DIGGING IN THE GARDEN - OVERVIEW
Making composting easier for the avid gardener
It’s just dirt right?
Composting can’t be much harder than throwing dirt and food scraps in a bin... or at least that’s the assumption I had at the start of this project. My knowledge was quickly challenged after learning that composting is anything but simple.
4 week project at Argo design in conjunction with the Center for Integrated Design, UT Austin
Client: Native
Role: design research and product design
The Brief:
As a student design team, we were challenged by the client to explore the market of consumer garnering products to discover opportunities for more appealing gardening products. For the purpose of the class, our team was given the constraint of Earth in the Garden, and the core of the design had to relate back to our element.
We started with:
How might we improve the individual consumer's garden?
Then we wondered:
How might we improve the individual's composting experience?
Finally, we asked:
How might we increase the ease of composting so that individuals are confident their efforts are not a waste of time?
We Started With
How might we improve the individual consumer's garden?
Methodology:
Online gardening forums
Research publications
Four contextual interviews with avid gardeners
Three field observations in community gardens and gardening stores
From our contextual interviews we noticed that a yard allows them to feel connected to the world and nature, they want ease and simplicity, and composting is something that three of them struggled with because it's deceptively complicated.
“I feel happy when I’m digging in the dirt on my hands and knees. I feel connected to the world.” - Mary
“I’m a huge gardener, and I’m trying to be zero-waste. I compost indoors and outdoors, but I have a problem with my compost rotting. It’s not as simple as you think, I wish it was. You have to monitor what type of stuff you put in it otherwise you get maggots or it gets toxic.” - Clint
“I have potted plants because the yard gets too weedy and hard to maintain.” - Penny
Then We Wondered
How might we improve the individual's composting experience?
We returned to the three interviewees that composted and asked them further questions about their experiences. What we found was enlightening and something we had never considered before. It’s not just about dirt, and composting is anything but simple.
There is a misunderstanding around the simplicity of composting. Composting works in a delicate balance of carbon components, nitrogen components, temperature, aeration, and moisture. An unbalanced compost will rot, breed unwanted bacteria or pathogens, or decomposition will stall.
Prototyping
Initial prototype - a better way to compost indoors with a container that monitors the compost through a sensor system integrated into the insides of the bin
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User Feedback
Didn't solve the problem: We didn’t take into account all of the necessary variables in our design that indoor composting requires.
Switching Direction: We took the same sensor concept we had in our previous prototype, but fleshed it out and made it adaptable to any compost system.
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Finally, We Asked
Introducing TERRA
How it works:
The sensor system monitors moisture level, temperature, carbon/nitrogen ratio, and aeration of compost mixture.
The screen attached to the sensors displays when sensors pick up an imbalance in the composition requiring maintenance such as mixing (aeration), too much carbon/nitrogen (add materials), or moisture (add water).
Low fidelity TERRA screes:
How might we increase the ease of composting so that individuals are confident their efforts are not a waste of time?
Future Directions for TERRA
Creation of an app compatible with the sensors
Reduces need for the user
to remember to check their
compost bin
Incorporate location of composter
Provide data for Terra to
account for the climate and
conditions the compost is
subjected to
Usability testing to collect feedback on sensors
Talk to users to understand
what works and what
needs improvement
Reflection: Challenges and Takeaways
This project posed many challenges, from the short timeline, to working with a group of students with very different perspectives and experiences. I learned a lot about how to work with other people who differ from me, how to manage such a condensed and fast-paced turnaround, and what to do when the concept you originally landed on isn’t actually solving the right problem.