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My strength is boldness

September 3, 2010 – 1:48 am

Ten months into our work here, we’ve had possibly the greatest breakthrough yet.  Four weeks ago, ODAM hired Usha, a recent business school graduate from nearby Arruppokkottai.  Usha’s sole responsibility is to manage the soap and briquette projects, and we couldn’t be more excited.

Usha making her first batch of ODAM soap in Thiruchuli

When we first arrived at ODAM, both the projects were stalled due to lack of staff time and insight into how to move the rough prototype ideas into marketable products. Although ODAM was very interested in exploring their potential, there was no official team to move the projects forward.   Design Impact stepped in and worked closely with the ODAM staff to cover this gap, but we knew that our presence was not a sustainable solution. We are not ODAM staff members, do not plan to live in Thiruchuli indefinitely, and are not native to this region (and therefore are not the best representatives of the products).

Usha negotiating price of Nuneri (sarsaparilla), a major scent ingredient on one of the soaps

Usha’s arrival is a positive step on many levels.  Most importantly, she will help ODAM ensure that the soap and briquette projects efficiently represent the community they are serving, are financially viable, and will strengthen the capacity of ODAM—all in a sustainable way.

Usha discusses the briquette with women during community market research

Check out our recent interview with Usha below:

Where are you from?

I am from Aruppukottai (Jeyaram Nagar), 12 kilometers from Thiruchuli.

Why do you want to work for ODAM (or the soap/briquette projects)?

I am very interested in ODAM’s projects because I am learning a lot of new things from these projects. Rural people will get jobs because of these ODAM projects.  I would like to spend a lot of years at ODAM. Here we are an organized group and work like a family. At ODAM, all the workers are like family members.

How do you feel about your new duties?

Although my experience at ODAM is four weeks only, but I like my job very much. Each and every day I have learned a lot of things from Design Impact and ODAM.  During free hours like lunch time we share our thoughts about the ODAM projects, and it helps to improve my knowledge.

You have a MBA.  Most of your peers will work for large, developed companies.  Why are you interested to work for an NGO (non-governmental organization) or for the community?

I am very proud to be an MBA. Job satisfaction is very important for me. I like to serve the society, so I select ODAM. It gives great pleasure for me.

What do you think is your greatest strength as a marketing/business woman?

I like this question.  My strength is boldness. Not only marketing/business women should be bold, but each woman should be bold. I do my work equal to business men. Moreover, I am creative and innovative. These are my big strengths.

After spending the last month working with her, we couldn’t agree more.

By katehanisian | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (4)

A conference and an article

August 25, 2010 – 1:40 am

If you’re interested in becoming involved in the social design movement, or hearing Ramsey speak about Design Impact to a bunch of people that are, come join us at  A Better World By Design Conference this October 1-3  in Providence, Rhode Island.

Put on annually by Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), the conference draws people from all over the world, bringing awareness to the movement and highlighting recent developments in the field.  We attended this conference two years ago, wide-eyed and in the very beginning stages of DI’s development.  We walked away inspired by the speakers and full of new ideas, so we’re humbled at the opportunity to speak two years later.

Also, check out a new Design Impact article, recently e-published on the Design Observer.  It highlights the link between social design and social entrepreneurship, using on-the-ground examples from our work.

We hope to see you in Providence!

By katehanisian | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (3)

Iterative Learning: From Concept to Reality

August 13, 2010 – 1:13 am

The Process of Developing the New Briquette Press

written by Adam Shaw

The development of a new charcoal briquette press stemmed from the need to make the briquettes more uniform, and to make the process of manufacturing faster and more ergonomic for the laborer.  After research was completed in India, design was started in the engineering lab of Kaleidoscope’s Cincinnati office.  A small wood and PVC mock-up was the first step in this process and aided the engineers and designers in transferring the idea to CAD (Computer Aided Design).

Press Mock-Up

CAD work was started for the press by the engineering team of Kaleidoscope, and was revised through continued communication with Design Impact and ODAM in India.  This procedure of constant revision is called the iterative process and it is important to the successful development of a product.  The iterative process in CAD was essential to the development of the press because it allowed us to align theoretical ideas with the realities of functional use.

