The Moo Point
A Service Design Project
Duration: 6 Months
Project Info: This project is part of the Student Service Design Challenge 2021organised by Philips Experience Design and co-organized with Service Design College, in collaboration with IBM and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. We were among the top finalists selected from across the world.
My Role: UX Research, UX Design, Service Design, Documentation
Design Challenge Brief
How to design backwards to move forward in current times using the concept of reverse logistics services?
Overview
The Problem:
India has the highest level of milk consumption with the production of 198.4 million tonnes in 2019-20. According to KMF, nearly 38 lakhs litres of milk in plastic pouches is delivered in the city of Bengaluru every day. This generates a massive amount of waste and the companies don't have an established collection or recycling mechanism. With no responsibility, these leave the entire process to the unorganised sectors. Our focus was to examine the institutional voids in the existing system and create a service through circular design concepts.
Proposed Solution:
We proposed The Moo Point - a reverse logistic service to collect and trace back the milk pouches in the urban city of Bengaluru. The service focuses on milk delivery with proper disposal and collection of milk pouches by protecting its recycling value and by creating a formal and authorised system.
How might we help household consumers dispose of their milk pouches to avoid dumping them in open?
Design Process
Identify & Explore
-
Secondary Research
-
Primary Research
-
System Map
Empathise & Discover
-
User Research
-
Diary Studies
-
Stakeholder Mapping
-
Experience Flow
Frame & Define
-
As-Is Scenarios
-
How Might We
-
Priority Matrix
Ideate & Develop
-
Ideation & Sketching
-
Prototyping
-
Service Blueprint
Secondary Research
According to the Central Pollution Control Board of India(CPCB) report (2018-19), the total annual plastic waste generation in India is at a humongous 3.3 million metric tonnes per year. Even this data, frightening as it is, might be an underestimation. Milk pouches are one such plastic waste that drew our interest as they are widely used and ends up in Indian garbage dump and with low recycling index. And, milk & its products are always in demand.
Nandini, Bangalore
based dairy produces
1.7 million tonnes of
milk everyday for the
city
85% milk is packed in
flexible PE pouches ;
Other milk products (0.5
million lts) also use PE
All ‘single-layer
plastic garbage
analysis revealed that
57 per cent of it is
only polypack milk.
(2019 India Today
Report)
They are made of
LDPE or LLDPE or a
combination of both
with a thickness of
min 50-60 microns.
There is a habit among the consumers of snipping off the tip of the milk packets. These small bits often get lost in the soil or enter water bodies in the form of hazardous microplastics.
Primary Research - Field Visit
We interviewed 3 waste collectors who segregate waste before giving it for recycling, 2 local shops which consume milk on larger scale, 3 milk providers - Nandini milk and we are in the process of interviewing NGOs focused on circular economy and municipal corporation of Bengaluru.
Comments
“We give other big plastics for recycling separating them by colour, milk packet received are waste and doesn’t weigh much so no money in giving them. No one comes to collect it either. We throw them away with other low plastic waste.”
“We give other big plastics for recycling separating them by colour, milk packet received are waste and doesn’t weigh much so no money in giving them. No one comes to collect it either. We throw them away with other low plastic waste.”
“We give other big plastics for recycling separating them by colour, milk packet received are waste and doesn’t weigh much so no money in giving them. No one comes to collect it either. We throw them away with other low plastic waste.”
Observations
All this waste along with many milk packets are going to landfill because they are less quantity and don’t much generate money as other high-quality plastic.
Around this area, we also found plastic and another waste burning(which is illegal but still practiced because of less awareness regarding its consequences).
This was the open area near the shop where consumers dumped milk packets directly. Such sights in open land areas, full of milk packet waste are pretty common in the city.
Expert Interviews
We conducted expert interviews with three NGOs working on waste management systems in Bengaluru. We understand the current work they are doing and what challenges they face at implementation. We also got to know about the problems that are faced in bridging the gap between the formal and informal sectors that are associated with the waste management system. All the NGOs are focussing on different levels of problems and through their case studies and insights, they help us in understanding our problem statement in much depth. We also conducted an interview with the co-founder of one of the leading dairy industries. They talk about their supply chain system, packaging style and their logistic system. We also interviewed the head of the Central Board of Pollution Control regarding the policies and regulations in waste management, Extended Producer's Responsibilities and challenges they encounter in large scale implementation. Talking with experts helped us in clarifying our assumptions and understanding the milk industry in a broader sense.
Insights
-
Dry waste is sorted into different categories before sending it to recyclers
-
Work with small recycling units and kabadiwalas (small and local scrap collectors) to increase the percentage of material which can be recycle
-
Rag pickers and small kabadiwalas picked up 50-60% of materials and sent them back to the system. There is a great scope of improvement here
-
CPCB launched the Extended Producer Responsibility Programme for plastic waste producers to find a better way to collect the plastic from the market
-
In the context of milk pouch, producers find it difficult to launch programs that enable collection as it is costlier than the per-unit cost of the product
-
Producer Responsibility Organisation (PROs) are new industries that help producers outsource collection, segregation & recycling of plastic waste to PROS collectively or individually. The current NGOs cannot fill this gap as their capacities are limited w.r.t milk pouches.
