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Using Human-Centered Design to Create a Hazardous Waste Management App for use in Rural Alaska
Citation:
Sayles, J., R. Furey, M. Ten Brink, G. Carvalho, B. Crossman, L. Zender, R. Kosinski, S. Sebalo, P. Lemieux, T. Boe, S. Davis, AND K. Krauss. Using Human-Centered Design to Create a Hazardous Waste Management App for use in Rural Alaska. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-23/058, 2023.
Impact/Purpose:
Most rural communities in the State of Alaska lack the infrastructure to safely dispose of hazardous household waste products, such as, but not limited to, batteries, light bulbs, and electronics. These materials can release toxins into the environment when improperly disposed, impacting plants, animals, and people. Residents of these communities are a majority Alaska Native and it is usually Tribal governments and people who own and operate landfills and provide waste management services. Residents and managers are distinctly aware of the harm that released chemicals may pose to human health and the impact they have on important cultural and subsistence hunting, fishing, and gathering activities. Many communities participate in “backhaul,” a relatively expensive process that involves shipping waste out of villages in barges and planes that would otherwise return to port empty. Backhaul coordination is challenging and training is needed to ensure that waste is packed properly and safely. The Backhaul Alaska Program was created to address these challenges on a statewide scale. After developing successful approaches in several pilot locations, the Backhaul Alaska Program identified a need to develop a digital application, or app, to support and improve backhaul training, waste inventory, tracking, and feedback. This Regional-State-Tribal Innovation Project (RSTIP) evaluates how an app can best support the Backhaul Program and how different technology options might address these needs. We took a human-centered design approach that considers how the design of a technology affects all stakeholders, not just target users, and looks at the full socio-political context in which a product is developed and deployed. Our work included speaking with Backhaul Alaska Program participants, waste management experts, technology experts, and other programs that developed similar apps in the region; it also included analyzing video footage of people inventorying and packing waste for Backhaul Alaska. Our research identified, and reports, critical themes that app development must address. We evaluate different users’ app needs and how users relate to and work with digital technology. We outline existing knowledge gaps about users’ needs and how these unknowns should be taken into consideration when developing an app. We also evaluate the pros and cons of four app development options and how they suit the Backhaul Alaska Program. Our work provides a blueprint for developing one or more options to support Backhaul Alaska and provides important lessons learned for other programs that operate in similar contexts and might wish to develop apps. This report will interest people working on municipal solid waste management in remote areas, or developing apps to support natural resource management activities, particularity among communities with indigenous populations.
Description:
By necessity, roughly 200 communities in rural Alaska operate Class III landfills that are not lined, potentially allowing household hazardous waste (HHW, e.g., batteries, electronics, and light bulbs) to leach chemicals into the environment. Waste burning is also carried out at many of these landfills to reduce waste volume; this can be another entry point of toxins into the environment depending on the types of materials and how they are burned. HHW materials can also react within landfills and explode or catch fire under certain circumstances. Residents of communities in rural Alaska are a majority Alaska Native and it is usually Tribal governments and people who own and operate the landfill and provide waste management services. These people are distinctly aware of the harm released chemicals may pose to human health and the impact they have on important cultural and subsistence hunting, fishing, and gathering activities. Many communities participate in “backhaul,” which involves shipping waste out of villages in barges and planes that would otherwise return to port empty. Even at reduced backhaul rates, the practice is expensive, coordination is challenging, and training is needed to ensure waste is packed properly and safely. The Backhaul Alaska Program was created to address these challenges on a statewide scale. After developing successful approaches in several pilot locations, the Backhaul Alaska Program identified a need to develop a digital application, or app, to support and improve backhaul training, waste inventory, tracking, and feedback. In response, this Regional-State-Tribal Innovation Project (RSTIP) evaluates how an app can best support the Backhaul Program and how different technology options might address these needs. We took a human-centered design approach that considers how the design of a technology affects all stakeholders, not just target users, and looks at the full socio-political context in which a product is developed and deployed. We conducted 45 conversations, presentations, and/or workshops with 38 individuals internal and external to the Backhaul Alaska Program and analyzed video footage of a pilot app being used by the program. Through qualitative analysis, our research details critical themes and other program considerations that app development must address. We evaluate different users’ app needs and how users relate to and work with digital technology. Critically important for app development, we also outline existing knowledge gaps about users’ needs and how these unknowns should be taken into consideration when developing an app. We also evaluate the pros and cons of four app development options and how they suit Backhaul Alaska. While there is no perfect solution, our work provides a blueprint for developing one or more options to support Backhaul Alaska and provides important lessons learned for other programs operating in similar contexts that might wish to develop apps.