Proctor Creek service model.
Service-design done in conjunction with Design Bloc at the Georgia Institute of Technology. A multi-disciplinary team-based project using design thinking and design methods to understand and provide a solution to a plastic waste in a local Atlanta community.
Role: Design Researcher, Interviewer, Designer. Duration: 12 weeks.
Team: Elizabeth Williamson, Joyce Shen, Nehemiah Wilson.
history
The Proctor Creek watershed is located in Atlanta, Georgia and runs through several communities, which collectively house 60,000 citizens. These neighborhoods are home to home to many historic black colleges and universities, and have served as an incubation site for the civil rights movements over the past few decades. Years of systematic racism and disinvestment have resulted in economic, health, and environmental challenges for the residents. There has been a focus of effort to remove waste from the waterways for many years, which remains a constant problem due to pollution and illegal dumping.
stakeholder + ecosystem mapping
In order to most accurately need-find, I mapped out possible stakeholders and their influence on the subject matter. As a team, we prepared a very thorough ecosystem map, listing all possible relationships and their nature.
relationships
From our ecosystem map, we identified three main relationships to focus on regarding our solution
design criteria
mindmapping
How might we help West Atlanta Watershed Alliance quickly remove trash from Proctor Creek to reestablish a clean mentality about illegal littering?
How might we leverage the value of recyclable plastics to empower the Proctor Creek community?
How might we help Chattahoochee Riverkeeper redistribute collected plastics to create something of value through re-purposing?
initial ideas
1) Community markets help community members and small businesses who experience a need for certain plastic materials or goods come together through a space to buy and sell goods
2) Garden/Park spaces help community members who lack safe and clean communal spaces come together in a new way, through social spaces which have been constructed with recycled materials.
3) Eco-friendly business kits will help local businesses reduce their plastic waste and encourage a cyclical business model through compostable/recyclable products and healthy business relationships with a sustainable community.
critique
Based on our initial ideation sketches, we had a panel of stakeholders sort feedback into four quadrants.
(What Worked, What Could Be Improved, Questions and Ideas).
We did this at two different points as we began to narrow down our ideas into one final concept.
key feedback
how can trash actually help the community ?
how can the plastic life cycle be more beneficial ?
how can we supply products to pre-existing organizations as well as the community?
how can the community market appeal to the entire community ?
how might we
How might we transform recyclable plastics into a valuable community resource?
proposition
Our community markets help community members and small businesses who experience a need for certain plastic materials or goods to reduce plastic in landfills and increase exchange of plastic that benefits both sellers and buyers through a space to buy and sell goods for anyone in the Proctor Creek community who has access to these markers
entities involved
An overall view of how each entity is directly
related in each step of the service model.
service model
We designed several versions of this model through "service origami". We as a team sat through critique sessions with the service design firm, Harmonic, as well as stakeholders and arrived at this final version.
step 1
Main Entities: West Atlanta Watershed Alliance, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, Pillyr, market organizers
1 Plastic is stored in WAWA/CRK warehouses
2 Plastic is picked up by market organizer from WAWA/CRK
3 Plastic is transported to Pillyr for processing
step 2
Main Entities: Pillyr, market organizer
1 Market organizer drops off cleaned plastic to Pillyr
2 Pillyr sorts and sends plastics to be processed
3 Marker organizer picks up processed plastic and takes it to market
step 3
Main Entities: Proctor Creek residents, market organizers, artists/makers
1 PC residents give raw plastics to market organizers
2 market organizers manage market setup with employees and artists
3 employees and artists set up their own boots
step 4
Main Entities: artists/makers, community members
1 employees, artists, and makers sell processed plastics and art at boots
2 customers approach tables to purchase items
step 5
Main Entities: artists/makers
1 Artists and makers take purchased processed plastics back to their studios
2 Artists and makers create art or products from processed plastics
3 Artists and makers take upcycled products back to the market to sell
final feedback
We received very positive feedback from our panel of stakeholders. They were most pleased that our solution to the excess plastic in Proctor Creek involved all people groups, and was a cyclical service model that was easy to sustain in long-term use. Our ideas and solution are to be used in upcoming developments within the community.
reflection
During this semester-long project, I was exposed to designing for a real-life client. I learned about wire-framing, stakeholder mapping, service design, as well as many other topics. Looking back, I have already used these tools in a variety of my other design projects. Through this project, I discovered my passion for human-centered research as well as designing experiences which benefit others' day to day experiences.
I really enjoyed working with my teammates- Nehemiah, Elizabeth, and Joyce. We created a successful team environment which thrived on open communication and collaboration.
For an in-depth view at my process, feel free to view my logbook of the project or reach out with any questions or comments.