◂ CONTENTS PROJECT 04 · SUGAR GLOBAL NETWORK · P. 19–21 NINE MONTHS · THREE CITIES

PROJECT 04 · A TECHNOLOGY WITH NO MARKET YET

The Artificial Leaf

An academic–industry innovation programme run on SUGAR’s Triple Diamond?TRIPLE DIAMONDSUGAR’s design process: three rounds of opening out and narrowing down, used to find where a technology could go, test it, and reframe the problem., with a six-person team of students from the University of Bologna and the Université Côte d’Azur. I was hired by the Innovation Centre for Entrepreneurship. The Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia was the client.

ROLE · PRODUCT DESIGNERNICE · BOLOGNA & TURIN · SAN FRANCISCO · 2021–2022
PROBLEMIIT had an artificial photosynthesis system built at lab scale, with no market for it yet.
MY PART
  • Desk research across nine fieldsDISCOVERY
  • Industry interviews?INTERVIEWEDBarilla, TotalEnergies, Covestro, ENEA, the Methanol Institute and the Bonifica Ferrara Consortium.6 ORGANISATIONS
  • CO/LAB, the onboarding toolPROTOTYPE
  • Service blueprints?SERVICE BLUEPRINTA diagram of a service phase by phase: what the person does, the touchpoints they meet, and what happens behind the scenes to support each step. and value proposition mapsALIGNMENT
  • Pitch at the SUGAR ExpoSAN FRANCISCO
OUTCOMEPrototype tested and validated for build with IITIndustry partner securedCO/LAB build-out levels carried out with IIT
L1L2L3L4
THE JOB COVERED · APPROXIMATE SHARE OF MY TIME
DISCOVERY AND STRATEGYNine fields narrowed twice, workshops, business model canvas
UX AND UICO/LAB, the onboarding tool
SERVICE DESIGNService blueprints and value proposition maps
MORE ABOUT THE ROLE ▾
ROLENICE · BOLOGNA & TURIN · SAN FRANCISCO · 2021–2022
JOB TITLEProduct Designer
QUESTI designed CO/LAB, the onboarding tool, and built the service blueprints?SERVICE BLUEPRINTA diagram of a service phase by phase: what the person does, the touchpoints they meet, and what happens behind the scenes to support each step. and value proposition maps that aligned the science and business sides. I pitched it at the SUGAR Expo in San Francisco.
TEAMSix students across service design, engineering, architecture, economics and education.
JUMP TO CO/LAB ▸
THE BRIEF

What the institute asked for

WHAT THEY HADAn artificial photosynthesis system turning CO₂ into carbon monoxide, formic acid, methanol, ethanol and ethylene using solar energy. Built at lab scale, with no market.Technology Readiness Level 4: still a lab technology.
THE CHALLENGE, AS WRITTENHow might we develop an innovative service based on the “Artificial photosynthesis technology” and create a business opportunity out of it?
THE METHOD · THREE WORLDS

Three diamonds, diverge and converge each time

  1. ◇ NEEDFINDING · AUTUMNWhere could it go?Desk research across nine fields, case studies of comparable technologies, expert interviews, personas.
  2. ◇ PROTOTYPING · WINTERDoes it work there?Plastics taken forward. Critical experience prototypes, then dark horse and funky prototypes, then one merged functional system.
  3. ◆ ONBOARDING · SPRINGWhat is the real problem?The challenge turned around. Design vision, solution, brand and interface, built and tested against a real case.

NINE FIELDS, NARROWED TWICE

ChimneysCement productionFashionBuilding sectorTransportation★ Plastic upcyclingAgricultureDigital pollutionWaste sector

Pass one used three guiding features: desirability, technical feasibility, economic viability. Pass two used eight selection criteria, voted on directly on a mind map of every application we had found. Plastics upcycling was taken forward.

