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Our Tissue Issues

By:

Disha Bisto (University of New Brunswick)

Hawa Latuke (Wilfrid Laurier University)

Date: March 19, 2021

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Initial Approach

Brainstorm

Assessing major

global environmental challenges

Guest Research

Finding out what human behaviors are influencing driving identified challenges

Gather Expert Advice

Discuss findings with mentor to understand if the identified problem can be influenced by users

Decision Matrices

Based on research, scoring to pick the consumer behaviour to be altered

Define Problem Statement

State the targeted consumer behavior

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Problem Statement

How can we shift the purchasing choice of tree-based toilet paper to greener alternatives ?

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Environmental impacts

Water Consumption

Deforestation

Increased Carbon Emissions

Waste Creation

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Research & Findings - Survey

Number of Respondents = 46

Covering all provinces and territories across Canada
Mostly between ages 18-65

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Research & Findings - Survey

Top 3 factors influencing the purchasing choices

Cost Quality Environmental Impact

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Research and Findings - Interviews

Intrigued by the chosen topic
Not exposed to research about toilet paper
Environmental impact of toilet paper is not usually discussed
Surprised by the popularity/availability of alternatives

What participants found the most interesting in the survey ?

Find out the environmental impacts of toilet paper
Reduce toilet paper consumption

Actions participants want to take after doing the survey

Research & Findings - Interviews

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Users buying toilet paper

Empathy Map - All Toilet Paper Users

Unaware of impact on carbon emissions and water

Cost, quality and environmental impact are most important

53.8% buy toilet paper in packs of 12

64.3% buy toilet paper monthly

56.1% spend $10-25 on

toilet paper in a single p purchase

Does not think of the environmental impacts

Wants an easy-to-use

product

How long the amount purchased will last

Low cost is important

Uncertainty: when looking at different alternatives of toilet

paper

Comfort using toilet paper because it is something they

are familiar with

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�

Users considering alternatives

84% have heard of bidet, 87.9% do not have a bidet,

41.2% learnt of bidet from friends/family

Exposed to alternatives

from cultural

upbringing

53.8% buy toilet paper in packs of 12

64.3% buy toilet paper monthly

56.1% spend $10-25 on

toilet paper in a single p purchase

Wants an easy-to-use

product

How long the amount purchased will last

Unsure if it is possible to completely eliminate toilet paper usage with bidet

Uncertain about hygiene

Worried about comfort

of all house members

Worried about difficulty in using alternatives to toilet paper

Empathy Map - Users Considering Alternatives

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�

Targeted

Users

Empathy Map

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Solution proposed:

Website to provide unbiased information about toilet paper and alternatives

Cost Comparisons
Environmental Impact: Water, Carbon Emissions and Waste
Choices of toilet paper and bidet seats

Transparency will be key
No partnership with brands
Ambassador program – safe community for discussion
Social Media Campaign

Design – Website, Ambassadors & Social Media

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Design – Website Figma Prototype

Our solution prototype was built on Figma. A few pages can be seen on the slides. All content of the website has been added to the appendix.

The first page is our decision guide page, where users can scroll and view the cost and environmental impacts of alternatives. Our cost calculations were based on an average of the 3 most famous brands in Canada.

The second page is an example alternatives page, it provides key information on various types of toilet paper available and additional influential factors indicated by our survey.

After learning about the alternatives, users can book a meeting with an ambassador to discuss their concerns, installation issues or other innovative solutions to combat our tissue issues

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Our solution prototype was built on Figma. A few pages can be seen on the slides. All content of the website has been added to the appendix.

The first page is our decision guide page, where users can scroll and view the cost and environmental impacts of alternatives. Our cost calculations were based on an average of the 3 most famous brands in Canada. Under water impact comparison, users can see that the production one 1 tree-based toilet paper requires 17x as much water used to make a bamboo-based toilet paper.

The second page is an example alternatives page, it provides key information on various types of toilet paper available and additional influential factors indicated by our survey.

After learning about the alternatives, users can book a meeting with an ambassador to discuss their concerns, installation issues or other innovative solutions to combat our tissue issues

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Design – User Feedback

Add variation in the color palette

Include the water theme on the website

Decision Guide page is bulky

Add information on using a bidet

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Design – Improved Prototype

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Conclusion

Current consumption pattern of toilet paper is driving climate change
Users are willing to consider switching to greener alternatives
Lack of exposure and information available on impacts and alternatives
‘Our Tissue Issues’ design will bridge the knowledge gap
Support residents of Canada in choosing cost-effective and sustainable alternatives to tree-based toilet paper
Water conservation, restore carbon dioxide imbalance & reduce plastic waste

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Questions?

Thank you for your attention! Reach out to our team.

Disha L Bisto

dbisto@unb.ca

University of New Brunswick Fredericton

Research-based MSc. in Mechanical Engineering

BSc. in Chemical Engineering

Hawa Latuke

latu3130@mylaurier.ca

Appendices - Support Page

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Appendices - Support Page

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Appendices - Support Page