Course: Senior Labs
School: Carnegie Mellon University
Role: Research, Ideation, Sketching, Service Map
Year: 2013
Let's swap your old fridge
The Icebox Swap Initiative is a service design that aims to decrease the amount of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) that are leaked into the environment from the old refrigerators that still contain them. It is a system that enables individuals with these older refrigerators to swap their current, old fridge out with a newer fridge that does not contain CFCs so that the CFCs in the old fridge can be discarded properly and removed from the environment.
But why?
CFCs destroy the ozone, the protective layer in the earth's atmosphere that filters out harmful UV rays. Once released, CFC molecules linger in the atmosphere for several decades and cannot be removed. The excess levels of UV-B that these CFCs cause is harmful to humans in many visible ways, but is even more harmful to the ecosystem in ways that are less apparent. CFCs were used in a lot of products including aerosols and inhalers, but they were also used in coolants for appliances such as air conditioners and refrigerators.
Once the Montreal Protocol was passed in 1987, most of the smaller CFC-containing products, including aerosols and inhalers, were phased out of use. This law also restricted the production of CFCs, but did not completely ban them. It wasn’t until 2010 that CFCs were supposed to be completely eliminated from production. However, many refrigerators that contain CFCs are still in use. The CFCs exist in a coolant called freon that was used in a lot of older fridges. Even though you can’t buy a new fridge that uses CFCs, there is no law to enforce getting rid of existing outdated fridges that are constantly leaking thousands of kilotons of CFCs into the environment each year.
So how does the system work?
THE SUPPLIER
The whole process begins when an individual decides to donate their refrigerator to the system.
THE SWAPPER
On the other side, the swapper is an individual who chooses to get their fridge checked and swap it out with a CFC-free model, if necessary.
THE TECHNICIAN
Driving the system are the individuals with the skills to do the technical work and heavy lifting.
The big picture
The process has three main steps. First, an individual sees one of the posters that is strategically placed in an area they frequent around their city, maybe a coffee shop or bar. This poster has very little text, a large graphic, and high contrast to catch their eye. It is the entry point of the system. Second, they scan the code to get more information because they are curious. This takes them to the website where they can get the overall story. Individuals who prefer to get more information before requesting anything can choose to log on to the website on their computer to go more in depth. Third, they request an action kit because it is free, appealing, and benefits them. Once they receive this kit, they receive additional information on how to get involved, as well as materials to show off or pass on to other people they might encounter. In this way, the system is spread around the city it's rooted in.
THE TARGET AUDIENCE
>younger individuals, late 20s
>live in urban area, residency-dense environment
>don't have a ton of money
>non-environmentalists
>value education + knowledge, community, socialization
>very active and busy
The action kit
I wanted it to be fun, and also create curiosity. I created a prototype of this promo kit that would be distributed to the target audience. This kit serves as both information as well as a means to spread the system. So what's in it? 1 tshirt, 3 stickers, 3 magnets, 5 tear offs and all the information that is printed on the packaging. I thought a lot about what this kit would look like and how it would be packaged because the interaction with the physical kit frames what the user understands about the system.
Revealing information
After many iterations, I decided on having the tshirt folded up in a small rectangle with the information printed on a poster size paper that is then folded up and wrapped around the tshirt. The magnets and stickers are attached to the bottom of the paper and folded inside.
As they unwrap the shirt, the first thing they see is "What's the problem?" and four simple graphics. They pull the top piece up and, revealing text under the graphics which tells the story and frames the problem. They unfold the next flap and it reads "What Can We Do?" which contains more information about the problem and explains the idea behind the system. The last unfold reveals the sections "How Does It Work?" and "What Should I Do?" which connect the user's role in the system and the actual steps they can take to get involved.
This order of presenting the information reveals the information in an approachable manner. I did not want to overload the user with information, as they are not environmental activists and don't want to read a novel. A note is next to the stickers and magnets at the bottom saying that if they aren't read to swap, then they can simply use this kit to pass on the system. This allows for varying levels of commitment.
Working through a wicked problem
The Icebox Swap Initiative is the result of a project focused around wicked problems. It all started with the topic of "mutant makers", or toxins leaking into water sources and causing mutated frogs and other wildlife. So how exactly did I get from researching mutated frogs to swapping out refrigerators? Through a lot of research, I found a connection between UV-B rays and the mutant frogs. This led me to the sources of excess UV-B rays, including destruction of the ozone, which then led me to look at the causes of ozone depletion. From there I decided to focus in on CFCs and more specifically the sources of CFCs that we have the power to eliminate.
