1.2 FIND THE GAP

What is bothering me?  Following are lists of my issues.  I hope that listing them will lead to the creation of artifacts that will fill up these gaps:

1) *Dog poo not cleared in public areas.  Can we design a dog poo scoop that look cool and readily available at no cost?
2)  Make it easier to pick up a foreign language in a multi racial country especially at eateries.  I order food in my language and press a button for the translation to another language I am interested to pick up.  It could be the language of the person serving me who can correct me if I am wrong with the pronunciation.
3) How to dress my age without having my teenage children branding me "aunty" looking.  What artifact can I use to update myself?
4)  Children should not be on their computers all day long.  What can we do about that and not worry that they are not up to date with tech?
5) Cushion covers are such a hassle to remove to clean.  Is it possible to create cushion covers that are layered so that stained sections can be easily remove to reveal clean surface.
6) Is there a way to levitate furnitures to ease cleaning under them?
7) Lizard poo.  How do we stop them from leaving their poos at every corner of the house?
8)  How can I stop forgetting to bring home my mobile phone?  Sometimes I can't remember where I left them.
9) It is difficult to track payment made online.  There is a tendency to make payment twice as I may have scheduled to make the payment before but have forgotten about it.
10)  Elderly folks who need to go for check up regularly.  The wait is long to see a doctor even when  appointments have been made.  This takes up time from work of the children who have to tag along.  There should be a system whereby, elderly folks scheduled to see doctors can be tracked and picked up to go together so that they can meet up and chat while they wait.  That way, the children can come by to pick them up when they are through with the gathering.

1.1. Good Design

I do not have very well defined eyebrows so I have to use an eyebrow pencil on a daily basis.  This is what I like about the current brand I am using based on its design:

1) Most companies still supply eyebrow pencil in pencil form so a sharpener is required to shave the wood.
2) Trees are saved with this design.  The lead which is in the right thickness to ease drawing on the brow is encased in a plastic holder.
3) All I need to do is to twist the lead out as I use it so I do not waste any through the former sharpening process.
4) It has an appropriately shaped brush attached so that I do not have to buy one separately.  That eliminates one of my previous peeves of forgetting to bring a brow brush along when I travel.
5) I can easily refill the lead even from another brand as long as the thickness is the same.
6) I use other brands to refill when there is a promotion on to save cost.
7) I also like it that with the see through cover, I can see which end of the eyebrow pencil holds the brush.
8) This eyebrow pencil also works well as an eye liner.

1.2 What is bothering me?

I think it is sad that dog owners take their pets out for walks but do not clean up after them.  You can see dog poo in the parks your children play at and sometimes right in front of your gate, which is very unpleasant way to start your day. 

I did a search and discovered that owners find it not cool to be walking around with a dog poo scoop.   So, can I do anything about that?

Based on what I have picked up from the Design Course with Coursera, this is the process I should be working on.


Sense Gap:  
Why can't dog owners clean up their pets' poo?
 
Define problem: 
Dogs are considered untouchable by Muslims in my country so this issue with poo left in public areas does not endear them to dogs and their owners even to those who dutifully clear their dogs' poo.
 
Explore alternatives:   
Based on research carried out, pet owners feel awkward about walking around with a dog poo scoop.  Some claimed to have forgotten to bring  scoops along. 
 
Select plan:  
1) Pet owners should be informed of the health hazard faced by anyone who had inadvertently step on their pets' poo.  
2) The information should be given out free and easily available.  It is possible to give out free dog poo scoop if companies that supply pet related product are willing to sponsor the project.  
3) Advertisement of their company can be printed on the dog poo scoop they sponsored to give out.  
4) Children in school can be taught to make dog poo scoop out waste material, such as, plastic bottles.  That way, we can teach them to grow up to be responsible owners of pets and also save the environment by teaching them to  think "green" in resolving problems.  Such eco-freindly scoop can be placed in public parks so that pets' owners can use them when required.  I think pet owners will be more willing to take out such scoops if they can easily make them personally.