A3+Final

The main focus of our design is to raise awareness about poverty and encourage the University of Toronto Mississauga community to take action. Although many people are aware that poverty exists but they do not take any extra measures to learn and participate in the cause. Our main focus will be University of Toronto Mississauga where students, faculty, and staff will be encouraged to donate clothing, non-perishable food items, school supplies and furniture. In assignment two, various sketches were included to demonstrate how our design will be implemented and the ways that potential users will be able to interact with it. Each building where the donation boxes will be placed on campus will have a designated drop-off box that corresponds to the items being donated. For example, the Gym will have a drop-off box specific for athletic clothing and equipment. In addition to donating, those participating are able to collect points every time they donate. Those points are redeemable anywhere around campus. Currently, our group is working on a plan to effectively implement this aspect of our design in relation to the university rules and regulations. Furthermore, two fields of study have been planned out in detail, which will aid in the possible feedback we would receive for our design. First, a one to two hour observatory session will be conducted at the Student Center in which the number of students, faculty, and staff dropping off non-perishable food at the Food Bank will be recorded. The second observation session will be conducted at the CCIT building at designated areas where students, faculty, and staff can drop off pop can tabs. Conducting this observation study will enable us to get a clear idea of how many people take the time to help out people in need and also help in maintaining a greener environment by recycling the necessary products. **__ Commercial Competitive Analysis __** // “County of Fairfax, Virginia Clothing Drop Boxes” // The clothing boxes designed by the county of Fairfax are located in public places so that citizens are easily come and drop off used clothing and goods. The strength associated with the design of these boxes is that they emphasize the need to be structurally sound, clean, and well maintained. Another important component is that the county stresses on emptying the boxes regularly to prevent overflow of materials. Furthermore, visually, these boxes look clean and appealing. A limitation to these donation boxes is that they do not incorporate any interactive elements; therefore, it cannot educate the public regarding the social issues that need consideration or items that are in need. Any information available is on a small-posted note outside the box. (Department of Planning & Zoning 2009) Furthermore, our interactive UTM drop box will incorporate the visual appearance of these boxes. They will also look strong, sturdy and well maintained at all times. Many of the boxes used by the Fairfax county lack any interactive elements and thus we have decided to take advantage of the technology that is available to us to create an interactive design, which will allow the user to input and receive information specific to their donation. **// “Bottle Bank Arcade” //** The bottle bank arcade is an interesting concept that was developed by Swedish designers to encourage the recycling of not only cans and plastic bottles, but glass bottles as well which they found were seldom being recycled because recipients would not receive any money for recycling glass bottles. As a result, designers constructed a receptacle that simulated an arcade game with functioning slots and flashing lights along with a scoreboard, so that users could see that they were gaining “points” for participating. As a result, in just one evening the bottle bank arcade gathered close to 100 people and encouraged the use of other, traditional recycle receptacles to be used as well. This proved to be a successful study on the behaviour and habits of end-users and it further demonstrates the importance of making the action seem enjoyable in order for patrons to participate. (The fun theory 2009) In this instance, to encourage recycling, the recycling receptacle was visible and was placed in a prime location next to traditional boxes. The device was appealing in comparison to other traditional boxes, and as a result was engaging with the audience through lights, sounds, and a scoreboard. Consequently, end-users included everyday bystanders walking on the street that noticed the device and initiated participation. Limitations of this design include that the device was only placed at a specific location together with other recycling receptacles in order to understand the function of the device; otherwise users would be confused about the purpose of the device. In this instance, context was crucial in understanding the objective of the receptacle and should be taken into account for our final design project. In the final project, we should play on the idea of audience engagement and curiosity by making the action of donating seem like a game in which they gain rewards for participating in order to perpetuate the cycle of aid on campus, but also make the devise more explicit in its purpose. // “Self Serve Checkout” // Another commercial prototype that is used in everyday life includes the self-serve checkout. In this checkout users can pay for purchases from a retailer without any assistance from staff. These automated systems can be seen in retail department stores such as Wal-Mart, to grocery stores like Loblaws Superstore, and even at Home Depot. Here, the concept was to eliminate as much staff as possible while having one attendant to watch over several checkout areas to ensure items were properly scanned