Sense (4 of 5 finalists)
The voting period for the Design ReGeneration competion is now closed.
Driving awareness of end-to-end sustainability impact at the point of purchase, using IT
Description
Sense is an awareness system promoting responsible purchasing by taking a closer look at product’s sustainability. It is designed to be installed in retail spaces to educate the customer. It has the potential to impact and inform people before they make a purchase.
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Description (cont.)
I believe that a substantial problem is that the average consumer is not aware of what is available. This system offers customers with specific details about each product they are interested in by scanning in the barcode. Sense accesses a database and offers alternative products that might be a better choice. The hope is that we can educate people about sustainability on a level that is applicable.
Green Considerations
Sense incorporates green computing technology in its form using an E-Ink screen display; requiring very little energy because it only uses power when the display changes. The rails and base are made from recyclable steel; the most recycled raw material. The screen casing uses locally harvested FSC certified lumber.
great furniture for market place
by Tim / April 22, 2008
great furniture for market place. However, it isn’t the hardware matters; it’s the s/w or content matters.
by Tim / April 22, 2008
More product isn’t the solution.
by Bean / April 22, 2008
This is a great idea. Education is the biggest first step toward a solution in my mind. This could only work if stores were required to accurately supply information for them and all store had to have one. Store would likely not be motivated to have one otherwise because they would lower the market value of some goods and expose food corporations for bad business ethics. If a store new anyone could see where and how they got their food then they would be more careful about it in the first place.
by Sam / April 22, 2008
I’m glad to see “TIM” as supported the most useless product here. There’s a thing these days called “The Internet” and a very useful source for obtaining information called “Google.com.” Perhaps you’ve heard of it; it’s an $80bn company that readily provides the user with any information, free of charge. On top of that, it doesn’t litter store aisles with terrible devices that simply increase consumer costs at little to no consumer payoff. If anyone needed or wanted to know anything about the products they are buying (other than what is already printed on the label), they could simple use Google.com. This is not a useful or desired concept to the mass majority.
by Nathan / April 22, 2008
another innecesary product in the world
by luis / April 22, 2008
i doubt manufacturers will support a product like this. most manufacturers will not reveal the production and distribution of their products because in the end, they will do anything, false advertising, etc. to sell their product. also, have you researched what it takes to recycle steel, glass, or wood? what is the real impact of this product?
by jim / April 22, 2008
I don’t think this design is suggesting that more product is the solution. Sense proposes a system of educating consumers- so that we know HOW to make more sustainable and responsible purchases.
by Bjorn / April 23, 2008
I think the main flaw to this concept is that it is very specialized. As such it appeals to the most concerned shoppers who are willing to spend more of their time shopping whereas most shoppers wish to spend less time shopping. If it could be combined with other functions to save time or at least be time neutral, it would be more effective. As you are scanning the UPC, you might also be making the purchase and it may be giving you other helpful information such as cost per serving, cost per load (laundry detergent) etc. The UPCs will need to be scanned again anyway. Consider the whole shopping experience.
by Chris / April 23, 2008
I wish the form were more developed, but the concept has great intentions. Educating is invaluable, and may save the planet, BUT we have to consider who our teachers are. History has proven that corporations will always put their product in the best light, even if it leans toward an outright lie. Not only are federal regulators overwhelmed, but oftentimes it pays for corporations to absorb a million dollar fine than admit to ecological abuses. In this light the concept seems a bit flawed, but like I said, it has great intentions.
by mardi / April 23, 2008
The concept of influencing peoples consumer choices is what makes this design so valuable. Even though it’s not fully developed, the concept of changing the lifestyle choices people make is the most important aspect of this design and integral to the green revolution. This product could be very useful in the natural foods stores where people are already wanting to make responsible decisions, but need easier access to the facts. Maybe something less intrusive/smaller would be better. At any rate, consumer education must not be dismissed! Even though people could research these things on there computers at home, the reality is that often times they forget by the time they get home, and they’ve already made an uneducated purchase.
by Noah / April 23, 2008
This is a gimmick much like this contest, doing its part to contribute to the green fatigue issue, especially when there are so many opportunities to impart innovation and multi tangent modularities to the home PC itself.
