Last week we introduced you to our prototypes, and then it was time present them to the outside world. To show the relevance of finding a sustainable solution for the collection of old phones, we further investigated the metaphor of ‘the drawer’ as well. A metaphor used to describe the value of all the old and unused (smart)phones that are sitting in desks and drawers all around the world (a phenomenon Forbes calls ‘Gadget Obesity’). Bringing all the different sources and statistics together we made an estimation (and an infographic to illustrate). Turns out that the value in drawers around the world is rather mind blowing.
So that’s the relevance of our mission! Lets move on to the reactions and feedback we got from our peer and partner pitches. We made concrete propositions for different apps, and because of this there were a lot of concrete questions. The peer pitch was attended by a person from the business department of the University, he talked about the potential value of our ideas as a business and proposed to make a business case for each different app idea, and after doing so to make a decision based on these insights.
A familiar picture for a lot of households, and a symptom of ‘gadget obesity’
Other important questions were (related to Redrawer): what exactly is the drive of our user? How will we persuade users to use our app/service? And: there are already initiatives working with donating old phones, how can you improve this concept? Barcelona added a string of good questions as well: what will you do once the phones are collected? Sell to refurbishing/recycling companies? Are you going to pay the user before selling the device to the partners? These questions that made us realize the complexity of Redrawer (especially concerning the infrastructure).
In relation to iSeeThrough a suggestion by a peer was adding elements of gamification to the app. In other words: not just presenting dry facts about the components inside your phone, but sparking interest through a playful interaction with these components. The coach from team Bangalore liked iSeethrough a lot, as an educational tool, she envisioned a kind of database for (hardware) engineers to access information about the different smartphone components.
We also got a good chance to look at other projects. Bangalore introduced the concept of: Internet of Bins. E-waste bins that are connected to the internet via sensors, the sensors work together with an online platform for collectors, citizens, recyclers. Open data is generated by the bins and people can access the data to track the waste or to schedule a pickup. The other team from Barcelona was in a similar stage that we were at in the first months, they were mostly looking into trends on the topic of smart cities, also because Barcelona is perceived as one of the smartest cities in the world.
It seems that getting your prototypes out into the world is a good way to check how realistic your plans are. On top of that, you get suggestions like: donating your old phone to a food delivery service in return for a free desert… In other words: our pitches were a gold mine of good ideas and feedback.