92
W. Chu et al.
6.5.4 Feedback Regarding the Concept of the Toolkit
6.5.4.1 Does the Toolkit Help to Frame and Generate Design Ideas
to Solve Sustainability Issues?
Overall, participants developed ideas ranging from simple solutions such as (1)
Providing a visual representation of how a spoiled food product can look like on
packaging, and (2) Mobile applications for better organizing food shopping list, to
technology-focused concepts such as (1) Smart on-pack date label which can give
real-time feedback of the quality of food items, (2) An intelligent fridge which can
remind users of food status, and (3) A QR code that provides product traceability to
consumers.
All the above ideas were informed by the collaborative use of the ACD toolkit in
design workshops or independent use in individual ideation sessions. For example, by
using the card—“Can you design features which support multiple actions that users
usually perform within the target activity [Food consumption]?” (in the category of
mediating tools), P3 came up with the idea of providing recipes for consumers to
better use food items that are close to its expiration date, thus preventing unnecessary
household food waste. Similar to that, workshop participants also developed ideas
of informing consumers how to deal with food items that just past the ‘best-before
date’ from the design example presented in the card—“Can you design to enable
users to attain a series of different goals in a row?” (In the category of motivations,
goals, and outcomes). Furthermore, inspired by the card—“Can you predict the
potential technology advancement that would take place and can you incorporate the
technology in your design?” (in the category of sociocultural contexts), P1 developed
the idea of using a QR code as an interface on food packaging for consumers to trace
the information of food such as when and where it was produced and transported,
thus leading to more informed food purchase and disposal decisions.
Through comparing the toolkit with other existing design ideation tools, one of
the design experts indicated that the ACD toolkit can help to put particular focus
on how to incorporate different sustainability aspects in design by saying: “the other
ideation cards are very general, but this tool is specific. This would put you in a very
specific mind, there would be tips and directions that lead you towards sustainability”
(D1).
6.5.4.2 Which Elements of the Toolkit Are Supportive and Which
Elements Cause Confusions?
In terms of the usability of the toolkit, both the design experts and food packaging
industry participants without any design experience reported that they enjoyed the
interactivity of the toolkit, especially the mechanism of playing with a physical cube
as dice and picking up the corresponding cards according to the result of the dice. For
example, “The dice is rather interesting and fun compared to other ideation cards,
W. Chu et al.
6.5.4 Feedback Regarding the Concept of the Toolkit
6.5.4.1 Does the Toolkit Help to Frame and Generate Design Ideas
to Solve Sustainability Issues?
Overall, participants developed ideas ranging from simple solutions such as (1)
Providing a visual representation of how a spoiled food product can look like on
packaging, and (2) Mobile applications for better organizing food shopping list, to
technology-focused concepts such as (1) Smart on-pack date label which can give
real-time feedback of the quality of food items, (2) An intelligent fridge which can
remind users of food status, and (3) A QR code that provides product traceability to
consumers.
All the above ideas were informed by the collaborative use of the ACD toolkit in
design workshops or independent use in individual ideation sessions. For example, by
using the card—“Can you design features which support multiple actions that users
usually perform within the target activity [Food consumption]?” (in the category of
mediating tools), P3 came up with the idea of providing recipes for consumers to
better use food items that are close to its expiration date, thus preventing unnecessary
household food waste. Similar to that, workshop participants also developed ideas
of informing consumers how to deal with food items that just past the ‘best-before
date’ from the design example presented in the card—“Can you design to enable
users to attain a series of different goals in a row?” (In the category of motivations,
goals, and outcomes). Furthermore, inspired by the card—“Can you predict the
potential technology advancement that would take place and can you incorporate the
technology in your design?” (in the category of sociocultural contexts), P1 developed
the idea of using a QR code as an interface on food packaging for consumers to trace
the information of food such as when and where it was produced and transported,
thus leading to more informed food purchase and disposal decisions.
Through comparing the toolkit with other existing design ideation tools, one of
the design experts indicated that the ACD toolkit can help to put particular focus
on how to incorporate different sustainability aspects in design by saying: “the other
ideation cards are very general, but this tool is specific. This would put you in a very
specific mind, there would be tips and directions that lead you towards sustainability”
(D1).
6.5.4.2 Which Elements of the Toolkit Are Supportive and Which
Elements Cause Confusions?
In terms of the usability of the toolkit, both the design experts and food packaging
industry participants without any design experience reported that they enjoyed the
interactivity of the toolkit, especially the mechanism of playing with a physical cube
as dice and picking up the corresponding cards according to the result of the dice. For
example, “The dice is rather interesting and fun compared to other ideation cards,