Using the well-organized CAD Drawing generated in the US. a prototype of the non-lever press was launched by a Cincinnati (Covington) based machine shop, Sharp Technologies.  This prototype was generated to asses some critical design changes before taking the time to make a full lever press in India.  While working with the machinists, I was able to learn about the intersection of conceptual design ideas and actual manufacturing.  Some of the features in the original design that were thought to create ease of use were difficult to manufacture in a cost effective wa.  We worked back and forth with the machinists to find easier ways to create the features.  Again, the iterative process aided in enhancing the design of the press.  This learning, as well as the prototype itself, was useful in the manufacture of the lever press in India.

Finished lever press prototype at ODAM, Thiruchuli

Once in India, the iterative process was again applied to the development of the lever press.  Before the work on a full size press began, the machinists wanted to inexpensively make a scale model to learn about the function of the press and to assess the feasibility of the design.  One interesting thing that we learned in building the full size press is that the detailed CAD drawings that were generated in the US were not very useful with a machine shop that is not equipped with computer aided machinery.  So, our manufacturing process took on a  different shape.  Since we could not rely on CAD drawings, the process of building the press in India became more about communication and relationship-building than it was in Cincinnati.  We  relied on an understanding of available local materials and learning adaptable creativity – keeping a flexible mind and adapting to unforeseen changes to your plan.  For example, the press was designed with precise pins that allowed the briquette mold to lock in place.  This design was too precise to be completed with available equipment, so we quickly devised a locking mechanism that would work just as effectively.

Adam and Ilavarasu work together on next steps.

Once the lever press was built it still needed testing and revision.  After watching Muthu and Porselvan use the press and seeing where they encountered problems, I worked with Ilavarasu to identify changes needed in the press. We took a list of notes and returned to the machinists in Madurai to complete the last of the iterations for this project.

In working on the lever press from concept to reality, I found value in dedication to the iterative process over aiming for perfect efficiency, and in practicing adaptable creativity instead of expecting perfection the first time.

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Studying Abroad

August 3, 2010 – 12:56 am

Although we’ve been buried in soap and briquette design for quite some time now, we’ve also been working on expanding Design Impact’s partnership possibilities, asking ourselves: “Where else can design services be useful? Could we scale our efforts to provide design services in multiple places at the same time?  What might those partnerships look like?”  In this post we’ll share about our recent trip to northern India, where we began to answer some of these questions and met with some truly dynamic leaders.

As we’ve started looking for other design opportunities in addition to our work with ODAM, we’ve found that they are abundant. We’ve had requests from NGOs and other organizations to come and provide design services in multiple capacities, and were especially excited to get an invitation from the India Habitat Center (IHC) in New Delhi.  We met Ms. Geetha Balasubramanian of IHC through her ongoing capacity-building work with ODAM—and as our relationship developed, she suggested that we come to IHC and spend a week to teach local students about design.  Also, we had learned about some incredible social innovators throughout India and thought this trip would be a chance (if we were lucky) to meet with some of them. So, we decided to pack it up for 10 days and head up to Delhi and Gujarat to make three major design stops.

Honey Bee Network, National Innovation Foundation, Gian

Ahmedabad, Gujarat

Our trip started out with a meeting with Professor Anil Gupta, who has been widely recognized for his international network that documents and disseminates local and traditional knowledge (click the photo below to watch his recent TED talk video).

Professor Anil Gupta at TED

Professor Gupta inspired us as he talked about Honey Bee’s work and the need for design services at the grassroots level.  Afterwards, we met with two of Honey Bee’s partner organizations, Gian and National Innovation Foundation (NIF).  We were impressed by the sheer number of innovations we were shown, and discussed how design could be a useful tool in bringing prototypes past the pilot stage and into the market—empowering small innovators who, without the support of Honey Bee, Gian, or NIF—would probably remain unnoticed.

NM Sadguru Water Development Foundation

Dahod, Gujarat

Four hours outside of Ahmedabad lays Dahod, the home of NM Sadguru Water Development Foundation.  We went to meet with Sadguru because they will host our thirteen UC Honors students this December, and we needed to hash out the students’ specific projects. Considering that it’s difficult to have much impact in a three week period on the ground, we chose projects that the students could undertake over the quarter that would, most importantly, further pieces of Sadguru’s water and development projects.

