Shortly after hurricane Harvey, the Haiti earthquake, and other natural disasters, residents gathered in public areas for shelter and to locate others. Social media sites provided users with “I’m safe” status options, as people struggled to find loved ones and other survivors. MIT’s Professor Miho Mazereeuw thought these patterns in behavior revealed a new need for urban environments (where over 50% of the globabl population now lives): public, resilient landmarks in public urban environments that provide disaster survivors with electricity and other essentials while fitting seamlessly into the landscape. So, he built a team from MIT’s Urban Risk Lab and designed what are now called PREPHubs, with the tagline of “Neighborhood Infrastructure for Disaster Preparedness.
The idea developed to encompass a wide range of critical and non-critical life-support functions all with the goal of creating permanent disaster relief foundations. The project proposes that everything from phone charging to restroom/sanitation, water filters, and stovetops can be incorporated into a fully-fleshed model; however, existing prototypes do not reach for such high ambitions. Current prototypes include a unit with basic functions such as a pedal-powered charging station, sound (“horn”) amplifier, a small solar panel, emergency lighting, and an information display.
The PREPHub provides a pretty robust platform for human-use analysis that can be severely distracting as well. Whether or not the system can withstand a natural disaster is a critical portion of its usability, but does not focus on the interaction between the user and the system. Given the current prototype's capabilities and in an effort to focus on the user, we will focus on a short series of key features for the platform and try to extrapolate our learnings to other proposed features of the system. In-person observation and use will guide our improvement analysis in the following areas:
- —Normal recreational usability—
- —Visibility and visual prominance—
- —Device charging "intuitiveness"—
Before we dive into a product analysis though, if you would like to learn more about current urban disaster relief efforts, there are copious online resources. Organizations such as World Vision International have identified specialized Urban relief specifically as a growing need. MIT's own Urban Risk Lab and many other academic institutions are investigating this arena, and private investigations are taking place all over the world. The need for improved urban disaster relief and prevention is growing. The market will grow to meet the demand in many forms, and so without further ado, it's time to see how the PREPHub seeks to handle this issue.
One of the big selling points of the PREPHub is that it offers a permanent, elegant solution for urban disaster relief. This idea takes the physical form of durable plastic structures that mimic benches in most cases and contain solar panels and other facets for relief. PREPHub’s creator states that “By using the communications and power generation technology in a public space on a regular basis, residents become familiar with how to use the infrastructure should it be needed after a disaster.” So, for this product it is critical that it serves its everyday function properly in order for users to know how to interact with its different facets when a disaster strikes. This means that everyday use is a critical element of its usefulness.
In this vein, let’s take a look at a key feature of the PREPHub: its usability as a public bench. Immediately, there is a question of longevity for public use based upon the material choice. In all current and previous iterations, the hard, white plastic used by the PREPHub leaves something to be desired. In my observations last year from public use and in storage at the IDC, it is pretty clear that durability and apparent cleanliness are clear issues for this material choice. In inclement conditions, the plastic easily shows dirtiness, wear and tear (even indoors!). While this is purely an aesthetic observation, messy public spaces very easily deter every-day users.
In addition to showing the wear and tear on the surface, it was also easy to identify structural issues after the months of use and transportation. Small cracks began forming in the plastics due to thermal cycling and the structure itself began to come apart at the seams. For a pedestrian looking for a place to sit in their local park or garden, this does not seem very appealing. And while the bench itself operates well when in-use, the lack of a back support does exclude certain users, possibly elderly or handicapped people, from using the structure.
However, the softer, more open plastic structure does provide some benefits as well. The PREPHub is easy to lounge upon (as evidenced by student in a class that I TA taking naps on it before recitation), and for those who are simply looking for a spot to sit, and are capable of using a simpler bench, it’s an adequate solution. Offering a place to charge devices via the solar panels is also a nice touch (although becoming more common for public spaces anyways). In terms of consistent use, the pedal-powered DC generators are a nice idea, but are noisy when they are out service, which might deter others from engaging with the bench. Additionally, it is mainly children that use the pedals. Attracting kids to the PREPHub might be critical in disaster relief, but may deter normal users in certain scenarios. All-in-all, PREPHub offers a fairly robust leisure solution for small parks, but runs the risk of becoming an eye-sore if it not well maintained.
Consequently, a few recommendations can be made. First, materials selections should be critical for this product. Durability and elegance have to meet costs somewhere in the middle if a PREPHub is to truly be a permanent landmark. A white plastic may look nice at first, but a solid aluminum-wood structure may serve its public use functions better. Second, the designers should consider making the structure more accessible for the physically disabled in order to be inviting for all. Including benches with back support or railings may be a significant addition. Stemming from this, PREPHub must identify the different audience types that it will target with these stations. Although it sounds strange when dealing with disaster relief, a structure like this does have a specific audience, and the inclusion of easily-available bike pedals and other toy-like additions may deter a significant demographic.
