We're on our way!

We received our first professional critique on our work and there was good news. Our lecturer digs our work! This is what the teacher of Business Infromation Design msc Suleman Shahid (photo) commented on our research phase:

++overall very good effort! your user research phase is really SOLID and some sections are really excellent.!! overall very good and balanced effort! I really enjoyed reading your document and it certainly went beyond a standard submission! You also did the labor work of transcribing observation and it looks nice! I do not have any major criticism

 Now , that's what we call a compliment. Currently we are working on the design phase of our project. We'll keep you posted!

The Amazing Dog Poop Ass-Bag

For sure, we are not the first to study the problem of dog poop inconvenience. Here is a Japanese inventor that came up with a  brilliant idea. Although it involves quite a few actions, cities and streets will never look the same once all dogs carry this invention in the streets.

This is the idea

After analyzing the data from our different research phases, we have come to the creative part of this assignment. That is: translating the research findings in a functional design. Well, this scheme is the basis of what we are designing. A rewarding way of cleaning your dog´s poop. It´s still a model, but the Snoep Dog is going to function like this!

Do it yourself

All right, we didn’t want to exclude the possibility that dog owners simply don’t KNOW how to clean up their dog’s feces. Well, as always, the internet comes in handy, with a nice home made instruction video. I must admit, it’s a bit crappy, but hey, if you want to change the world, do not let yourself be stopped by crap!

The truth reveiled

Our extensive research resulted in a clear description of both the problem as the way we can contribute to its solution. First of all, we found that dog poop in public space is experienced as a huge problem. Local governments are struggling to find a solution. Surveys among dog owners in different municipalities show that the main reason dog owners refuse to clean up their dog’s feces is because:
- It is inconvenient;
- There’s no place to get rid of the filled poop bags;
Our survey and observations show that the majority indeed feel it inconvenient to clean up dog’s feces. Results of the survey show that the respondents don’t like to walk around with a filled poo bag. Most of the time they take the dog out at a dog walk area where they don’t have to clean it up. The observations showed that ones who let their dog poo on board walks or public gardens do not take the effort to clean it up. Most of the gardens are filled with other feces! Also, other surveys show that, in order to change dog owners behavior, local governments should:

- Provide enough bins to get rid of the filled poop bags;
- Provide free poop bags to dog owners;

However, none of these studies have taken into account scientific theory on human behavior and human-dog relationships. We believe the solution lies here! First of all we found that the only stimulus used by local governments to motivate dog owners to is a negative stimulus (punishment by penalty). This exclusively repressive method of motivation shows obvious similarity with the way dogs (Canis familiaris ) were trained until about 15 years ago. Since the well known experiments of Pavlov we know that dog behavior can easily be conditioned. Research shows that in dog training, applying positive stimuli like rewarding is a much more effective means to change dog behavior than the use of negative stimuli, like punishment
- Dog owners should not be convinced to clean up their dog’s poop by thread of financial punishment (alone), but by financial reward.

Secondly, we believe that the positive correlation between dog and human wellbeing could be put into advantage. Thus, it is very well possible that we can reward a dog owner by rewarding his dog. And you don’t need science to learn that there is no better way to reward a dog than to donate something eatable.

- A dog owner could be rewarded by rewarding its dog;
- A considerable part of our target group suffers from lack of time; Therefore:
- The disposal of dog feces should be made quick, convenient and easy.

From our participating experiment we learned that walking the streets with a hot, filled poop bag is a dreadful experience. This was affirmed by 70.2 % of respondents in our survey. Although the feces are concealed in a bag, you get a feeling that you want to wash your hands immediately. That would be more hygienic anyway! . Does the same go for people, like dog owners?
Yes! Studies within cognitive psychology show that people, like their dogs, are easily conditioned, but not by punishing (alone)! Especially in the theory of operant conditioning we found proof that positive stimuli can be an effective way in changing human behavior into a desired direction. This is also confirmed by our survey in which dogowners say that fines, government obligations and the chances of getting caught is not a motivation to clean up dog feces.

Research Interview Snoep4Poop

Our one and only Dimphy Spielberg delivered a fine job by editing the shots taken during one of the qualitative interviews we conducted during the research phase of our project. Take a look at this fine movie clip!

A dirty job

To get to understand what dog owners have to go through, we did some participational research. Here's the report:

Klaroenring, Etten-Leur
Date/Time: 22 February, 10.11h.
Weather: -1 degrees Celcius, misty
Subject: Bas Kock

General observations:  - cleaning up your dog’s feces is a dirty job
                                               - social rules are felt harder than the law
                                               - lack of dustbins is irritating
                                               - could there be more bins, and a means to wash your hands?

For this opportunity we walked a 4 year old Belgian Shepherd called Shep. The dog weighs about 25 kilos and is very well trained. We walk her in the morning because this is her usual pooping time. It is freezing, but the dog doesn’t seem to care. First she sniffs the ground and takes a leak. Then she searches for a nice spot to drop her thing. We are walking for about 15 minutes when that happens. She prefers a green field with not too much other dog feces present. Pooping takes about 10 seconds, during this period subject feels a bit nervous, as being watched. More important than the law social rules are felt. [subject thinks: “What if anyone thinks I won’t clean it up…”]

 The cleaning process starts with searching for the poop bag. [subject thinks: “In what pocket did I hide the damn bag!?!”] After searching the bag in three pockets it is found in the fourth. Scooping up the poop is a very unpleasant experience. First comes the feeling of hotness: the poop is about 38 grades Celcius and in the cold of the morning it feels like it is boiling! Subject realizes that there’s only a thin layer of plastic separating his hand from the feces. Then the smells kicks in. Horrible. The entire process makes subject feel grouse.

No poop bin is found, so where subject wants to get rid of the smelly bag as soon as possible, he has to carry it around. After ten minutes he finds a private dustbin and he desposes of the bag. [subject thinks: “Let me wash my hands now, please.”]