DI with last year's University of Cincinnati students, at Sadguru

India Habitat Center, Habitat Learning Center

New Delhi, Delhi

This was the focus of our trip and the final leg of our journey before returning to Thiruchuli.  The India Habitat Center runs the Habitat Learning Center (HLC)—a technology program for youth who often lack availability to technology. The HLC was the brainchild of  India Habitat Centre’s Director, Raj Liberhan.  The students come after school from government schools in Delhi, or they are students who have chosen to stop attending school. The best part is that the students come to the center by choice, often taking long bus rides to get across the city to attend.   Ms. Geetha Balasubramanian, Advisor to the Habitat Learning Centre program, asked if we could run a design course for the students that would teach them about design thinking, expose it as a possible profession for the students, and introduce them to design software.  The course would teach the students to develop fliers for distribution in their communities on a topic they had been studying:  Health and Sanitation.  So, we prepared a four-day course that began with a design overview and brainstorming, and ended with student-designed fliers on the health topic of their choice.

Click on the image below to check out some great photos from the week:

Design seminar album

We were immediately struck by the students’ enthusiasm for learning, which is facilitated by the environment at the Learning Center.  The space includes a top notch facility with state-of-the-art computer equipment and staff who encourage the students to develop their own voice.  From the first class through our last interactions with the students and staff, we had an incredible time.  We were honored to spend time with such a dynamic group of students—many of whom demonstrated innate design talent.

Thanks to IHC’s talented graduates and photographers Naushad and Wahid Bakshi, who helped us capture the seminar in photos, and to the hospitality and warmth we were shown during our week in Delhi.  We hope this is just the beginning of a continued partnership, slowly narrowing the gap so design becomes something that is accessible to everyone.

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Prototypes, Prototypes, Prototypes

July 9, 2010 – 11:09 pm

Throughout our time in Thiruchuli, we’ve developed several prototypes for the soap and briquette products that will be used for the pilot launch of these products. (A pilot is part of the design process where all of the design concepts are tested in real market situations, but at a smaller scale. This includes producing, packaging, distributing, and measuring the impact of the product. The pilot stage allows for the projects to be fine-tuned or canceled without much cost if they prove unfeasible).

Take a look at the prototype pictures below to see the collaborative design efforts of local carpenters, machinists, ODAM staff, Kaleidoscope designers and engineers, and the Design Impact team!

THE SOAP MOLD

This wooden and tile mold is designed to fit 30 bars per pour. Bars will then be wire cut and dried.

Our local partner and expert carpenter, Kannan.

THE SOAP DRYING RACK

Both the soap mold and rack were crafted by Kannan.

The soap drying rack has a capacity for 240 soaps (at 150 grams each)

VERSION #1: THE BRIQUETTE PRESS

This press was developed by Kaleidoscope and Sharp Technologies in Cincinnati.

These prototypes tested several small changes to the original mold to increase the regularity and air flow potential of the briquette.

VERSION #2: THE LEVER PRESS

Tangem, Ilavarasu, and Elango discuss the lever press, designed by Kaleidoscope and Design Impact.

This scale model of the lever press was constructed by Tangem, an engineer from Madurai.

THE BRIQUETTE STAND

This tin stand designed by DI is made out of readily available palm oil cans. 8 or 9 stands can be cut from one used can.

Nagalakshmi demonstrates how the stand allows the briquette to function in traditional stoves, or chulas.

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Developing a soap brand

June 24, 2010 – 4:33 am

One of the difficulties fair trade producers face is the ability for artisans in developing countries to make designs that look up-to-date and engaging to consumers.  This is where design can lend a vital bridge, turning a product that might go unnoticed into something that engages the consumer to purchase it. This in turn brings better employment practices and fair trade wages back to the artisans (click here to read up on the 10 standards of fair trade practices).

We’ve been working over the past few months to bring design expertise to the soap project here in Thiruchuli.  Keep reading to check out the images and highlights from that process, including the soap name, narrative, scents, and packaging.

Creating narratives and names

An important aspect of fair trade packaging that we noticed in the audit was the use of a narrative to describe either the soap’s production or qualities. We analyzed the various ways that these narratives were communicated and made a list of the important aspects of ODAM’s soap story. From this matrix we created four distinct stories that were reviewed with ODAM and tested with U.S. consumers. This testing provided us with feedback to develop the  narrative that will be on the final packaging.  We used the seasonal concepts that came out of the ODAM soap brainstorm to choose a name for the soap, which is called Paruva Kaalam (English translation: seasons).  The soap will be featured in four scents, each representing a Tamil season: summer, rain, winter, and spring.

