Task: Design Research Project to synthesize the waste system in Germany and to indicate the problems of waste-separation.
Approach: The approach of this research is based on Design Thinking and firstly maximizes the understanding of the overriding systems the problem is a part of. As a result, a synthesis of the waste disposal system in Germany is presented. Additionally, psychological approaches such as classical conditioning as a way to change habits, but also managerial approaches like the change process of Lewin (1947) are taken into account. Thirdly, the process and effects of rewards were considered for the research.
Primary research helped to dig deeper into user scenarios to understand what kind of obstacles hinder the proper separation of trash. Besides the missing incentive of separating the garbage in the right way, lack of space and time are considered to be a big obstacles. In an Ideation workshop two teams composed of three to four people generated six ideas together how services or products can simplify the process of waste disposal.
Result: The outcome were two ideas for products that help to separate waste at the citizen‘s homes, two ideas including a pickup service of the packaging waste and two ideas including an app. The best-voted ideas were are a pickup service done by delivery-services, a mini press at home to compress the amount of garbage and a personal waste assistant app. For wicked problems there is no perfect solution, nevertheless, the best ideas should be confirmed by another study, in which the citizens can earn rewards in reality by adjusting their behavior.
