Info

This was undertaken as a group university project in 2020 for our 'Sustainable Design Engineering' module. We were given the task of analaysing fast-moving consumer electronics to identify key sustainability problems, before selecting a specific product and redesigning it to be used within a new product-service system.

Problem

Current digital pregnancy tests are one-time use only, thrown out to become electronic waste. This not only contributes to landfill issues, but can also leach toxic chemicals into the environment. Furthermore, the digital pregnancy test has seen no significant improvements in the past 20 years, providing good opportunity for redesign.

Solution

Mother Nature aims to redesign the digital pregnancy test, allowing it to be reused multiple times to promote sustainability, and focusing on consumer experience by ensuring that the borrow-return process is as simple as possible.

System Redesign

Analaysis of current digital pregnancy tests and their product-service systems was carried out as a team, before we discussed and finalised our proposal for redesign.

I then took on the role of finalising our system proposal, including an overview detailing the key processes at each phase of the system, and providing further detail on how our planned improvements would address the key issues.

The device was separated into two parts - the main body, housing the electrical components; and the test leaf.

The electrical components hold most of the material value and are typically difficult to recycle. Therefore, these were designed to be returned, cleaned, and reused by another customer. While the test leaf was designed to be biodegradable and simply flushed away after use.

CAD Visualisation

Another team member had produced detailed sketches of the key components for our proposed device. I then used these to produce 3D models to help visualise our concept.

The device is designed to be easily taken apart by the user, without the need for any extra tools. This ensures that the process of disposing the test leaf is hassle-free, so to not discourage the user from returning the device.

Consumer experience is further enhanced by the visual indication of the test leaf changing colour as a sample is taken, and clear instructions being provided via the display.

Research showed that consumers wanted to make an eco-friendly choice, but lacked options to do so. Therefore, by providing them this product-service system that is intuitive to use, they would be willing to make the switch.

Soft Skills

Sustainable Design | Leadership | Presenting | Communication & Teamwork

Hard Skills

Life Cycle Analysis (Eco-Auditing) | CAD (Solidworks & Blender) | Graphical Design (Illustrator & InDesign)