Good news, I found suitable inner containers for the MoSan toilet prototype in Germany. It was difficult to find the right size of containers, as we planed to use containers from Bangladesh. This prototype was produced in December in Germany to test the functionality of the molds, which were shipped to Bangladesh for further prototyping. The molds and one sample prototype are still in Bangladesh. This complete toilet unit (5 components) will be exhibited in Eschborn at GIZ headquarters.

The 5 liter bottle collects urine and the 8 liter bucket collects faeces. For testing the toilet and the daily collection service the bucket should have a tight fitting lid for safe transport of faeces from household to the place of treatment.






(Note from Moderator: The new discussion (started on 10 October 2012) about the MoSan refining of the design in preparation for a test trail is taking place here: forum.susana.org/forum/categories/52-mob...-mosan-toilet-design)

Hi Everyone,

please have a look. I uploaded some photographs of the second toilet prototype that was produced in December in Germany. And in two weeks this prototype will be shown at GIZ headquarters in Eschborn.

Photo set on flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/gtzecosan/sets/72157629840275107/

Description on Tumblr Blog: mosan-bangladesh.tumblr.com/

Unfortunately the inner containers are still missing, as they were planned to be produced in Bangladesh, but time wise it was not possible to finish the prototyping.

Currently we are planning new ways to continue prototyping and to test the toilet with user. Updates follow soon.

Here are a couple of photos as an appetiser, see more on the two links given above:

IMG_9150 by Sustainable sanitation , on Flickr

IMG_1531 by Sustainable sanitation , on Flickr

IMG_1514 by Sustainable sanitation , on Flickr

- Mona

Dear Everyone,

just yesterday I posted impressions and notes about the prototyping in Bangladesh from February 2012 on our tumblr blog (mosan-bangladesh.tumblr.com/).
Since the delivery of the molds from Germany to Bangladesh had a delay of 4 weeks we had just 5 days to work with the model makers.
The model makers had to get used to the molds and the new prototype shape. They had to find the right combination of plastics in Bangladesh, the right kind of jute and the right way of laminating this new shape.
This was a lot to get done within 5 days. The plan was to have 20 prototypes for a future test usage in an urban slum in Bangladesh, but unfortunately we couldn't finish the prototyping process.
The first results of prototyping were not satisfying yet, but step by step the quality improved.

Back in Germany I analyze the technical problems they occurred during prototyping in Bangladesh. This will help us to continue as fast as possible and to learn from the trial and errors.

MoSan blog (mosan-bangladesh.tumblr.com/)

If you have experience prototyping or experience working in Bangladesh, please let me know.
I am looking forward to your responds.

Best,
Mona

Dear llaelv ,

one of the most important facts about the MoSan toilet is the daily emptying of inner containers. This will avoid insects breeding inside the toilet. As well ash is used to cover faeces.
An advance training will show users how important the covering is and how it avoids smell the better they cover faeces.
And like Elisabeth said, since the toilet is used by one family or household the willingness to keep the toilet clean will be much higher than with public used toilets.

But please explain your doubts more in detail. This will support our discussion.

Thanks,
Mona

Dear llaelv (your real name?),

I am happy to see that you have discovered this form and already made 4 posts. But please do give us at least a one-line introduction about who you are and where you work (and your name). This forum is not an anonymous one, we like to you know we are talking to. Thanks.

And by the way, what do you mean by "portalet" here? The MoSan would be a household item and as it is directly in the living area of the hut, people would have a pretty good incentive to keep their little toilet clean. (it weighs about 4 kg by the way, and is made of jute-reinforced plastic).

Regards,
Elisabeth (in my role as forum admin)

Being able to provide portalets on the areas of the urbane poor is really a great idea but there are times that they fire back when not properly maintained.

There have been problems when portalets even cause problems that solutions when they are not looked over properly.

They are a common breeding ground for insects and an area where bacteria and virus thrive, making them really hazardous to one's health.

Hi Mona,

While I can't directly answer your question about research methods, I wanted to share a few thoughts and resources on research and testing. I'm certainly not an expert, it's just something I am very passionate about so I can't help but put in my two cents! I realise as a designer you probably know a lot more about some of this than I do, so feel free to disregard anything that is not helpful.


USABILITY

People may not be good (or comfortable) at answering questions about how well the toilet worked, what they liked or disliked. Of course it is important to ask these questions, but try to include as much observation as possible into the research – normally you would want to observe someone while using the product, but in this case that’s not possible, so consider checking on how well urine and feaces are separated, how many times it appears to be used, how well ash is used, etc.

If possible, it would also be interesting to try to incorporate some informal data collection by having someone engage in casual conversation with users about the product. They may feel more comfortable speaking to someone they know or having a chat that is not ‘official’. Or maybe consider interviewing neighbours, friends or family members to see what certain users have said about the product. Try to have researchers pick up on emotions like how confident people appear to be about using the product, etc.

And of course, it’s always a good idea to have researchers (and designers ) test the product so that they are able to identify and ask about issues that users might come across.

