Establishing consumer need and preference for design of village cooking stoves

Nathan G. Johnson, Kenneth M. Bryden

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

12 Scopus citations

Abstract

In some villages the use of wood cooking stoves accounts for more than three-quarters of total village energy use. Because of this the design of clean, affordable, and desirable cooking stoves can have a dramatic impact on human health and the local economy. Unfortunately, too often development projects fail. For example, an estimated 30% of water projects in sub- Saharan Africa have failed prematurely in the last 20 years, and only 10% of cooking stove programs started in the 1980s were operational two years after startup. Similar anecdotal evidence suggests a mixed record of success for other energy, infrastructure, health, and sanitation projects in the developing world. In part, these failures occur because of a lack of design questions and design methods to identify consumer need and preference during the problem definition phase of the product design. Because isolated rural villages are generally far from the design engineers' previous experiences it is even more important to gather in-depth primary data in isolated rural villages. Based on data collected during in-depth field visits to villages in rural West Africa during a village energy study this paper proposes a structured process for collecting the data necessary to design cookstoves that meet local needs, fit within local contexts, and create an aspirational experience that fosters a sustainable solution.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publication39th Design Automation Conference
PublisherAmerican Society of Mechanical Engineers
ISBN (Print)9780791855881
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2013
Externally publishedYes
EventASME 2013 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference, IDETC/CIE 2013 - Portland, OR, United States
Duration: Aug 4 2013Aug 7 2013

Publication series

NameProceedings of the ASME Design Engineering Technical Conference
Volume3 A

Other

OtherASME 2013 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference, IDETC/CIE 2013
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityPortland, OR
Period8/4/138/7/13

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Modeling and Simulation
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Computer Science Applications
  • Computer Graphics and Computer-Aided Design

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Establishing consumer need and preference for design of village cooking stoves'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this