A page from our user testing report.

A slide showing changes to the narratives.

Finding scent combinations

In the consumer testing of narratives we also tested how consumers responded to various scent combinations. Did they prefer one scent or two, exotic or familiar, descriptive presentations or just the ingredient names?  Armed with the insight that consumers responded well to pairs of familiar and exotic scents, we began to work with ODAM to determine which of the locally available ingredients could be used in their soap. During this process we learned a lot about the local flora and fauna, such as nanari root, neem, and nelli.

Indigo growing at the ODAM nursery.

Designing the package

With a final narrative identified and scents selected for four different bars, we began to work with a Cincinnati based graphic designer, Lisa Barlow, to develop the actual package graphics. We could describe this process, but the images pretty much speak for themselves. We went through three rounds of development and what you see below are package concepts that were not chosen for our product. (We’ll keep the final version a secret for a few more weeks!)

One of the package directions.

Another package direction.

Involving ODAM

Even though the market for soap is thousands of miles away, it’s been an important part of our process to involve ODAM in all the soap brand decision making. The obvious reason for this is that the soap will represent their community and organization to other areas of the world, and it important that they have the first and last word in determining what that image should be. A second reason is that their consistent involvement in decision making is important to ensure not only their involvement, but also their ownership of the project. When staff members saw their brainstorms ideas presented in a narrative, or their scent memories included as soap scent, it created excitement and instant engagement.

While ODAM has the final say on the soap brand and packaging, they understand that the design team at Kaleidoscope has better insight on the specifics of the North American market. We think we were able to strike a good balance between ODAM’s design preferences and consumer’s preferences. In the end, we have a great bar of soap that is consistent with the values of ODAM and the desires of users, and hope this will lead to a product that sells well and brings income back to support the work of this incredible community organization.

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Testing, testing, 1-2-3

June 4, 2010 – 12:34 am

Over the past few months, we’ve spent a lot of project time refining the soap and briquette products so they’ll be ready for users this fall. The incremental refinements we are conducting are often not highlighted by designers as part the design process, but they are essential to bringing a product to market, and we wanted to take this opportunity to share a few with you.

Certifiably soap

Isakkimuthu Kumar, ODAM’s soap chemist, has spent a great deal of time inching the soap over the requirements to receive India Standards Institute (ISI) certification. ISI certification is widely recognized in India and is a requirement to ensure consumers receive quality products. Kumar has also spent time refining the formula for translucent soap. In the market audit that Design Impact completed last year, it was observed that there may be an aesthetic advantage to producing a translucent soap over an opaque one, so we decided to work with ODAM to look into it. We can now make a translucent soap that passes the ISI standards, but it includes new ingredients that double the material cost of the original opaque soap. After reviewing this with the full team, it was decided that we should stick with the opaque soap. However, it was important for us to explore translucent soap and it was a great skill builder and communication test for our team.

Our semi-transluscent soap in orange.

Kumar has also looked into various natural colorants and scents. Many of these ingredients are available in the immediate area, and are good crops to promote for dry-land agriculture. ODAM has already planted indigo and is considering experiments with other dye-producing, fragrant, and medicinal plants on their model farm.

Soap with crushed jatropha seed for exfoliate and one just for aesthetics.

Making fire faster

Our briquette refinements have focused on reducing the time it takes to achieve a high cooking heat—identified by the emission of small flames from the top of the briquette. Our strategy on this has followed two paths: physical and chemical.

On the physical side we have explored a variety of hole diameters, proximity of holes, additional surface area on the bottom of the briquette, reduction of the briquette height, and changes to the overall shape of the briquette. From our preliminary tests, we noticed a reduction in the ignition time time when we increased the density of the holes and reduced the briquette height.

A physically altered briquette being weighed before testing.