to prevent theft. In addition, customers would place items into bags that were attached to a scale to ensure items were not removed out of the bag – another security feature. Customers follow step-by-step directions on touch display screen to complete their purchase. (IBM 2010) This influenced our concept of the donation box because it encourages the concept of end-users being self-reliant in the donation process. Just like customers, end-users swipe their card to “finalize” their “purchase,” or in this case donation, and instead of deducting money, end-users gain rewards points. However, the concept of the self-checkout system in that users can carry out their donation without the aid of “staff” is the main idea of inspiration drawn from this design. (IBM 2010) The main difference between this prototype and our design is that the context of the self-serve checkout is that the purpose is for retail and essentially, to buy goods, while our prototype’s purpose is to donate goods. End users would input information, such as scanning their item, and complete the transaction under the supervision of an attendant, which may be a limitation in their notion of “self-serve,” as well as users must be fairly competent in working with a computer. The demographic for the self-serve checkout varies in age, whereas the donation boxes will vary as well but be more directed towards students age 18 to 23. **__ Academic Competitive Analysis __** **// “The DONA Robot” //** This article discusses about the rate of donation in Korea. The donation rate in Korea is fairly low, in comparison to other developed countries. In order to solve this challenging problem, a donation robot prototype was designed to roam around and solicit donations from the people that were passing through that area. This prototype is implemented in outdoor space while the end-users in this context are individuals that are walking/passing through the area. (Cha et al. 2010) The inspiration behind this design came from the idea of engaging individuals. For instance, people tossing coins in water fountains or a pond is thought to be engaging. The DONA robot roams around amongst passers-by and approaches them through a “pet-like interaction” (Cha et al. 159, 2010). The DONA robot has a built in sensor that detects people, moving objects, and works its way around obstacles. “It stops for a while and starts to bow its head appealing for people to make a donation” (Cha et al. 159, 2010). This particular design is also engaging because the medium of using robots could be considered as an attraction for the general public. Therefore, they would like to learn more about the robot and its functions. A limitation that this design entails is its inability to distinguish between a person and a moving object. The DONA robot is interactive in terms of approaching its end-users directly rather than relying on them noticing the donation drop-off box and make the effort to donate. On the other hand, our donation box design is interactive to end-users in different ways. Our design builds on by adding display screens, which educate the user and potential participants about the issues surrounding poverty. It further attracts the user through introducing an incentive system to encourage people to participate. By having a reward system, donators are encouraged to continue the process of donating items to get something in return. Our future prototype will also have an interactive element that recognizes the donations and shows appreciation to the participant. **// “IT-Enabled Donation Boxes to Promote Donation” //** The main motivation behind this design was the designers’ belief that electronics and information are great ways and strategies to attract individual attention. This thought is also a key component in our design. The IT- Enabled Donation Boxes, design was implemented at a winter festival held in Kobe, Japan. It was made public in the year 2007. It executed four donation boxes, which consisted of “a colourfully illuminated box and a sensor-enabled interactive box” (Kazuya et al. 1, 2009). The end-users in this context are individuals who are passing through this particular area. This design is similar to our design because the designers have applied similar concepts such as the interactive elements (screens) to enhance the traditional process of donating through drop-off boxes. It is evident that the incorporation of information technology to a basic design can enhance its efficiency and effectiveness, which in this case also holds the potential to increase donations. In regards to similarities and differences between our own design and the IT-enabled Donation Boxes, both designs implement the same interactivity levels by including a game that donators are able to engage in. Although our design is based on the same concept, it differs in terms of appealing visually to end-users. The IT-enabled Donation Boxes includes flashing arcade lights that attract the attention of passers-by. (Kazuya et al. 2009) Whereas, this is one component of the design process that our design lacks and we wish to work on making it appealing to individuals walking through an area where the box is going to be located. **// “Donation Dashboard” //** Donation Dashboard is a system, which recommends that the non-profit organizations create a portfolio of donation amounts of the individuals that are donating. (Bitton et al. 253, 2009) This design works by keeping track of all the people donating and this enables the organization to monitor donations. Based on the users donation, Donation Dashboard assesses the non-profit organization, which is best suited for that particular kind of donation. (Bitton et al. 2009) A limitation with this design is that it lacks the component of interactivity