Adam Reineck

Research exploring sanitation in low-income urban India was playfully dubbed The Potty Project. The study pursued a user-centered examination of behaviours, experiences and attitudes to existing modes of sanitation in a variety of selected slums across India.

The prototyping process with the IDEO.org Evotech team takes some twists and turns as the team works to complete an endoscopy device prototype for pilot distribution around the world.

Prototype, test, refine, repeat.

IDEO.org Fellow Adam Reineck and his IDEO.org team kick off a project in Kenya designing new opportunities for a company that equips low-income young people with digital skills and education opportunities leading to longterm employment.

Braving nearly impassable roads and 12,000 foot peaks (and fortified with delicious chai tea), Adam Reineck and the Winrock team visit communities using multiple use water (MUS) schemes in rural Nepal. 

The IDEO team spends time with Naandi Foundation in India designing appropriate water vessels for use at community treatment plants.

From the IDEO Ghanasan Team: The people in the community trust their leaders to filter information and present them with relevant information. It became clear to us in Kumsai, Ghana, that close involvement from elders, religious leaders and politicians would have to play a large role through-out the design process – as they are the community gate-keepers to the acceptance of new ideas. 

The challenge with a wide scope of opportunities is that the system which links them must be robust enough not to breakdown at any point.

Tough issues can arise during prototyping and the road to piloting may be rocky. Don't loose faith! It's important to keep listening, learning, evaluating and iterating.

At IDEO, designers live by the mantra “fail early, fail often,” and we’ve kept true to that this week here in Ghana. After leaving four toilet prototypes with families to test for a few days, we met with the families and came across some pointed criticisms from the users.

IDEO.org starts a new project with the World Bank’s Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP) to identify opportunities for new and more accessible savings products serving low-income Mexicans. As we get ready to depart for Mexico, here's a quick overview of the project.