The chemical solutions have also provided reductions in start time. First we tested dozens of briquettes with varying ratios of clay to charcoal. From this research we chose a ratio of 17% clay and 83% charcoal as an ideal mix. This ratio provides the highest amount of charcoal possible, without sacrificing durability that clay (a binding agent) provides. We then looked for readily available natural additives to help make the briquette light faster. These included, paper cups, wax shavings, saw dust, cardboard sheets, hay, and cow dung. None of these significantly reduced the start time, and most created a good deal of smoke. While we were considering these natural solutions, one of ODAM’s scientists, Rajasekar, started experimenting with the addition of sodium nitrate to the bottom of the briquette. Sodium Nitrate is a naturally occurring salt that is commonly found in fertilizers, firecrackers, and food (as a preservative); and a gram added to a briquette reduces the start time by two to three minutes.

These cow dung and hay patties did not work out (for so many reasons).

Through these changes we have reduced the briquette starting time from around 25 minutes to just 14 minutes. As we start to combine some of these advancements into a new briquette model, we are confident that we can move the start time to the target time of 10 minutes.

Back to the users

We are still in the process of finalizing these technical refinements, but hope to wrap up this part of the development process soon. Once we have both products at a satisfactory place, we can take them back to users for further feedback. If all goes well, the new soap and briquette will receive enough support from users for us to make minor adjustments and begin work on bringing these projects to market—resulting in both health and economic impact in this rural community!

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Good news to share

May 27, 2010 – 9:37 am

Meet Design Impact’s first intern, Adam Shaw!

We are ridiculously excited to welcome Adam to Design Impact.  He brings engineering expertise, a passion for social justice, and well, great company. Adam will be joining us in Thiruchuli from June 27-August 28. Support for his internship is generously provided by Kaleidoscope, DI’s major partner and funder (thanks again K-scope!)

Adam is in his fifth year of engineering at the University of Cincinnati, and has provided engineering expertise to several appropriate technology projects.  In addition, Adam has taken numerous trips to Guatemala to work with a cooperative of farmers on fair trade coffee.  He works as a barista in a local organic/fair trade coffee shop (Rohs Street Café—a great spot) and in his spare time rebuilds bikes.  Quite a guy. Look out for his blog posts this summer as helps implement the soap and briquette projects.

Also in the DI news. . .

We have been invited to teach a course this fall at the University of Cincinnati Honors College.  (Here’s a link to the course description, if you’re interested).  We’re excited about the opportunity and look forward to working with honors students from all different disciplines.  The best part is that the students will travel back to India in December with us, to help implement Design Impact’s work and strengthen existing projects at our host organization.

Good things all around!

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Are design services fundable?

May 17, 2010 – 2:32 pm

“The current conversation in philanthropy needs to change from ‘why is design necessary?’ to ‘don’t fund something that doesn’t have a design component’ ”.

–Mike Zender, University of Cincinnati, DAAP College of Design, Director of Graduate Studies

————————————————————————————————————————

The emerging social design movement (along with those leaders who throughout history have used design-thinking to craft new solutions) has played a crucial role in the development of ideas that have benefitted the lives of many.  Design offers open-minded and intricate research, brainstorming and inspired ideation, visualization, prototyping, modeling, user research, and creative perspective.  There are numerous examples worldwide that demonstrate how design can catalyze and successfully re-address pressing development initiatives.

For example, without the promotion of design in the social sector, the hippo roller may have never been created:

Not to mention these self-refraction glasses:

Or the $25 baby incubator:

(for more examples, check out this book: Design Revolution: 100 Products That Empower People).

But while the examples above demonstrate the importance of design, they all required other skill sets, besides design, to make their impact–such as knowledge in organizational or small enterprise development, manufacturing, distribution, supply chain management, etc.

For example, Design Impact is working to re-design a highly effective charcoal briquette that considers the constraints of the region: it can be made at a very low cost, it can drastically reduce health problems caused by indoor air pollution, and can provide much-needed income for producers.  However, the briquette won’t have any long-term impact unless manufacturers and distribution channels are identified, training is provided to local producers, and other aspects of implementing the project are developed.  Although design can catapult an idea to actual form, it relies on other areas of expertise to create its long-term impact.

In order to get a social design product past the design phase and into its intended market, it’s almost always necessary to obtain funding support or financial investment in the project. Foundations, donors, or other “angel investors” require certain information from potential fundees. One of the most important steps in this fund development process is that you or your organization is able to demonstrate long-term impact (translation: demonstrate how, when, and why the donated dollars directly caused positive impact over a large group of people or problem).