between its end-users. The Donation Dashboard’s end-users are those that have access to computers as well as the Internet, and are willing to donate. Although our design differs from the Donation Dashboard in terms of physical visibility as well as end-users interactivity, it does have one feature that relates to a major segment of our design - the rewards system. Both designs take into account the importance of creating an incentive to its users and how adding such a system increases the potential of donations. **__ Field Research __** // Study 1 // Researcher: Ramy Time: 60 minutes Location: CCIT building Observations: · The box to meant to carry the can tabs is located on top of the garbage bins · The recycling bin does not have a pop-can tab directly above it   · Majority of the individuals threw their garbage without even looking at the pop-can tab · In an hour only three out of fifteen people who had a soft drink can contributed to the tab box Inferences: · We believe that the placement of the box was perfect because no other location would grab the attention of an individual as conveniently as this location · One of the problems with the pop can tab box is that it is visually unappealing · Furthermore, if someone decided to collect tabs at home and brought it to school to recycle than they would run into an issue concerning space, because the box for collection is really small, this would eventually de-motive the individual // Study 2 // Researcher: Ryan Location: Student Centre Overview: Food bank observation Time: 12:50 pm – 1:10 pm   Observations: · The food bank is located inside a room that is inside a small hallway behind a door. · Three people have walked past this area; however, nobody went inside the hallway where the food bank is located. Inferences: · The food bank seems hidden and it does not grab attention. Unless a person already knows about this room, there is no way to tell if its even there. Those passing by would not know that the food bank is right there beside them. Observation Time: 1:10 pm – 1:35 pm    · There is an information desk downstairs. One staff member is there. · One person asks the guy at the student centre desk for the key card to access the food bank room. They have a bag of food with them. The employee tells her that someone else is using the card; therefore, they have to wait. Inferences: · There is a slight inconvenience. Donations cannot be simply placed instantly. If the set of key cards were being used by a lot of different people for different things, a person could be waiting for a long time. Observation · The girl asks the employee if the key card has been brought back. He says 'yes'. He accompanies her to the food bank room. · Then he leads her into the wrong hall. They go to the next hall. It is a little small and narrow. It seems he is having trouble getting inside the room. There are bags of food left in the hall on the ground. She leaves her bag of food on the ground and they leave. Inference: · This employee must not go up to the food bank often since he could not remember where it was. Again, there is an inconvenience of not being able to get inside the actual room to drop off the food. It is visually very unappealing since there are bags of food left on the ground in the hallway. It comes across as an unmaintained area. Observation Time: 4:45 pm – 5:45 pm   · The upstairs area by the hallway leading to the food bank room is empty. At one point, a group of about 9 students walked up the stairs and turned to go inside a meeting room. They did not acknowledge the food bank. Inferences: · This is not really a high traffic area. Unless there is a scheduled club meeting, nobody is really going to go upstairs. Therefore, the area is often quiet and empty. // Study 3 // Researcher: Alicia Location: Student Centre Overview: Study the functionality of charity groups on campus. In this instance, it was Peel Poverty Action Time: Tuesday, October 26th, 2010, 12:50-1:42pm Observations: · A table was set up in plain-view, near the entrance and was decorated with homemade Halloween treats · This table is affiliated with the Women’s and Gender Study program on campus, easily recognizable by signage · Students able to choose from a variety of homemade goods at Bake Sale, purchased items, and money was gathered and collected by staff · Staff seemed knowledgeable, friendly and enthusiastic about the campaign, but not overly aggressive · Students who seemed timid at first eventually made their way to the table out of curiosity · Group seemed interested in working within the community · 17 students approached the table within approximately an hour Interferences: · The set up was eye-catching and appealing with festive decorations, a light-hearted approach which otherwise supports a very serious and important issue within the community · The event seemed to create awareness in a comfortable atmosphere · Did not deter students by asking for donations, but instead supplemented the bake sale with information regarding the purpose of their group and gave information to students on how to become involved in future events, workshops they offer, including discussions about community issues held over coffee // Study 4 // Researchers: Rupinder and Sama Location: UTM Copy Centre Time: 12:50-1:50 Overview: Observe the Salvation Army clothing drop off site Observations · There are two bins of Salvation Army placed behind the door at the bottom of the stairwell · One of the bins is black and it has an empty juice container in it   · There is also a poster lying beside the bin, it seems like it has fallen from the wall Interferences: · The setup of the drop box is hidden, thus it is not easily seen by people · The area is also not maintained properly and it is visually unappealing · It does not seem that many people know about this location and one person has even mistaken it for a recycling bin · Also, this is not a high traffic area. The only students who seem to go by are those leaving the upstairs of the student centre. Anyone going into the centre would likely go through the main entrance. ** Analysis ** The field research conducted was helpful in determining areas on campus, which could serve as potential locations. The research also highlighted problem areas on campus such as the copy centre location of the Salvation Army drop off box. That placement is not effective at all because potential donors are not even aware of the existence of the donation box. Moreover, visually aesthetics is another problem area. In order to effectively attain successful results, the donation boxes have to be visually appealing and attractive to the participants, whereas, currently this is not the case with the donation boxes present at UTM. Our future design needs to incorporate and consider the problem areas to accomplish a successful product. **__ Design Iteration and Prototype __** // “IT-Enabled Donation Boxes/The Dona Robot // ” The IT-Enabled Donation box and the Dona Robot both rely on technology to add interactive features to the design to attract potential donors. For example, in the case of the robot, it approaches people and people also approach the robot, to attain an enjoyable experience, which relies on grabbing attention (Cha et al. 2010). Therefore, the UTM donation box should not consist of an ordinary container, but it should also incorporate some aspect of fun. // “Self-Check out systems // ” The self check out system works by enabling the user to participate in the process of checking out and paying for their purchases. These devices have leaded us to modify our design to incorporate the weight sensor system. The introduction of this system will allow the donator to independently donate an item, have the item’s weight calculated, and interact with the system using a touch screen. The weight sensor will, now, actually calculate the weight of the items donated and will also be the determinant factor in the amount of points that is awarded to the student. //“Donation Dashboard//” The donation dashboard designed has influenced us in creating a database. The database will keep track of their ‘UTM points’ was well as their history of donations. It will enable custom messages to be uploaded every time a student scans their t-card. Our design has been modified to include a specific message regarding their point balance as well as a trivia question that is generated to inform the student about a topic that relates to items that are in need, as well as items that the student may have not donated yet. For example, if the database records that a student is yet to donate anon-perishable food item, the system will generate trivia about that subject the next time he/she swipes their card. //“Field Research Observations”// The observations conducted at the food bank room, Salvation Army and pop-tab donations, have inspired us to take the aspect of visual appearance into greater consideration. The interactive UTM drop boxes must always look clean and properly maintained. For instance, the garbage left beside the Salvation Army bin, the bags of food left on the ground near the student centre food bank room, and the unappealing look of the pop tab containers made it look like as if nobody actually cared about them. This could have a negative on the donors. Therefore, our design will incorporate a clean look, accompanied by the interactive features that we have decided to incorporate. **__ Conclusion __** Researching on the various commercial designs of donation boxes, such as Fairfax County, has helped us establish that many of the existing designs lack interactive features. Furthermore, “Dono Robot” and “IT-Enabled donation boxes” articles provided our group with effective examples that show how technology is successfully used in creating donation boxes that are challenging participants to engage in the process of donating. In addition, the field study conducted by our group has provided us with a deeper understanding of why donation boxes at University of Toronto Mississauga are not working. The main reason why students and staff are not donating is because they are not aware of existence of these donation boxes. Our future design direction will include working on improving the interactive features present in our design. In addition, we would also like to create a database as part of the design to make sure that each student’s information is accurately stored and this will enable us to present the student donating with facts and figures regarding how the items that they have donated will be used and which other items they could donate to help those in need. Works Cited: Bitton, Ephrat, Ken Goldberg, and Tavi Nathanson. “Donation dashboard: a   recommender system for donation portfolios.” 2009: 253-256. //ACM Digital// // Library: New York //. Web. 28 Oct. 2010. < [] >. Cha, Keun Byung, Min Su Kim, Min Kyung Lee, Sae Mee Lee, and Dong Min Park. “Dona: Urban Donation Motivation Robot.” 2010: 159-160. //ACM Digital// // Library: New York //. Web. 28 Oct. 2010. < [] >. Department of Planning & Zoning. “Clothing Donation Drop Boxes.” 2009. Web. 27 Oct. 2010.    < [] >. IBM. “IBM Self Checkout Systems.” 2010. Web. 27 Oct. 2010. < [] >. Kazuya, Murao, Yasuhiko Minami, Shorjiro Nishio, Kohei Tanaka, Satoshi Tanaka, Tsutomu Terada and Masahiko Tsukamoto. “IT-Enabled Donation Boxes to    promote donation.” 2009: 400-403. //ACM Digital Library: New York//. Web. 28    Oct. 2010. < [] >. The fun theory.com. “Bottle Bank Arcade Machine.” 2009. Web. 29 Oct. 2010. < [] >.
 * __ Introduction __**