Please share with us the product you have chosen (or a different one) in class: Bird E-Scooters
a. Describe the product.
Bird rents electric scooters to users on a case by case basis. The electric scooter are charged and maintained by a fleet of service technicians which repair them during product down time.
b. How would you redesign this product?
Adding in a carrying basket to enable users to make trips normally requiring a car/Uber. Enable the option to pay for day(s) length rentals versus the current limitation of cost being calculated in terms of time/distance. Shifting the plastics used to more up-cyclable versions.
c. What are the economic and environmental benefits of your new design?
It meets users demands while saving them money as they do not need to purchase the product and reduces the reliance on multiple forms of rented transportation, specially if it is idle most of the time. Regarding the environmental aspect, it reduces emissions, traffic and improves the lack of parking.
d. Which circular business models can you adopt?
The circular business models that are applicable to this service are ownership-lease, hybrid refill and long lifetime.
e. If you look at the butterfly diagram, to which cycle does your product belong?
The product belongs to the technical cycle.
f. Can you improve the business model by looking at the whole system?
Switching to more eco-friendly materials which would enable better recycling of parts unable to be refurbished.
~Samantha and Alex