While discarded packaging often becomes urban waste, littering our streets and parks, we’re designing tomorrow’s solutions to transform how our community handles, values, and manages waste
Having identified two primary touchpoints, we developed two different prototype approaches.
We created wireframe representations to illustrate the prototype, and placed these within a broader Service Image to show the context.
This combination illustrates the complete interaction flow between users, the trash can, and the app when disposing of McDonald’s waste.
The central functionalities in the app will be: Collect (collection of Bin Coins), Redeem (redemption of products at McDonald’s via collected Bin Coins), Donate (donation of collected Bin Coins to charitable causes), Info (relevant information.)
The trash can features a dynamic display screen that showcases real-time content relevant to both McDonald’s and the public. The screen shows the location of the nearest restaurant, current offers, and waste disposal statistics. Positioned in public spaces, it informs passersby about the amount of waste collected and available rewards for proper disposal, encouraging community participation in the initiative.
Our data generation process begins with a user survey, where we go out on the street and investigate people’s attitudes toward trash on the streets and who they think is responsible for this waste and its cleanup.
Then we develop an experience prototype situation, where we investigate people’s willingness to return waste in exchange for a burger.
We conduct an interview with Dorthe Thomas, who is a purchasing and environment consultant at McDonald’s. During the interview, we present a compilation of video recordings from the user survey as a starting point for a dialogue about the problem and the possibilities that McDonald’s might be interested in pursuing further.
For our first user survey, we wanted to gain insight into what people think about waste, responsibility for waste, and potential solutions for better motivating proper waste disposal.
“Fundamentally, I believe that it must be those who throw the waste, they’re the ones with the problem, they’re the ones who need to stop. Otherwise, it’s just the municipality’s problem and then it’s just the rest of us who don’t shop at McDonald’s” PHOTO: MORTEN MELHEDE
We would like to hear your opinion about waste, that is, if you experience a problem with it. Now, you could say there isn’t much right here. But for example, after a weekend or at other times.
Well, if you take Nørreport for example and generally speaking, it’s a pigsty every time. I don’t think that’s acceptable.
Whose responsibility do you think it is to be part of some solution to this? Is it those who buy it who need to be better at it, or should we say that McDonald’s should help solve this problem?
It would suit the McDonald’s corporation to have an opinion on how one could […], but I don’t think you should expect that. Fundamentally, I believe that it must be those who throw the waste, they’re the ones with the problem, they’re the ones who need to stop. Otherwise, it’s just the municipality’s problem and then it’s just the rest of us who don’t shop at McDonald’s…
With our next user survey, we wanted to test a simple installation that would act as a prototype for a potential service design.
The text below was printed and placed in McDonald’s soda cups, which we placed in nine different locations bordering the McDonald’s restaurant at Nørreport.
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I am lost. Bring me home to McDonald’s at Nørreport and get a free burger.
Valid only until 03/04/2014 at 14:30!
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QR code links to a blog we created for this purpose: https://medium.com/p/6e843215bdaa
Photo: Morten Melhede
Interview conducted on March 19, 2014, with Dorthe Thomas, who serves as Purchasing and Environment Consultant at McDonald’s.
Three key points from the interview
During the interview, there were three particular observations that Dorthe Thomas noted when presented with a video clip we had prepared from the vox pop user survey.
These observations exemplify the elements that we will bring into play in next iterations and the focus we will maintain.
We use two central tools to create a synthesis between our different data materials.
To clarify and plot touchpoints on a timeline, we produce a Customer Journey Map.
To process the large amount of data in the form of video recordings from both the user survey and experience prototype investigation, as well as the interview, we choose to use an Affinity Diagram.
Through a Customer Journey Map, we have mapped out the customer’s interaction with our service over time. This tool enables us to identify where and when the customer encounters central touchpoints, which constitute the very visible and concrete part of the customer’s experience.
In our service design, there is the possibility to include two different users. The customer who buys food at McDonald’s and the customer/user who collects the waste on the street. These two are marked with different colors as they enter at different points during the process.
Purchase: Customer buys product at McDonald’s
Collection: Customer/user collects McDonald’s waste from the street, or is already in possession of it after just having bought it
Disposal: Customer/user uses app to interact with McDonald’s trash can. The trash can awards points in the form of Bin Coins to the customer/user depending on the amount of waste that has been disposed of in the trash can by the customer/user
Redemption: The customer/user can choose to use their Bin Coins to redeem a product at McDonald’s
We assembled our Affinity Diagram based on the impressions we got while reviewing the recordings from the user survey. The impressions were written on post-its, which we divided into groups based on their relationships.
Overall, it became clear to us that the topic of waste is something everyone has an opinion about and could discuss with us. Most believed that citizens themselves should take responsibility for keeping the streets clean, as the problem starts with their actions, and could thus be avoided if each individual took greater responsibility. At the same time, many expressed that McDonald’s has a co-responsibility.
Our Business Model Canvas revealed a complex network of stakeholders in this project.
This structured approach helped us examine and refine the business model behind our Service Design.
By analyzing the concept from a business perspective, we could evaluate its current viability and determine whether the business approach needed rethinking.