by Pae Ching Wu / April 23, 2008
This design is not trying to replace “Google”. At least thats not what i got from it. Sense is simply giving customers access to factual product information at the store so they can make the best decision at that moment. To go home get on “Google” and research a product after you’ve already been to the grocery store shopping, is not going to impact your purchase you made earlier in the day. Sure you will know more next time you go shopping - but this design targets the average consumer, the one who maybe doesn’t spend their evening searching “Google.com”
by Phil / April 23, 2008
I don’t like it, but it’s the best of a sad bunch. I like the idea of providing some kind of supermarket based information system which provides a sustainability report for each product about to be bought, but a freestanding ‘barcode’ scanning system doesn’t provide enough incentive to lure the consumer into actually doing any scanning. Take a look at a typical inner city supermarket in the hours of the daily commute home and you’ll find tired, flustered shoppers who want to buy in the easiest, quickest way possible. It’s not that they don’t care about the environment, it more the case that they aren’t prepared to cue next to an information system when the cue for the check-out eats up enough of their time as it is. This utopian view of a practically empty supermarket on a bright sunny day, shoppers browsing without a care in the world, is more of a sci-fi fantasy than reality.
by James / April 23, 2008
This is a powerful design, if you consider the potential consequences.
This concept points to a real concern that many have. “How do I know where this product comes from? What impact does buying this product have on the environment?” Our purchasing decisions are extremely powerful. They can support or destroy an entire corporation, or a country. Remember, how the richest 10% of the worlds population spend (or don’t spend) money can change the world.
To suggest that everyone can do the same research on their home computer, assumes that everyone has a computer at home and is connected and will take the time to do so, however most of the world is not so privileged.
by Jason / April 23, 2008
Information kiosk ask too much of the average person. It tends to be very idealistic in how we approach sustainability. The truth is the information is already out there and those who choose to seek it out will. What is the real incentive for any individual to actually use the thing? If you response is “because people should make sustainable choices” you have missed the mark. Sustainability needs to be something that is better for the environment that doesn’t ask the average user to drastically alter the way they already live their lives already. If it makes their lives more convenient (the factor that rules many things in the world) then it is better.
Too idealistic, and you need to have the interface worked out very well if anybody was to use it with success (success being the desire to use it again). But hey it must be a good idea because we drew a ton of pictures and refined them down (a fallacy in American Industrial Design thinking).
by Brenden / April 23, 2008
So education is important enough to merit creating millions of new machines to do it. But there are hundreds of sources for this info,not just a home computer, available, if consumers ignore them, why would they bother with this?
by WHAT / April 23, 2008
Same effect could be achieved without a physical footprint. Simple website designed for mobile access from phone/pda could do essentially same thing (without scanner feature). Could be third party website for entire marketplace. Or store webite: shopping Whole Foods, use phone to look at wholefoodsmarket.com, look at a virtual shelf & pick the product for more info.
For credibility, would need to offer pros/cons (fair trade?, transportation?, organic?, productivity?), since every benefit can come at a cost (local, but grown in greenhouse). Manufacturer-provided info could be valid if provided according to a robust, meaningful & verifiable standardized rating or labeling system.
Human factors: Would probably only be used when trying to decide between certain products, or when considering a new product. But at least you wouldn’t be expected to walk to the end of the aisle with the product to get the info, then return the unwanted item to the shelf.
Eventually, if we proceed with active RFID, the product packaging (or a shelf tag) could broadcast the info for anyone to access.
Would love to see news-related links as well. Like: Why can’t I get local low cost corn in season? Farmers are selling excess for ethanol, creating a min price — but you can still buy local, look in aisle 3. Would be great if it also included the local farms or CSAs that market buys from, but that’s probably too much info to maintain regularly.
Seems like a decent kernal of an idea, but better as a service.
by Tori / April 24, 2008
As a parent of preteen and teenage children, I would love to have a SENSE in my grocery store, or for that matter, anywhere I shop. Although the kids often think they are very green, their choices are often poorly informed. SENSE would allow them to become more educated and decide just how green all those must-have items are. In fact, I think even quite young children would get a kick out scanning a few items each time they visit the store with mom or dad. Shopping trip by shopping trip, we could be educating a whole new generation who will then march into adulthood much better able to make the choice for a highly sustainable lifestyle.
by Brenda / April 24, 2008
This looks like an awesome idea. I have never seen anything like it! I know that I would find it very useful while shopping, and I don’t think it would clutter store aisles at all. It has a beautiful design that will look modern and sleek in stores. Nice work!
by Kacy / April 24, 2008
Great concept, great idea - very interesting!
by John / April 24, 2008
I like the function of this idea. I not all that impressed with it being packaged in a kiosk. It would have been innovative if some sort of modularity had be applied to products that we tend to have already on our person, ipod’s, cell fone’s, pda’s, and maybe somehow packaged in one multi use format that serves the needs of the user as they see fit, in one reasonably upgrade-able device.