Here is a usability testing report from a urinal project in Kenya that might be helpful: www.susana.org/docs_ccbk/susana_download...-report-feb-2011.pdf

There may be some helpful ideas here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usability_testing and here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usability#Evaluation_methods

It would be good to include people with disabilities and the elderly to understand how user friendly it is for them. Here is a resource on Usability Testing for people with disabilities: www.uiaccess.com/accessucd/ut_plan.html


DESIRABILITY

Do users want a MoSan? And more importantly, why do they want (or not want) the MoSan? This will help develop a promotion strategy based on the factors/benefits that motivate people to invest in and use the product.


SYSTEM FUNCTIONALITY

Through observation, interviews, surveys, FGDs, etc, it should be fairly straightforward to collect information on how well the system works, how satisfied users and collectors are, time involved, equipment required, etc.


FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS

It will be important in the trial to try to establish actual costs of the MoSan itself and of the system. This will be vital in establishing price and assessing sustainability. Once a tentative price is established, it will be necessary to do a full pilot to test the market viability of the product with a larger sample.

Willingness to pay:

One of the key financial considerations is whether or not people are willing
to pay. It can be difficult for people (especially those with very little
money) to hypothetically answer the questions “Are you willing to pay?” and
“How much?”. I would suggest:

- Ensuring from the beginning that all participants are very clear that this is
a test to make sure the product works, and that ultimately use of the MoSan
will not be free.

- At the end, presenting them with a non-hypothetical situation/questions to
respond to. Something along the lines of “As you know there are costs involved
in producing and servicing your MoSan. If you would like to continue using it,
the cost would be X per week/month – Will you continue using it at this
price?” Maybe even give them the option to pay and continue using it for a
period of time, if the collection services can be arranged and managed. Perhaps
test 2-3 different price points among the different households. It’s not a
large sample size so the findings won’t be very robust, but at least it’s an
indicator.

More thoughts on willingness to pay here: www.wsp.org/wsp/sites/wsp.org/files/user...rketing-Strategy.pdf

~

Generally speaking, I think the resources in the Sanitation Marketing Toolkit (www.wsp.org/wsp/toolkit/toolkit-home) are quite helpful, although in some areas they don't go into much detail.

Those are just a few thoughts to start with. Let me know if you want any more input from my side,

Ashley

Dear readers,

after producing the last prototype I asked one workman to test the toilet prototype for sitting.
Uwe who was responsible for the prototyping was happy to be the first test person.

He even found something looking like toilet paper
But to avoid confusion. Slum dwellers will wash themselves at a separate place and usually don't use toilet paper.

The toilet was very stable and stand the weight of about 80kg.

Dear all,

this week the prototyping finally continued. Today I uploaded new impressions to my separate blog, see here: mosan-bangladesh.tumblr.com/

Some problems occurred and the mold for the seat needs to be overworked. The part of the mold which shapes the urine funnel was too small and unstable. It broke and made the releasing very difficult.

On Monday one complete prototype will be produced for exhibition at GIZ headquarter in Eschborn.
On Tuesday the molds will be shipped to Frankfurt airport and later shipped by airfreight to Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The prototyping will be continued in Dhaka and a user test will be conducted in Mymensingh.
We are planning the user test right now and I am researching on suitable methods.

Does someone know about approved methods for user interviews after testing a new product? Is it better to first start with questionnaires and later do interviews in person? Im very happy about advice or reference to books or websites.

We will also meet NGO's in Dhaka to learn from their experience and to start cooperations.

Many thanks.
Mona

This picture shows the first assembled toilet. The red color is dust from the workshop and will be removed.

Dear all,

Mona has recenetly given a further update on her blog including a video clip of the first demolding (= this is when the product is taken out of the mold), see here:

mosan-bangladesh.tumblr.com

Her blog and video are very professionally done, documenting step by step the production process including the problems which occurred. This is very interesting particularly for people (like me) who are not familiar with the whole process of making moulds, creating new designs and so forth.

It is nice to see how specialised craftsmen from Germany are working hard to produce a suitable mold which will help people in Bangladesh to produce portable light-weight urine diversion toilets for urban slum dwellers. Isn't that a nice example of globalisation? (or should we call it Klobalisation, a play on words in German because Klo means toilet in German)

Stay tuned, let's see how it all pans out.

Regards,
Elisabeth

Dear everyone please excuse my absence from our discussion. I was very busy preparing the prototype production.

Today I am more than happy to announce that the production started in Germany. Also I started a MoSan blog to inform about updates. Please see impressions of the first prototyping day:
MoSan on Tumblr

Best,
Mona

Hi All

My apologies, I haven't got time for detailed responses to all the above questions... though several are discussed in our Practice Note.

Very briefly in response to Elisabeth: yes, our toilet remains urine-diverting (see Practice Note). I don't have detailed information on the composition of the odour-control liquid... I know that odour control is a critical user requirement; that in initial tests users have been very happy with this aspect; and that a key technological requirement is that the liquid should be compatible with ongoing biodigestion of the waste in the holding tank and eventual treatment location.

We certainly plan to keep reporting on this project as trials continue and scale-up starts.

Great to hear about these other projects!

Cheers - Guy