Green Breakthrough Using Design Thinking - Student Services Center

摘要

Describe the product/service. What are the major functions it performs?We propose creating a student services center on campus that will assist in used material sharing, buying and selling, and offer services to inform students of their options beyond the bookstore. One of the center’s major function would include creating a knowledge base for where to buy, rent or sell back textbooks for the best prices. The center would also assist students in attaining used binders, calculators, and other supplies to share or sell. The center would keep copies on hand of current required books for students to use instead of purchasing their own or struggling to use the library’s copies. The most essential function of the center would be to compare old editions of books to current editions and put together electronic update packets to be offered to students free of charge. Electronic update packets would allow students to purchase older editions and still have the current material, which would keep editions in circulation much longer.Who is the customer?The customers are all Boise State University students who wish to save money attaining their required materials for classes. Some students receive funding for their books, which requires them to purchase the edition requested by the instructor. These students would find it difficult to use the student services center, while all other students would be the target demographic.What is/are major the benefit(s) to the customer?The major benefits to the customer are less expensive materials for classes and a place where they can sell the materials they no longer need. Students will have the ability to buy, sell and trade items. Students will have the opportunity to conduct transactions peer-to-peer or from the student services center directly.What is/are the major environmental benefit(s)?The major environmental benefits will be the reduction of air pollution from reduced production, transportation and waste. The net impact of each textbook would be cut in half for each additional edition that does not have to be produced for students in Boise. Less new editions would need to be produced as more students would make use of previous editions that are already produced. Transportation would decrease as less new editions would need to be shipped to Boise, and less previous editions would need to be shipped out of Boise. Waste would be reduced as previous editions would stay in circulation longer before being recycled.