Re-imagining produce shopping (5/5)

This is the fifth part of a five-phase series documenting a project that was part of the capstone requirements for completing the Rochester Institute of Technology’s MicroMasters Program in Design Thinking. Participants are “asked to solve a problem using the design thinking process.” The following documents my approach to tackling the issue of single-use plastic dependency in grocery stores, specifically in the produce isle, using the design thinking process. This article focuses on the iteration and reflection phases.

Based on the feedback gathered from the user interviews, several updates to the design needed to be made. The following are revisions of the product and service prototypes. These revised prototypes are low-fidelity, proof of concept prototypes.

Revised Product Prototype

To address the concerns raised by the producer/seller regarding the branding of these bags, paper tags were added to the design. These tags would be attached to the bags to display the brand name of the producer/seller. When bags are returned to the packing facility, old tags would be removed before the sanitation process and new ones are attached to the bags after they are cleaned. These paper tags would also include a batch ID barcode to track the bags, ensuring that there is a system to trace them. Additionally, bags would need to be made of thin silicone sheets to ensure they remain lightweight, as pointed out by the customer.

The following illustration highlights the updates made to the product prototype (shown in red).

Revised Service Prototype

It was also important to address the concern raised by the producer/seller and the customer regarding educating consumers about the reusable bags. To do so, the storyboard needed to address how the consumer (e.g. George) will learn about the reusable bags, and why apples packaged in these bags are more expensive than single-use plastic bags. The following storyboard includes the new steps associated with educating the customer.

Important Considerations and Potential Iterations

Overall, as suggested by the producer/seller, there are logistical challenges associated with the implementation of the Bag Return Program, especially when done on a small scale, such as by independent farmers. The idea may see better success if many producers and sellers adopt it, allowing consumers to return the bags at many locations. The sanitation process may also need to occur at a separate facility, taking in large volumes of bags and distributing them back to the producers, which would create efficiency. These facilities may offer a “subscription service” to farmers, allowing them to “lease” silicone bags. The price of the subscription would then reflect the costs associated with cleaning and sanitizing the bags. These ideas would need to be further explored.

Additionally, further investigation is needed into the costs and benefits associated with using silicone bags instead of single-use plastic bags. As the vendor suggested, there are other environmental costs associated with using reusable bags, such as water and electricity used to clean the bags, which would need to be calculated and compared to the current environmental costs.

This exercise allowed me to better understand how design thinking is a circular process, relying on iteration. Based on the gathered feedback, it would be advisable to return back to the users and experts to re-ideate, taking into account the findings from this initial prototyping exercise.