Mind map of applications for artificial photosynthesis, branching from a central node into clothing, smart cities, construction, industry, food, tech, oceans, transportation and enhanced photosynthesis. Green dots above a node record votes; the most-voted nodes are outlined.
FALL REPORT, 2021Every application we found, on one map. The green dots are the team’s votes against the eight criteria, so the shortlist is visible in the artefact itself.
PLOT TWIST · THE U-TURN

The deadlock underneath

THE SCIENTISTSNeed companies to invest so the technology can be developed further.
THE COMPANIESNeed the technology developed further before they are comfortable investing.
THE CHALLENGE, REWRITTENHow might we create a reliable system around the artificial leaf technology during its development phase in order to onboard companies?

WHAT WE DELIVERED · CO/LAB

Software that simulates installing the leaf in a specific factory, so the institute and a company can work through the technical, physical and financial logistics together, on editable templates, in the same room.

  1. 01 · SURVEY ✓Emissions, emissions taxes, space and the output wanted.
  2. 02 · TECHNICAL SIMULATION ✓Location and output volume produce a detailed simulation.
  3. 03 · FINANCIAL ESTIMATION ✓A benefits evaluation and a costs-and-benefits analysis.
  4. 04 · 3D MODEL ✓The leaf shown on a company’s own site, built with the industry partner.
ROUGH WORK · SKETCHED FIRST · 1 SKETCH ▾
The CO/LAB dashboard: a left navigation rail, three simulation cards for survey, technical simulation and financial simulation with progress bars, a visual data chart and a placeholder for the 3D model of the plant, and a right sidebar holding the company name and date.
SPRING REPORT, 2022The dashboard. The three simulations run in order and each one carries its progress, so a company can see how far into the conversation it is. The 3D model has its own place on the dashboard, and was built at level 4.
THE BUILD-OUT · FOUR LEVELS

We set the tool out in four levels, each adding interaction and needing more investment. We worked through all four with IIT and secured an industry partner, who carried them out.

  1. LEVEL 1 ✓A spreadsheet of technical and financial calculations, a Figma view of the software, and a shared folder of simulations for IIT’s first company meetings.
  2. LEVEL 2 ✓A survey companies fill in before a meeting, so they arrive prepared.
  3. LEVEL 3 ✓A software engineer turns the spreadsheet into customisable software.
  4. LEVEL 4 ✓3D simulations of the leaf on a company’s own site, built with the companies.

NINE MONTHS, IN ORDER

  1. OCT 21 · NICEGlobal kickoff.
  2. NOV 21Needfinding.
  3. DEC 21Plastics selected. Fall presentation.
  4. JAN 22Dark horse and funky prototypes.
  5. FEB 22One functional system prototype.
  6. MAR 22 · BOLOGNAThe u-turn.
  7. APR 22 · TURINDesign vision. Winter presentation.
  8. MAY 22Interface and back end built.
  9. JUN 22 · SFCO/LAB at the SUGAR Expo.
ROUGH WORK · BEHIND THIS PROJECT · 3 SKETCHES ▾
ROUGH WORK · BEHIND THIS PROJECTFLIP TO THE ROUGH WORK ▸
LOOKING BACK

What I would do differently

Today I would map the landscape of companies first and work out a way in for IIT step by step. It takes longer. With the leaf at Readiness Level 4, I would also standardise how its impact is shown to each kind of stakeholder before discussing what it could look like on a company’s own site.

STAGES CLEARED · 6/6

Where I worked across the lifecycle

  1. 01 · DISCOVER ✓
    • Desk research across nine fields
    • Case studies of comparable technologies
    • Expert and company interviews
    • Personas per sector
  2. 02 · PROTOTYPE ✓
    • A critical experience prototype
    • Dark horse and funky prototypes
  3. 03 · PILOT ✓
    • Prototype development and testing
    • Reaching out to companies
  4. 04 · VALIDATE ✓
    • The challenge rewritten
    • Knowledge transfer office interview and journey map?JOURNEY MAPA diagram of the steps someone goes through to reach a goal, with how each step feels to them.
  5. 05 · BUILD ✓BEYOND THE BRIEF
    • CO/LAB: survey, technical simulation, financial estimation
    • Service blueprint and business model canvas
  6. 06 · MEASURE ✓
    • An industry partner secured
    • All four build-out levels carried out

All six stages, from nine fields to an industry partner.