With such a device the proposed application of this design, would be one of the many available functions it could serve, coupling already existing information from online sites such as greenshopper.com, with a hand held ability to scan items of interest on the spot and in a manner that makes the data available to be saved and possibly profiled for future considerations. Yielding not only the opportunity to access critical information, on the fly in many locales and settings, but more importantly the opportunity to utilize information for the user to adjust their behavior, as they see fit!!
by j / April 24, 2008
Very educational and resourceful!
by Diana Tresco / April 24, 2008
“On the spot information” is always helpful. I’m still sore about purchasing a certain dietary supplement made from crustaceans, which I subsequently discovered by reading the most miniscule “small print” was made in China. With visions of the utterly polluted rivers and shores, I returned the purchase to the store and requested my money back. (In agreement with “Sam” / April 22 2008.) Also, had a phone call today from a friend re Travertine versus tile flooring, since I’d had experience of both. The ability to discover this on the spot would have been preferable! I’m no expert!
By M/ April 24, 2008
by Margaret J Norrie / April 24, 2008
To “Nathan” for your information, some people don’t live on the
internet, and the only information they might see about being green
is while they are shopping. If a person is not environmentally aware,
a device such as the Sense would provide information in a place
where all types of people shop, and may just catch the eye of a
consumer who would not otherwise be seeking environmentally
friendly consumer items! I think it is a great idea!
by Terri / April 25, 2008
Why is the design concept itself so vague; there are no schematics for the circuitry after six months of build time…really!??
I’ll not even go so far as to say that this product isn’t a great idea, but it is super underdeveloped. It’s pretty, but how would one go about licensing an idea without anything but a pretty picture??
This is my main problem with most of the environmental “fixes” these days: they are lazily drawn up without any consideration to the fact that it takes more than a pretty picture and a notion that this will cut down on waste and poorly designed [non-sustainable] products to convince people that it will work. How EXACTLY does the circuitry work? Where EXACTLY is the physical location of the ‘database,’ and who’s going to flit the bill for that kind of data centralization? Dell!??
by Seth / April 27, 2008
This one actually has a good idea behind it. It’s not predictable or kitschy like the other entries. The big problem, though, would be vendors getting excluded because they are not “green” enough. I can see them fighting the implementation of this product very strongly. And green products that are similar might fight over how high they are listed. If an accountability system could be set up (which is the bigger issue anyway), this could be a useful system.
by Joey / April 28, 2008
Wow…so these five are the best of what the world has to offer in terms of a solution for sustainable computing? Makes me feel like moving out to a farm somewhere and planting some green stuff…
I have to say that I agree that education is by far the best weapon we have against this problem and this competition has served to high-lite the fact that though we all have good intentions and the willingness to try and do something we are not yet ready(educated enough) to be effective.
We need to learn to simplify and reduce. There are already products on the market that could and do perform better than any of these concepts, or with a little effort could be made to do so. In my opinion a design competition based on sustainability has less to do with looks and more with solutions. Design is about analyzing the problem and solving it effectively as well as elegantly.
If gas were $10 a gallon would you rather have a cool looking car with auto pilot or a mass transit system…that looked cool?
My choice is the “Sense-concept” not because it looks good but because it gets to the root of the problem.
by Timo / April 29, 2008
Good job for submitting something that is not a green-glorified PC, as all of the other finalists did. However, some of these comments are dead on. Consumers don’t have the time to deal with this in their shopping experience; with a screaming baby in the cart they need to get in and get out. A web site with the same consumer info and an ad campaign to get consumers to the site would be a more effective means to the same end. It also address the issue of updating and maintain data- a huge over site that is not even mentioned in your submission. It is obvious to me you have never worked in the retail industry. This would never make it into a store.
On the spot information is the best part of this idea, but not at all realistic the way it is proposed. You might as well get the ‘green’ product companies to standardize the information into ‘green categories’ like, recycled content, origin/local, etc. and print it on the package- like the nutrition label or the ‘nutrition at a glance’ you see in healthier food categories. Big, easy to understand, on the front of the packaging, and comparable with no time wasted by the consumer.
by WTFwithThisContest / April 29, 2008
It seems like it would be expensive and a challenge to keep the information current and accurate.
by Janet / April 29, 2008
Congradulations to SENSE for a product and idea that begins to address our biggest problems as consumers!
