Zane Murray
For my project, on bedbugs; I would ask:
HOW:
Do bed bugs live? What are their biological characteristics? How to they find us, hunt us, feed off of us? How do we let them? How do we just put up with them, how to we, as a city, as a society not do something larger, stronger to fight them, to eradicate them? How do we let them spread more and more every year?
WHO:
Is most affected by bed bugs? What groups are involved?
WHAT:
Are better more effective, lower cost solutions
for treating, exterminating and preventing infestations?
WHY:
are we so disturbed even when hearing or thinking of bed bugs?
Why does a blood sucking parasite that lives in our bed cause far more emotional stress then other types of insects? Mosquito's far outnumber bed bugs, attacking us day and night everywhere we go, where we live, when we are asleep and awake, and they can carry disease (bed bugs don't). Never the less mosquito's don't carry nearly the stigma or fear that bed bugs do. Why is that? is it because they invade our 'safe, private' spaces? is it the idea of our beds being a sort of 'sanctuary' from the world, a protected retreat, that this 'idea' suddenly become violated by bed bugs, is this why they bother us so?
WHERE:
are the areas of the issue that I as a product designer can tackle? Where are bedbugs the biggest problem? Where are the biggest areas to solve?
WHEN:
is the right time to fight bed bugs? when you already have them? when infestations are bad? or perhaps before you even suspect you do? is a preemptive front the best course of action? are preventative measures the best way to confront the problem?
You have framed to problem very well: there is something especially unnerving about this particular pest. With mosquitos, you can get away from them by crawling under netting or at least swatting them. Bed bugs are scarier because they are all around and you don't see them as much (I assume). They also carry a social stigma, and fear of bed bugs might cause people to stop interacting, out of fear of "catching" bed bugs.
ReplyDeleteWhat can you say about the nature of the bedbug problem as a long term issue? What will happen that could expose new product possibilities? What if bed bug infestation becomes an epidemic and is everywhere? does that suggest a prophylactic course (taking steps because you expect and fear infestation), rather than a reactive one (where you just take action when you suspect you have already been infested)? At what rate are bed bugs spreading, and what can we predict about their prevalence in three or four years? What level of desperation will people tolerate before resorting to extreme measures, like using strong chemicals and pesticides in the home, near their beds? This project will require a lot of psychology.
zane, I just went out for dinner with some people, and they were all obsessed about bedbugs. they wouldn't check their coats at the restaurant, and two of them, who were staying at a hotel, brought their own sheets! If this escalates, there will be a new class of products developed to help people cope. You should ride that wave, but do it in an inventive, thoughtful way.
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