Since early 2008, tobacco products sold in New Zealand have required to have graphic health warnings included in the packaging.
There are a range of images that are used as warnings. I’m interested at the process that was used in choosing these images, and how effective they are at helping smokers understand the risks of smoking, and ultimately quit smoking.
Warning: Potentially disturbing images after the jump…
In public places like beaches and parks, littering continues to be a problem.
It’s an environmental issue, and in New Zealand ‒ where a significant driver of tourism into the country is through the promise of a 100% Pure New Zealand ‒ it’s also an economical issue (a 2001 report from the New Zealand Ministry for the Environment estimated that a lowered perception of New Zealand’s clean and green image could have a negative impact approaching $1 billion dollars).
Common touchpoints designed to prevent littering are providing rubbish bins, and also signs. When signs are used, there are a range of approaches in the messages used to prevent littering:
What would happen if instead concentrating on touchpoints that aim to prevent people from littering, touchpoints also had the aim of encouraging people to clean up – regardless of the source of the litter?
During my University years I met Gael Arnold, an amazing woman who took a lot of her own time, money and effort into organising volunteer parties to clean up litter that had washed up on the shores of islands in Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf. Since then I have made an attempt to take away as much rubbish that I can hold whenever I leave a beach.
This behaviour should be actively encouraged!
What if rubbish bins were designed to also dispense plastic bags and disposable gloves that people could use to collect rubbish in an area before they leave. Perhaps these bins could be designed with cartoons or imagery that educate children about the benefits of collecting litter and encourage them to take part as well, or challenge them to collect as much litter as possible (litter treasure hunt anyone?) well maybe that’s a long reach, but kids do like games right?
A similar concept for specialised bins exists for dog owners where special dog poop collection bins are placed in areas where people walk dogs which also dispense plastic bags for dog owners to collect their dog’s waste if they’ve not brought their own bags. The message here is “you have no excuse“.
It’s true you probably wouldn’t see an overnight change in people who littered in the past to start cleaning up other peoples litter just from a well designed bin like I’ve described above. But seeing other people act is a powerful motivator. When people don’t litter there is nothing obvious to see (except a lack of litter) but observing other people actively cleaning up might prove to the type of social reminder that is needed to prevent these people from littering themselves.
New Zealand has a long running “Be A Tidy Kiwi” campaign, one of the aims over the next three years is to “Maximise use of litter bins by designing them well“. I’d love to see a trial of rubbish bins that were designed with affordances to encourage people to clean up other peoples litter.
Some people might object to the use of so much plastic (in the dispensed bags and gloves) as a proposed solution to litter. Others might argue the extra cost involved in providing the bags and gloves. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this problem.
Design for change!
If you like what you see here subscribe by rss or email to keep updated of new content.
