Service design focused on creating sustainable steps and tools for users of nicotine vapes to properly dispose of their devices.
Disposable vapes are popular, specifically among young adults. Unfortunately there are very little disposal solutions, or information about proper disposal solutions, that are commonly available.
When disposed of in common waste/trash bins, disposable vapes can cause fires at plants due to the lithium ion battery they contain. On the other hand, the batters are not meant to be recycled in common recycling bins either. So how are vapes supposed to be discarded, and how can we make this information more widely known?
Our team of 4 conducted research on stakeholders, users, and using tools such as storyboarding and group ideation, created a feasible solutions for proper vape disposal and answer the previous questions.
When completed we presented our design solution in a video and booth showcase to other members of University of Washington's HCDE program.
See the more about this project below
Team Members:
Divya Mavinkurve
Hayley Jang
Seamus McPeake
Yubo Zhao
Project Context:
Designed for University of Washington HCDE Human Centered Design Class 2023
My Role:
UX Design
UX Research
Duration
10 Weeks
Tools:
Figma
Google Forms
Google Docs
Overview
The Problem
Disposable vapes contain lithium ion batteries which contribute to fires at waste manufacture plants.
Solution
Informing users of proper disposal techniques through packaging redesigns and creating accessible, easy to find disposal bins for users.
Packaging redesign informing users and directing them to the ReVolt website.
Users can put their vapes in a public disposal bin where they will be picked up and properly disposed of.
Vape stickers provide information about proper vape disposal.
Users can find nearby disposal bins on the ReVolt website.
Users can find information about proper disposal techniques on the Revolt website.
Traditional recycling symbols confuse users about what is recyclable and what isn't.
New vape stickers and disposal bin symbols let users know their vape should be placed in a proper disposal bin.
Background
Original Goal
This project originally had a focus on battery disposal.
Secondary Research
During secondary research I discovered an article discussing single-use vapes causing fires at waste processing facilities.
Switching Focus
Recognizing this problem as an under-addressed issue I proposed the findings to my team and we collectively decided to pivot project directions.
Articles
The Problem
Disposable vapes are popular amongst young adults as an alternative to smoking cigarettes.
Non-Recyclable
Disposable vapes contain lithium ion batteries which are not recyclable.
Trash Fires
When vapes are places in trash bins they can cause fires at waste plants
Battery Problems
Vapes contain lithium ion batteries, which can be difficult and dangerous to remove.
Misleading Symbols
Vape packaging symbols can be confusing to users, leaving them unsure where to dispose of the vapes.
Timeline
Design Goal #1
"How can we initiate the proper disposal of disposable vaporizers?
Research
We initiated research with a survey to verify if individuals who vape throw them in the trash.
100% of survey participants disposed of vapes in a regular trash bin.
We moved forward with 8 semi-structured intreviews to gather insight on motivations for putting vapes in improper disposal bins.
Research Analysis
Synthesis
Affinity mapping was used to analyze the interview data.
Findings
86% of interview participants were not aware of proper vape disposal methods.
Outlier
One participant, a vape store owner, was aware of proper disposal techniques but continued to dispose of vapes improperly.
Participant Quote
"I know it's (putting disposable vapes in the trash) harmful, but I don't think anyone makes such efforts, and not many are aware... I wish there were better ways, but we just tell them (customers) to throw it away." - Participant
Research Summary
Unaware
86% of participants that put their vape in a waste bin were unaware of proper vape disposal techniques or environmental harm improper techniques can cause. Users are not necessarily disposing improperly when they could be.
Inconvenient
Users who are aware of proper disposal techniques find the current solutions to be inconvenient. Users don't want to travel long distances to proper disposal plants and remove batteries in potentially dangerous procedures themselves.
After synthesizing our research data we restated our design goal
Design Goal #2
"How might we increase the convenience and awareness of proper vape disposal processes and techniques?""
Ideation
We used collaborative group sketching to come up with collection techniques and information spread.
We concluded disposal bins and packaging information would be a convenient and simple way to provide and inform users.
User Flows
User Personas
Storyboards
Prototyping
Usability Testing
We used a low fidelity prototype to conduct usability testing on 3 participants using thinkaloud prototcol.
Usability Problem #1
Participants were not aware of what the QR code did or what they should do with it.
Usability Problem #2
Participants misunderstood what the symbols on our packaging meant and could not distinguish recycling symbolism from vape disposal symbolism.
1. Vape disposal bin with QR code and symbols
2. Vape packaging with QR code and symbols
3. Vape with QR code and symbols
1. Mobile interface mockup
Reitaeration
After gathering feedback on our prototypes we moved forward with a new design approach for our higher fidelity prototype.
Design Solution
Packaging redesign informing users and directing them to the ReVolt website.
Users can put their vapes in a public disposal bin where they will be picked up and properly disposed of.
Vape stickers provide information about proper vape disposal.
Users can find nearby disposal bins on the ReVolt website.
Users can find information about proper disposal techniques on the Revolt website.
Traditional recycling symbols confuse users about what is recyclable and what isn't.
New vape stickers and disposal bin symbols let users know their vape should be placed in a proper disposal bin.
Reflection
Potential Impact:
If the government took interest at a local or federal level we would likely want to do more research on how we can give users appreciation for their cooperation and work on a more long term sustainable design for disposal bins.
Feedback
Our team posted a feedback board at our showcase which gave us recommendations for next steps
Recommendations:
1. Incentives for proper disposal
2. Recycling plant/chip detection
3. A more attractive design