Our question: If design is only a part of the process of bringing a product to fruition (and therefore cannot claim long-term impact on its own), will foundations and other donors still understand its value?

We hope that in the coming years, as design continues to unfold its significance in the social sector, it becomes evident that although design is only one step in social product and service development, it is a crucial one that must not be undervalued.  Service and non-profit organizations will only benefit from access to design expertise, and we hope that trends in philanthropy agree. In addition, social designers must prioritize partnerships with multi-disciplinary skill sets to get their ideas out of the prototype phase and into the community.

Over the next several months we’ll explore this topic further, gaining a better understanding of the relationship between impact, measurement, partners, and funding non-profit design initiatives. We look forward to sharing these insights with you.

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“If you give it for free, we’ll buy it.”

April 28, 2010 – 11:06 pm

During December and January we began the process of getting user feedback on the charcoal briquette. This round of feedback was the first time we had formally shared the briquette with users. We were looking to gain insight into current cooking behavior and expectations, as well as gauge initial reactions to the briquette.

Focus group in Aruppokkottai led by Nagalakshmi.

Generally 4-6 women attended each focus group, but were often attended by an additional contingent of children, spouses, and relatives. The participants came from a spectrum of ages, income levels, and locations. The sessions took place in or outside one of the women’s homes, and were conducted in Tamil by Seemaichamy, one of ODAM’s staff members.

Complex fuel use

Through these focus groups we realized the complexity of fuel use in our area. Most people we spoke to used wood, but would substitute kerosene when wood was wet or if they wanted to quickly heat some water for tea. We also spoke to a few people who primarily used liquid petroleum gas (LPG) which is the most desired fuel for cooking in the area. LPG is sold in canisters and is rationed so that a household, which is wealthy enough to afford it, may only receive one canister per month. Most households run out of LPG and use kerosene to round out the month. To make things more confusing, kerosene is subsidized by the government but only for a limited number of liters, after which families must purchase kerosene at its much higher market rate.

This graph illustrates fuel usage in our area.

Fitting the briquette into this mix is difficult. Few people are familiar with cooking on charcoal and so there are significant hurdles in perception. Since all households are currently using a fuel and stove the idea of adding another stove or fuel to the mix does not resonate with most. Additionally, most rural users have access to free fuel in the form of fresh cut p.juliflora. These users were interested in the briquette only if it were available for free. In spite of these hurdles, the briquette has a great deal of potential as a marketable fuel  because of its smokeless burning and high energy capacity relative to wood.

An idly maker in Aruppokkottai discussed her fuel costs with us.

Reactions to the briquette

Reactions to the briquette were mixed as cooking expectation vary greatly by income. Women in Madurai who were in secure middle class families and currently used LPG had no interest in the product. And, as stated above, rural women using free biomass were also uninterested in the briquette. Interest came mostly from semi-urban users who were currently paying for firewood. These individuals saw the briquette as a less expensive alternative that could provide superior heat and ease of use. Participants also positively noted the lack of smoke, which allows for indoor use and deposits fewer residues on pots. They also noted that the briquette seemed safe and that they could leave it while cooking to attend to other chores.

A participant in Thiruchuli gives her opinion.

On the negative side, users unanimously indicated that the briquette was too slow to light and achieve a high heat. Overcoming this hurdle is essential to successfully marketing the briquette and has become the focus of our development activities. Currently, the briquette takes about 30 minutes to achieve a high cooking heat. Our aim is to reduce this time to approximately 10 minutes, which would put it in line with the starting time for a wood fire.

The next round

The next round of research, to be started once we achieve a significant reduction in lighting time, will focus on other usage details of the briquette.  Burning time and the ability to stack briquettes for extended burning will be explored, as well as detailed discussions on price and accessibility. Moreover, we will apply protocol learning from the first round of focus groups. For example, we will reduce the group size so that better notes can be taken on specific responses. We will try to conduct interviews on Sundays, as this day was suggested by some women as the best day for their schedules. And finally, we will conduct research using the participant’s actual stove. In the first round we used a test stove that lit the briquette over a LPG flame. This implement distracted participants from the actual function of the briquette.

A participant in Aruppokkottai show us her kitchen.

We will post a summary of the focus group research in our publications area soon!

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