Our Goal
Actively rebranding insects and reducing food insecurity for the younger generation children (4-10) in Pittsburgh through providing a well designed, playful vending machine.
Feedback Loop Diagram
Stakeholders
Touchpoints
Processes
S.W.O.T
Insect Research
Massive Insect: Aphids
Insect: Aphids, sap-sucking insects and members of the superfamily Aphidoidea.
Aphids regional to Pittsburgh: green peach aphid, melon aphid, tulip-tree aphid, and rose aphid.
Aphids regional to Pittsburgh: green peach aphid, melon aphid, tulip-tree aphid, and rose aphid.
Honeydew, excreted by aphids from plant sap, is collected by bees to produce a dark, strong-flavored honey that's less sweet and acidic than regular honey. Valued for its high mineral and antioxidant content, honeydew honey is sought after in North America and Europe and is known for its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory benefits.
Aphids Products in Vending Machine
Nutrients that users should consume include carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins and minerals, and water.
Meals Ready-to-Eat
- Pierogi Party - Bug Mushroom Pierogi
- Pasta - Bug Sauce Alfredo
- Vegetable Soup
Snacks
- Nutritional protein bar
- Gummies- get aphid gelatin
Drinks (Revenue Generator)
- Turner’s Iced Tea
- Soy Milk
- Orange Juice
Marketing Research
- American culture has developed strong aversions and visceral responses toward the thought of consuming insects on a regular basis.
- Most information pertaining to bugs recognizes insects as a food source that is consumed in famine-stricken deprived countries, thereby associating bugs with a survival technique.
- Bugs represent a threat to the cultural identity ingrained within American society.
- Historically, Native Americans used to eat insects including aphids.
- Barclays predicts the edible bug industry could be worth $8 billion by 2030
- Now, bugs are found in experimentalcuisines and have an eco-friendly reputation
- The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization has encourages the consumption of insects since 2013
- Redefining the perception of insects as pests
- Crickets are the gateway bug
According to the “2008 YTV Kids and Tweens Report, kids influence: Breakfast choices (97% of the time) and lunch choices (95% of the time).”
- Use characters popular among that age group to promote your products.
- Have ads that show children interacting with other children.
- Slogans, catchy tunes, and popular songs with lyrics written for children or ads that use cartoon characters to communicate a message.
- Contests and incentive programs: for example, the Pizza Hut reading incentives program Book It! in which children receive certificates for free pizza if they achieve a monthly reading goal.
Existing Designs
User Research
Users
- Children (4-10), attending school
- Height: 3 feet 2 inches to 4 feet 6 inches
- Use meal stamps (3 per day) - can log in through a system in the vending machine or use a card-scanning device.
How do children interact with vending machines?
- Product selection: children may be drawn to products with bright colors or packaging that features popular characters or brands.
- Retrieval: retrieve food from the machine, or stand on their tiptoes to see inside. Need mechanisms for dispensing products at a lower height to make it easier for children to retrieve them.
- Interaction with machine features: Children may also be curious about the touchscreen displays or buttons.
What features are important to children when using vending machines?
- Quick & accessible healthy food.
- Vending machines provide options for kids with dietary restrictions: a hidden benefits of healthy vending machines in schools is quality options for kids with dietary restrictions.
Stakeholder Timeline
Marketing + Branding
Vending Machine Design
Accessibility—Height reachable for most children
- Average height of 4-10 year old children is 37-59 inches
- Vending machine height: 55 inches, slightly taller than the average height of an eight-year-old child
- Food package size: 6 inches * 6 inches * 6 inches
- Layer height: 8-9 inches
Color—Bright and vibrant colors
- Using colors with high brightness and saturation, such as yellow and green, can create a cheerful and bright feeling.
Design—Cute, interesting, and distinctive designs
- The overall design of the vending machine simulates the shape of a caterpillar, with each module being a hexagonal shape that can be combined in any arrangement.
Vending Machine Form Concepts
- Concept: Caterpillar
- Form: Sphere or hexagonal modules
- Actions: hover, fly or walk around, attach and detach
- Caterpillar Species Inspiration: calico paint caterpillar
Vending Machine Form Iterations
Vending Machine Final Form
The final vending machine features hexagonal modules in yellow and green, equipped with a card reader, a touchscreen for ordering food, and a retrieval pocket for collecting the food. It will have four layers for food storage.
Views
Front
Side
Top
Combination of modules
How it travels–hovering
Views
Vending Machine Materials
Main Body: Powder Coated Galvanized Steel
Manufactured through galvanizing, sheet metal bending, welding, and powder coating. Utilizes steel from electric arc furnaces, leveraging 100% recycled scraps for sustainability and powder coating for lower emissions. End-of-life recycling back to steelmakers.
Edges: 60A Recycled Rubber
Cut to size by hand, made from recycled rubber. Offers a safer, more playful alternative to steel, withstands temperatures from 0 to 210°.
Retrieval Pocket Door: Cork Leather on a steel frame
Hand and die-cut, featuring cork leather for enhanced CO2 absorption. Cork is sustainable, biodegradable, and recyclable.
Water Tank: Stainless steel lined with porcelain enamel, solar panels
Fabricated via sheet metal bending, enameling, welding, and powder coating. Sustainability practices align with the main body.
Packaging
Concept
- Interactive, second life for packaging
Actions
- Unfold
- Unravel
- Stackable
Material
- polyethylene (PE) coated paper
Idea
- Origami Packaging, Simple box packaging --> Vegetative collectibles
- Forms follow what aphids destroy:
- Peach
- Tulip
- Melon
- Collectible
- Educational
Original Food Packaging
Final Reused Collectible
Original Packaging
Unravel = Food Receptacle
Origami Collectible
Intended Packaged Faces
Test Graphic on Folded Packaging
Meal Size
Snack Size
Interface Design
Website Users: all adult stakeholders (parents, schools, nonprofit organizations)
- Wants to be more involved with obtaining an accessible food source for their children, schools, and organizations.
- Want to learn more about the vending machine product.
Vending Machine Screen Users: Elementary children at schools
- Hungry and want a snack or meal
- Quickly and easily get and eat their food
Day in the Life of a User
Website: Information Architecture
Website: Complete Features
Goal: Present information about our organization, Hungry Hungry Caterpillar
Users will be able to:
- Learn more about Aphids and how we use Aphids for food
- Learn more about our organization and mission
- Learn about the foods we provide
- Learn where to find the vending machines
- Contact/Join Us
Website: Low Fidelity Prototypes
Website: Final Prototype
Home
Menu
Map
Aphid Education
Contact
Vending Machine Screen: Low Fidelity Prototype
Vending Machine Screen: Final Prototype
Start
Menu
Product Info
Cart
Complete Order
Mobile: Final Prototype
