Planning and communicating prototype tests for the Nano Membrane Toilet: A critical review and proposed strategy.

Jan Hennigs,Matt Collins,Sean Tyrrel,Athanasios Kolios,Ying Jiang,Leon Williams,Ewan Mcadam,Alison Parker

doi:10.12688/gatesopenres.13057.2

Jan Hennigs, Matt Collins + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.12688/gatesopenres.13057.2

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Abstract

Urban sanitation in growing cities of the Global South presents particular challenges. This led to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Reinvent The Toilet Challenge, which sparked the development of various non-sewered sanitation technologies like the Nano Membrane Toilet. Complex disruptive technologies like this entail an extensive product development process, including various types of prototype tests. While there is an abundance of literature discussing how to build prototypes, and the optimal number of tests, there has been little focus on how to plan and conduct tests, especially in a development endeavour of this complexity. Four approaches to testing are reviewed, and their strengths and weaknesses compared. A visualised testing strategy is proposed that encompasses the entire product development process and can be used to plan and communicate prototype tests for the Nano Membrane Toilet to ultimately achieve compliance with international standards.

Highlights

To develop novel complex products, e.g. non-sewered sanitation technologies like Cranfield University’s Nano Membrane Toilet (NMT), fundamental research and creative design techniques have to be performed in combination, and building and testing physical prototypes is a crucial part of this process (Tahera et al, 2015)
The IEEE (1990) gives a definition of testing, shared by (Tahera et al, 2019), as “an activity in which a system or component is executed under specific conditions, the results are observed or recorded, and an evaluation is made of some aspect of the system or component.”
We define prototype testing as knowledgegenerating activity in which a prototype is executed under defined conditions, the results are observed or recorded, and an evaluation is made of some attributes of the prototype

Summary

Introduction

To develop novel complex products, e.g. non-sewered sanitation technologies like Cranfield University’s Nano Membrane Toilet (NMT), fundamental research and creative design techniques have to be performed in combination, and building and testing physical prototypes is a crucial part of this process (Tahera et al, 2015). Larsen et al (2016) acknowledge that, for technologies addressing urban water challenges, testing of technologies has to occur with a variety of methods to ensure robust, affordable, accepted and applicable solutions. Camburn et al (2017) point out, that prototyping is most well-known for design refinement.In the context of prototype testing, the main purpose of a prototype is learning. Tronvoll et al (2017) write about the use of prototypes: “A prototype experiment often targets generating knowledge about different attributes of a proposed design which is not identified by simple reflection.” the IEEE (1990) gives a definition of testing, shared by (Tahera et al, 2019), as “an activity in which a system or component is executed under specific conditions, the results are observed or recorded, and an evaluation is made of some aspect of the system or component.” In combination, we define prototype testing as knowledgegenerating activity in which a prototype is executed under defined conditions, the results are observed or recorded, and an evaluation is made of some attributes of the prototype. To develop novel complex products, e.g. non-sewered sanitation technologies like Cranfield University’s Nano Membrane Toilet (NMT), fundamental research and creative design techniques have to be performed in combination, and building and testing physical prototypes is a crucial part of this process (Tahera et al, 2015). The IEEE (1990) gives a definition of testing, shared by (Tahera et al, 2019), as “an activity in which a system or component is executed under specific conditions, the results are observed or recorded, and an evaluation is made of some aspect of the system or component.”. We define prototype testing as knowledgegenerating activity in which a prototype is executed under defined conditions, the results are observed or recorded, and an evaluation is made of some attributes of the prototype. Like most activities in Product Development (PD) processes, can be seen as risk-reduction tasks (Keizer & Halman, 2009; Unger & Eppinger, 2011)

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