-
Segregation at source and avoiding soiled waste is one great way forward to help to recycle.
-
Due to the small size of milk pouches, it is difficult to collect & segregates them from huge waste piles.
-
The recycling business is vast and different types of people are involved.
-
Handling recycling is costly, their focus is to bridge the gap between waste collected by municipal corporations and sending it to scrap dealers and collectors Different types of livelihoods are connected in this big chain of the milk industry
System Mapping
Understanding the stakeholders
After secondary and primary research, we understood the vastness of the Milk Industry in India. To discover and unfold our problem further we did the stakeholder mapping and prioritises them in the Power -> Interest matrix. This helped us infinding the main and active stakeholders in the system.
Stakeholder Mapping
Power - Interest Matrix
Diary Studies
Milk has an important place in Indian culture. Almost all households consume or use milk in some form or the other. In a short span of 2 days shelf life, it stays with the users for the maximum time. So we probe into understanding the journey of milk pouches. We divided the whole journey into four stages: Buy, Store, Use and Dispose.
Activity
We did an online diary study with around 7 home users who consume/ use milk daily. We provided users with semi-filled documents to record their daily data for at least 5 days. The purpose here was to analyse the behaviours, activities and experiences of users over time.
Insights
-
Generally buy from a nearby convenience store, monthly subscription, BBdaily online subscription, Milkbasket online subscription, text-based delivery, milkman, milk agency
-
Typically buy milk in the morning
-
Store in refrigerator in a vessel, seal the pouch with clip, etc
-
Use when needed, sometimes consume instantly, etc
-
Used to make tea, coffee, milk beverages, other dairy products like ghee, paneer, curd, buttermilk, etc.
-
Sometimes milk get spoiled due to improper storage, unused before the shelf life
-
Dispose of with other waste items in a dustbin. Very few have dry and waste separation at home
Meet the Persona - Milky Moo
Experience Flow
1
As Bengaluru is named “silicon valley of India”, a lot of new technology and startups are coming up aiming to fasten the lifestyle, also creating more online modes of milk delivery system giving a similar cultural feel to milkman delivering milk in the morning.
2
Milk and dairy products are an essential part of the Indian diet and have a social and cultural predominance in the Hindu population. This factor provides an interesting scenario - religious and cultural practices limit the capacity to increase domestic output and contribute to increasing consumption.
3
4
As-Is Scenario Map
The experience flow of the Milk pouch tells us about the list of activities it goes through throughout its life journey. There were multiple touchpoints that we can pick and redesign through circular economy concepts. So to understand the workflow much better and explore new ideas to find the right problem to solve we use As- Is Scenario mapping. This activity helps us in segregating each phase and mapping the positives and negatives points of the system. The overarching points emerge as a theme that helped us on focus on the important aspects of our problem that we can take it further in our process.
How Might We Questions
From As-Is scenario mapping, we were able to generate overarching themes that are relevant and important to the problem we are trying to address. The themes are the culmination of both primary and secondary research. We then tried to combine and overlap the themes to find the valuable and main insights. These helped us in narrowing down our focus area towards designing a more coherent and visible circular service design system. Our insights fall under the four categories of household consumers, cultural norms and alternatives in the milk pouch segment, formal and informal waste collectors and governments policies around producers responsibilities. After some more research and discussion towards our emerging insights, we settled to go ahead with the household consumers and cultural norms they have. So we move ahead exploring What If and How Might We statements around the household consumers store, buy, usage and disposal.
Impact - Effort Matrix
To make the impact more visible with the minimum effort, we mapped the impact-effort prioritization matrix. This helps us in refining our What if and How Might We questions into categories. This also gave us an idea of identifying the main focus area that we can focus in ideation.
To design a way for mindful disposal of milk pouches for urban households to reduce scattered waste leading to drainage blocks, burning of waste and landfills.
Ideation
As a team, we generated as many ideas as possible. then we discuss and club them into the main emerging themes. Then we refine the overlapping ideas and map them into the impact-feasibility matrix. The top two ideas were further refined into the detailed flow and were tested with users. While doing this exercise we keep the three main design drivers to guide our ideation process.
Design Drivers
Storyboarding selected Ideas
Proposed Solution
Based on the ideation and initial round of validation, we are proposing The Moo Point - a service that focuses on milk pouch delivery with a robust reverse logistics system. It would provide the milk delivery service to the urban household consumer of Bengaluru city. But along with milk pouch delivery, it also emphasizes getting the used milk pouch back in the system using its return back mechanism. This helps in collecting the used milk pouch in a proper manner, formalising the system, maintaining its recycling value, auditing the used and recycled milk pouches and connecting with the authorised recyclers.