Moving from a more aesthetics- and usability- oriented discussion towards its emergency relief function, we can take a sharper look at a key aspect of the structure: its visual prominence. Although it would be great for everyone in a neighborhood to know what the PREPHub is located and how to use it, it does seem folly to assume everyone will know (or remember) its location in an emergency situation. To alleviate this issue (and also probably for aesthetics), the PREPHub has made some intentional design choices to stick out from its surroundings during both day and night.
During the day, the PREPHub visually contrast its surroundings in a couple key ways. First, although the all-white structure might generate an apparent messiness, it does contrast most of the urban environments in which it finds itself. Even in the green and brown of the parks and public spaces it is intended to neighbor, the PREPHub’s distinct shade does reveal it. However, in something of a dust storm, or a very bright day, the structure may be less visible. In these conditions, LED lights placed along and atop the structure can provide lighthouse-esque guidance for users. However, the color of these LEDs is a crucial component. White light may blend in with the cityscape in unclear conditions, so a well-known emergency color choice is key.
At night, the only visual cue to the presence are the LED lights on the structure. Much like during the day, it is critical that the color and strength of the LEDs send the message that help is located “here.” Additionally, the height of the lights and variation of their placement on the structure is key. If there is a low-level flood, having LEDs atop the structure is a must-have. If there is an earthquake and a building or tree falls on part of the structure, the rest of the system must be able to be an autonomous beacon despite being disconnected from the central battery or other chargers on the structure.
By way of recommendations for visual prominence, only slight tweaks and design suggestions are apparent. While the color of the structure itself could be changed dramatically to represent an emergency response structure, it may deter normal users. As a result, I recommend that the designers find a sweet-spot for the structure color. A polished, reflective metal may serve a similar to the white plastic. For the LEDs on the structure, it is key that they be dispersed throughout the structure and operate independently. They must be controllable to visually represent a unique structure from the surrounding buildings. Bright red LEDs may satisfy this need as white lights may blend in with the background and the fun rainbow colored lights may seem too fun or cheery to be a safety hub in times of disaster.
Finally, we can take a look at how intuitive the various emergency relief aspects of the structure appear to a new user. This presents a large challenge for the designers, because as mentioned previously, the system is really intended to be understood before a disaster. Assuming that a new user is approaching the system during a disaster scenario, there are some issues surrounding the way the PREPHub indicates certain actions and features which has led to an overreliance on labels, and verbal instructions.
Looking back at the first version of the product (diagram featured above), there are some clear issues with the visibility of the medical supplies and charging stations. The charging stations have labels on the sides of the structure at or below knee-height, which would be effectively invisible for someone looking at the structure from close up (unless they crawled to it). Additionally, it could certainly be unclear that the pedals could power those outlets anyways. There’s a solar panel at eye-height, wouldn’t that power the chargers? Finally, is there even a label for the medical supplies on the structure? When I checked in the IDC, there did not appear to be one, unless it had worn off. This is a serious issue, because even those who frequently use the structure may not know of the medical supplies’ existence.
The second iteration, pictured just above, improves a few of these features, but still leaves something to be desired in terms of instant comprehension. There is now a small Lightning symbol next to the pedals that indicates the existence of chargers, but it is featured on embossed plastic, so does not really stick out. Interestingly, the solar panel does face away from the pedals, so people who are using it for the first time may not notice it as well, and try the pedals first to charge their phone. The increased LED coverage is certainly nice for prominence, but could be used to indicate the systems features as well. Finally, it is important to note that although the medical supplies box has been removed, most of the structure has slat supports underneath the bench, and important survival features do not. While this is certainly a step forward in revealing important spots, indicating these differences on top the structure’s surface is crucial. Not everyone will look under the seats for this life-saving material.
While this second iteration does improve the overall usability of the system, it still requires an information panel for directed use. With the original system in the IDC, I tried telling someone that they could charge their phone with the system, and they were able to figure out how to do it. When I didn't tell another person what they could do with the system, they did not recognize that they could charge their devices. This is a critical flaw for a need-to-use-now system. Even the sound amplifier was difficult for students to understand after a couple minutes. Therefore, I have to recommend that the system use more prominent (see large and bright) diagrams and symbols to represent its various purposes. Audio cues may also be incredibly useful if visibility is at a minimum, but this also becomes significantly complicated.
At the end of the day, the PREPHub is an outside-the-box solution to the certain aspects of urban disaster relief, but it’s one-size fits all approach limits its usability and viability. Its flexibility and lightweight nature lowers manufacturing costs and provides a comfortable haven for users in normal times, but natural phenomena such as hurricanes, floods and other more intense disasters would most likely cripple the system’s capabilities. While its ability to withstand earthquakes and man-made disasters is unknown, PREPHub’s promise shines through in these scenarios. Significant changes must be made to the system's intuitiveness for it to become a viable survival tool, but for now, it's playful aura can inspire further work.