CoCo: Compost Companion
Debbie Jung · 2023
Food waste is a major source of greenhouse gases and contributes significantly to climate change. Compost Companion, or CoCo, is a wearable anthropomorphic device that uses a GPS system to track composting locations on a college campus to make reducing food waste easy for students. CoCo provides informational feedback on the amount of food that a user has composted or wasted, as well as emotional feedback through the wagging of its tail based on how well the user has been composting. Information including composting locations and amount of food discarded are displayed through an OLED screen, and tail wagging is operated by a Servo motor. CoCo was designed over several iterations based on feedback received from users through surveys, interviews and observations, as well as from subject matter experts through the Delphi method. Overall, findings suggest that CoCo is usable and creates enjoyable composting experiences for users through empathy.