Few people realize the significance and impact of the products they buy on a daily basis. If we could see at a glance that our food comes from the other side of the country (or the world), our packaging is not recyclable, our clothing is made from recycled waste, our toys are made by child labor, etc., there would be no excuse for not thinking twice about what you buy.
Food is a perfect example: by not buying local, you are directly contributing to our nations dependency on fossil fuels. Any non-local product that you buy is transported via the trucking industry. Sense can tell you instantly whether your fruit is being shipped to your store from Washington state or coming all the way from New Zealand.
SENSE can also tell you that those yogurt containers you think are great are actually not accepted by some recycling programs.
SENSE can tell you about the materials your products are made from: is the wood Certified Forestry? Are the plastics recyclable? Is there post-consumer waste?
SENSE can tell you if the manufacturer conforms to pollution controls, environmental impact reduction, worker health and safety.
It is true that we could get a lot of this information from a website, but who would spend time on the internet exploring every possible product they might buy that evening? Rather, this information is available on site, when they are ready to make a purchase, at all times, free to the customer. And yes, this idea could be integrated into a service for your PDA or other handheld.
I applaud the other entries for incorporating new (or old) technologies to reduce energy useage in the appliance, but I strongly support SENSE because it encourages people to rethink, or at least consider, what they are buying, its Product Lifecycle, and our overall impact on the planet as it’s most invasive species.
by Randy / April 30, 2008
This is a great concept in that it delivers something new and addresses the environment on a much larger scale than just computer-based waste.
To see an idea like this come to fruition, many people here made great points.
1. This information needs to be delivered as part of a more useful, time-saving solution in order to achieve mass use. Look at how you could integrate this information with existing supermarket handheld scanner systems such as the Shopping Buddy. See http://images.businessweek.com/ss/05/04/ibm20050418/source/1.htm for photos.
2. If the interface is a main part of your design, then partner with someone that does great interface design. Very few product designers are great at both. To get things done well and efficiently, partner with those that are better than you for success.
3. Find and name a non-profit organization that would like to see the perpetuation of this information such as The Center for Food Safety or the new CornerStone Campaign. I am sure there are several others, but this should be part of your proposal.
The most hated words from my industrial design education apply here: you have a great start.
This project got my vote for having the most potential for massive environmental change. The product and interface design is not superior, but I commend you for immediately thinking bigger then just computer waste.
by Matt Bowgren / May 1, 2008
Very clever ideat & great design
by Susy Riches / May 2, 2008
Great Idea!
by Betty Begeal / May 4, 2008
AWESOME!
by taw / May 5, 2008
Awesome idea. But the database must be created. Good luck. I’m voting for this one. Education is the key to change.
by taw / May 5, 2008
It seems to be a carbon footprint for the products you buy! As I read people’s comments, most of them are derived from their world viewpoints of our society and less on the actual idea. The idea is good and the implementation is data driven but I think the process needs to be more incorporated into the shopper experience. Maybe a rewards point system for buying earth friendly products
I will vote for this one because it combines person, design, idea and data.
by david / May 6, 2008
Good luck to the designer, my vote goes for you!
I like the approach of this product. Giving the oportunity to compare products and try to inform the consumer is a healthy habit. I think people who cares about the world they live in pay attention to this kind of things.
I guess a more attactive design and better material choice would have appealed more people and could have given more potential to this concept, but again, I think the concept is educative and that’s the most important.
by Biel / May 6, 2008
An invention that educates the consumer about products… WOW. We all could use it. You got my vote.
by Roy Arriola / May 6, 2008
It makes a lot of SENSE!!!
by Roy Arriola / May 6, 2008
I see this as a system to help us humans become MORE AWARE of our environment. It helps us make manufactures more responsible. They will want their products to be more green friendly. I could see it causing a “green competition” between companies. Obviously, if your goods do not stack up as green as the competitors, you make changes. And if some manufacturer doesn’t want to provide green facts regarding their product, it would hurt them where it counts, their bank account.
People want to be green. They want these facts made available to them. They want to know they are making a difference. Making manufacturers more responsible and being able to hurt them for not being green makes us, the people, more powerful.
by James Yates / May 7, 2008
This is a great idea. The database of information to accurately determine the distance from source at the current location would be interesting. Perhaps some radio tag or GPS technology could be applied to each product. The awareness would be critical. Ideally, the receipt would print the total carbon footprint for the sale or the total miles from source…
by David H / May 7, 2008