Moo Point Services
-
The consumer can opt for milk delivery service one time or on a subscription basis
-
Consumers have the option to buy milk from top milk brands
-
The service comes with easy and feasible pouch return options
-
The separate compartment in the milk bag is given to consumers to store milk pouches until the next pick up
-
Separate and detachable zip-container to collect milk pouch is provided to Delivery executive
-
Focus on collecting used milk pouches in a hassle-free and convenient manner
-
The collected and used milk pouches are washed and stored in a warehouse
-
The bulk pouches are sold/ directed to the recycling units and other facilities
For Customers
#Feature1
Purchasing and Returning Milk Pouch at one place
The purpose here is to keep the main goals upfront and remind customers about not only buying the milk but also mindfully return milk pouches after using them.
#Feature2
Recommend best options
Customers buy more than one quantity of milk pouches. Suggesting them to buy a 1-litre packaging option instead of two 500 ml help them make smart choices both economically and environmentally.
#Feature2
Use Tip and Rewards
Reminding customers to cut the milk pouches in the right way avoids creating micro-plastics while making the order. Also, MooCoins as a reward system for saving the environment.
#Feature3
Moo Point Bag
The customers are reminded to put their used milk pouches in the bag for a hassle-free return.
For Delivery Executives
#Feature5
Delivery and Collection
The delivery executives are reminded to collect the milk pouches while delivering the milk.
#Feature6
Milk Pouches count and Auditing
The customer while the option for milk pouches collection mentions the number of packets they are returning. The delivery executive can verify the counts while collecting. This help warehouse in auditing how much milk pouches are sent for recycling purpose.
Testing and Feedback
We went back to our diary study participants to test our prototypes. For testing, we used methods of roleplaying and thinking out loud while engaging with the app and the proposed idea of overall service. This helped us get feedback on things that can work, things to take care of.
-I think I might forget about putting pouch but since my housekeeper takes care of garbage so I will ask my housekeeper to do it and then I just need to put up a request on the app which is easy for me.
- 27 years old, Male
-Ah! I already wash and put pouches in the dustbin. It will be nice to know that my giving back pouches is helping in some way, even if it is a small change.
-30 years old, Female
-I like the concept but to return I need to go back to the app every day. Can there be a simpler way? like allowing me to store it and then giving it back after a week or two maybe.
-24 years old, Female
-I am totally dependent on big basket
morning delivery. I can see this getting
easily integrated with it.
-20 years old, Female
Future Steps
How can we make our model more inclusive, economically sustainable and formal?
In our research phase, we observe the huge gap in the existing waste management system. The informal sector is the backbone of the waste management system, but often their contribution is invisible and neglected. Our focus is to bring all the active and inactive stakeholders of the system on a common platform and design for a more equitable future.
How can we help other producers and manufacturers to adapt our model and replicate it in their existing system?
As per the new Extended Producer’s Responsibility (EPR) guidelines, producers and manufacturers need to take responsibility for the waste generated by their products and services. Our focus would be to help and consult using our knowledge and concept in making feasible and logistically viable robust systems.
Mentoring Session
Throughout these 6 months, we were mentored by Frank Kolkman - an experimental designer. We had regular mentoring sessions every two weeks. He helped us in unfolding the complexity of the system and how to navigate through them. He gave his valuable feedback on our design decision and how to prepare our design deliverables. Mona Arishi was also our mentored from IBM who guided us through IBM Design thinking toolkits. She was very patient and gave us her valuable time in explaining all the nitty-gritty aspects of our design process. She constantly asks us the WHY of our problem and guide us to ideate on the solution which is useful and desirable. We are indebted to both the mentors for the guidance and efforts they gave throughout this journey. We surely had an amazing experience learning from them.
Apart from the mentorship, we had a regular session with the design experts from Philips, IBM and Ellen McArthur on various topics focussing on design processes and methods. Each session was helpful and insightful.
Reflection
The Service Design Challenge was one of the best experiences so far. From identifying the problem to testing the proposed solution, we navigated through a lot of complexity and challenges. I learned not only about new design methods and processes but also why should we use them. We got mentorship from amazing experts who guided and cheered us throughout our journey. We pushed ourselves and reach out to different experts who helped us in understanding the whole milk industry and waste management ecosystem. The biggest challenge was to coordinate with the team remotely and overcoming all the issues we faced along the journey. Whether it was to convey each other's ideas effectively or beling resilient during the Covid second wave, we not only grow as a designer but also as a good teammate. Though it was a design challenge, it was more like a real-time project that we work on for a long time. Overall a good learning and growing experience.
Team: Animesh Bondre, Mrunali Ogriwala, Priya Sharma, Sakshi Meena and Sanjana Kothapalli