HAPPYTAP USER EXPERIENCE STUDY
PRODUCT DESIGN & Development Manager, WATERSHED
MEKONG DELTA, VIETNAM
overview
the challenge
Handwashing is key to stopping fecal-oral transmission of disease. Few people in rural Vietnam practice good hygiene behaviors, as they lack convenient access to running water in their homes.
WaterSHED, in collaboration with an IDEO designer, developed the HappyTap, branded as "LaBobo," the world’s first purpose-built, mass-produced handwashing station. (NOTE: It was designed before I joined WaterSHED; I am not the designer.) WaterSHED is working closely with the private sector in Vietnam to build a dynamic commercial market for handwashing devices. WaterSHED sought to improve the HappyTap product in order to better promote consistently-practiced hygiene behaviors as well as to boost sales for our retail partners.
Objectives:
Recommend improvements for 2nd-generation design
Identify market opportunities for accessories
stakeholders
Target customers/end users (rural households, restaurants, schools)
Distribution and retail partners
Salespeople
approach
Design Research & Co-creation: immersion/observation, in-depth interviews, co-creation activities
outcomes
Product development of Gen 2.0 has begun, with my recommendations being taken forward and tested by WaterSHED in Bangladesh, in partnership with Unilever and FHI360.
links
HappyTap
WaterSHED's HappyTap related resources
DESIGN RESEARCH
methods
In-context observation in homes, restaurants, and schools that had owned a HappyTap for at least 4 months
In-depth interviews with HappyTap owners, including co-creation activities wherein they used cardboard and wire to construct their ideas for improvement
In-depth inteviews with retailers who sell HappyTap
key insights
People who have the HappyTap actually use it
BUT many of these people use only water: many customers do not keep soap in dish because backsplash causes soap to dissolve and leave messy residue
Some customers prefer liquid soap over bar soap
Some people keep other toiletries (e.g. toothbrushes) with the HappyTap; they use it for more than handwashing
Tap sometimes gets clogged with silt
Sometimes water pools in the basin or splashes the user
INSIGHTS TO ACTION: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PRODUCT IMPROVEMENTS & ACCESSORIES
