Trash Can Redesign: Generate and Prioritize Ten User-Driven Improvements

Reinvent the everyday trash can. Propose ten new features that would make it meaningfully better for the people who use it: decide who you are designing for, tie each feature to a real frustration, and say which ones you would build first. ```hint Walk through a bin's week Before brainstorming, follow one household's bin from the first item thrown in until collection day. Features that fix a specific moment along that path are stronger than a list of gadgets. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Is this a kitchen bin at home, an office bin or a public street bin, or is the setting my choice? - Can the redesign include sensors, batteries and an app, or should it stay an unpowered, low-cost product? - Is there a target price, or am I free to design a premium bin? - Do all ten features need to fit one model, or can they be spread across a basic and an upgraded version? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A deliberate choice of setting and user segment before any features are proposed - Pain points traced through the bin's whole lifecycle, not only the moment something is thrown away - Ten distinct features, each tied to a pain point, mixing simple mechanical fixes with connected ideas - A prioritization that weighs user value against cost, reliability and power needs - How success would be measured, and the risks of the more ambitious ideas ### Follow-up Questions - If the bin had to sell at roughly the price of an ordinary one, which three features would you keep, and why? - How would the design change for public street bins, where the buyer is a city rather than the person using the bin? - How would you test demand for the connected features before committing to manufacturing?