Imagine you and a few others are asked to solve a challenge at work like coming up with a better process for booking conference rooms. Think about it for a second. Where would you begin?
An organization called IDEO.org would use human-centered design to develop the ultimate conference booking system.
Now, some of you might be saying, "Say what?!"
This simply means that they would design the new system with the end user at the top of their minds. They would start by asking every employee at the company a TON of questions. Then, they would use their new insights to brainstorm radical ideas, build and refine multiple prototypes, and test these prototypes for a few days. Throughout this whole process, they would request lots of feedback from the office until, finally, they were able to implement something that everybody loved.
This is human-centered design, and it's exactly the type of approach that’s needed when designing solutions to big problems, such as lack of access to toilets and clean drinking water. It's an approach that values co-creation, and it's the one that IDEO.org uses to design a better world.
Designing a solution with the end user in mind sounds like common sense, but it’s not something that's prioritized enough when organizations work with vulnerable communities.
IDEO.org is a pro when it comes to this type of stuff, so I really wanted to hear how they used this approach to solve a specific problem. The organization works on a lot of different issues—from healthcare to renewable energy—but since it’s World Toilet Day, I was particularly interested in hearing about how they provided more people with access to toilets.
Check out my interview with Design Director Adam Reineck to see how IDEO.org used human-centered design to boost sanitation in Kumasi, Ghana.
What is human-centered design, and how can it be used to make the world a better place? How is it different from other approaches?
Human-centered design is a very simple concept: Instead of just coming up with ideas or technologies that you and your friends think are cool, you start the design process by engaging in deep research and empathy building with the people you’re directly designing for. That concept carries through the entire design process, from initial explorations to feedback on refined prototypes before they launch in the market. We’ve found it to be incredibly inspiring and it's taken the results of our work to places we never imagined.
IDEO.org was asked to use human-centered design to develop new products and services for in-home sanitation in Kumasi, Ghana. Where did you begin? What were some of the key things you learned?
We started this project with a very broad goal: How might we create a sustainable solution to the challenges of urban sanitation in Kumasi, Ghana? Kumasi is a city of about 2.5 million people, and less than 20% of the population has access to in-home sanitation. There are very few flush toilets, and many of the pit toilets in housing compounds had filled up, but were too expensive to evacuate. Most people are forced to walk to paid public toilets, or they use the flying toilet method (bag and toss) that leads to huge waste and health problems for the region. The project began broadly by interviewing people in different neighborhoods about their lives, aspirations, and ultimately their toilet behaviors. We also looked around the world at models that had worked and failed, and the sanitation community globally was extremely helpful in this process. We mapped out quick prototypes of different service models that we thought could work, and arrived at one that we called a High Touch Service Toilet, where customers lease a toilet with interchangeable waste cartridges that get picked up and cleaned regularly.
The second phase of the project involved taking functioning prototypes out in Kumasi and leaving them in people’s homes for three-to-five days at a time. These tested different assumptions we had from the previous phase such as incorporating water for flushing, aesthetics, urine diversion, and odor eliminating bacteria. We also mocked up potential branding elements for the service, and organized convenings with local entrepreneurs and government to gauge interest in participating in the business. One of the big learnings at this point was that the service associates that manage the toilets are very important to the overall perception and operation of the service, and little things like uniforms and consistent branding go a long way. Another was that many people in Kumasi initially told us that as long as they could get a toilet in their home they’d be fine dealing with the waste on their own, but once we prototyped the physical elements of the service and they saw the tank coming out of the toilet they quickly realized that paying a small amount for someone else to do the cleanup was well worth it.
How did you get around some of the challenges associated with speaking openly and honestly about, well, poop?
Our research process always starts very naturally with people—talking about their daily lives and how things work in their community. We then slowly introduce conversations around sensitive topics once the ice has been broken a bit. Something we noticed early on was that the sanitation problems in dense urban areas are inescapable, and people were very open to talking about their habits, desires, and frustrations when it comes to using the toilet, or lack thereof. “Sanitation is a serious business” was something we often heard, and people really want to see solutions working in their communities.
What product did you ultimately land on, and why?
There is a great team (Clean Team) operating the service in Kumasi today, and they bring a level of professionalism and organization to it that is really key to this challenge. People pay a small fee and service operators come to collect the waste two or three times a week.
After most of our physical prototypes broke, we arrived at a very simple toilet design that diverts the urine to a separate container or the gutter (urine is sterile), and captures the solid waste in containers that then are taken to neighborhood collection tanks. We designed a western style sit-on-top toilet because that is what is most aspirational in Ghana. Some countries prefer squatting toilets, that’s why you really have to design for the place you’re working in. We also saw that people love to put bits of white tile around the toilets and really put effort into keeping the bathing areas clean, so the white smooth shell of the toilet is reflecting that. The darker base color is meant to hide dirt since these are often sitting on raw ground.
Why is it important to continuously test and revise your product or strategy while you are implementing it? How did you do this with Clean Team, and what did you learn?
We tested every aspect, including the product, brand, service, and business model. When you’re constantly questioning your assumptions and putting things in front of people you’ll get to a level of understanding about what you’re designing that is impossible to find any other way. The Clean Team has continued this process, refining and tweaking details as they operate today. This practice allows you to see weak points and failures before they become irreversible, and ultimately to design services and products that last.
What was one of your favorite moments during this project?
This could go in least favorite but it’s so memorable that I’ll put it here: On the days we’d pick up toilet prototypes from people’s homes, the tanks would get emptied, and then my colleague Danny and I would go through the ritual of putting on rubber gloves and masks, and cleaning the toilets meticulously on our hotel balcony so we could take them to new people the next day. The best part was the look on the staff’s faces at the front desk when we’d return with giant toilets in the back of a truck each evening and proceed to bring them to our rooms.
Least favorite?
Every time we picked up a prototype from people’s homes we heard such valuable feedback, and many times we could clearly see what went wrong or right (we had a few toilets overflow). The challenge with this form of prototyping is that people are often reluctant to give up something as essential as a toilet once they’ve experienced it in their home, so we had to be very clear from the beginning about expectations when we engage with people. We always thank them with a gift for their time, but it’s never easy.
What should others who are trying to boost sanitation know about your work?
Sanitation is such an important challenge to take on, and so basic in our lives today that the more we can share successes and failures the better. The global sanitation community is quirky and addictive, and incredibly passionate about this topic. The best thing I’d say to do is to do everything you can to get out of your office and put ideas in front of people early and often.
How can global citizens begin using human-centered design in their own lives?
I’d say don’t stay stuck at your computer or at your desk, go out in the world and learn by doing. Engage with the people you’re designing for in as many ways as you can think of and you’ll come to solutions you’d never dream of. IDEO.org actually has a whole suite of tools that people can use to learn and practice human-centered design. You can find them on Design Kit.
Thanks so much to Adam Reineck and IDEO.org for filling us in on this toilet-filled adventure. You can learn even more about Clean Team here. Happy World Toilet Day, global citizens!