Designing Sustainable Solutions for the New Zero Touch Society
Don't touch. Just read.
It’s hard to believe how quickly our world has transformed since the onset of COVID-19. Only a few months ago, we were pushing our way onto packed subway trains, dropping our kids off at school, squeezing that last person into the high-rise elevator on the way up to the office, going to a bar or restaurant over capacity, or even simply attending a concert. Now, the very fear of these things that were once a part of our regular routine have changed our world forever.
The National Institute of Health has revealed that COVID-19 can live on surfaces such as stainless steel and plastic up to 72 hours, leaving us more cautious than ever before on what, when, and how we choose to touch. The possibility of someone touching a contaminated door handle then infecting themselves by touching their face has lead to several major behavioral changes: people are increasing protectionary measures and reducing their moments of touch.
Gloves, masks, and protective equipment have become a part of our everyday lives, along with the social distancing and caution to avoid crowds.
“But is this practice actually sustainable? Masks are necessary and important to protect the community and us. And there are beautiful designed reusable solutions from brands, from people at home and even the bandana has a revival. The single-used plastic gloves are a different story. One study estimates that in the UK alone, if every person used a single-use face mask a day for a year, it would create an additional 66,000 tonnes of contaminated waste* and 57,000 tonnes of plastic packaging.”
We’ll need to think about how to protect ourselves while creating less waste, and we’ll need to be smart about the way we move forward in this new, touch-reduced world. How might we redesign existing environments and experiences by leveraging cutting-edge technology that will allow people to interact with things without touch?
At LAB13 by MRM, we believe in design and its ability to drive change and create value in the world. Design is a mindset and process at the intersection of human needs, trends, and business opportunities in order to tackle challenges that will positively affect individuals, communities, ecosystems, and brands.
We need new ways of thinking, new ways of framing problems, and ultimately new ways of collaborating outside of pure innovation disciplines. This requires a transformational mindset, the mindset of collaboration and change by design.
We understand the need for change by design now more than ever before, and are excited to release our Zero Touch Society white paper that further examines how the world is changing as a result of COVID-19, social distancing, and reduced moments of touch.
Innovative Provocations
WORK: With work reimagined, how might companies leverage technologies like 3D printing, beacons and motion sensors to create a touch-less work environment for people to move around office space?
EDUCATION: In transforming education, how might we use haptic sensors, biometric measurement and smart AI technologies such as voice recognition and virtual reality (VR) to enhance the social interactions for children and create new learning experiences?
TRAVEL: How might we use image recognition, gesture control, facial recognition and AI to design a touchless and safe travel experience?
RETAIL: How might brands leverage near-field technology, AR, robotics and voice to automate processes for people in their retail environments and create a frictionless and touch-reduced shopping experience with less human interactions?
SOCIAL: How might we use smart sensors and technologies like machine learning and augmented reality by connecting them with existing devices and ecosystems to minimize touch and keep distance while still allowing people to socialize in larger groups?
HEALTH: How might providers, insurers and brands inside – and outside – the health space use this new reality of consumer care, with predictive modeling, voice and acoustical analysis to put the user at the center of care, rethink their offerings and experiences for staying healthy, and limit human interactions and touch?
We invite you to take a deeper dive into these behavioral truths, key provocations, and takeaways for reimagined spaces of life, while also learning about products and solutions already created by LAB13 by MRM that can be applied to these new realities.
Download the Zero Touch Society White Paper here: zero-touch-society.mrm.com