wares, artists, and local residents.
Current Recycle System
This is the current furniture recycling system map, which begins with students of SCAD and Savannah residents owning furniture. When they decide to move, they often struggle to dispose of unwanted items, resorting to consignment, thrift stores, or donation centers. Unfortunately, some items end up in landfills. Our analysis revealed an opportunity at the outset of this journey to prevent furniture from being discarded altogether.
Stage 4 -Ideate & Develop
Final Solution Gallery!
