THE PROBLEM
How does one save the bees in urban landscapes?
How might we speculate alternative and equitable more-than-human worlds for the pollinators(bees) while retaining or evolving their mutual relationship with nature and humans, in the Indian context?
MY PROCESS
Research. Refine. Design. Re-analyze. Re-design. Refine.
Like every project ever, this one too started with research (accessible on my Miro board) into the current market scenario, the issues faced by beekeepers in India, the techniques followed by them, the process of beehive removal from urban areas, and various NGOs working on the restoration of bee colonies.
To summarize the main scope of intervention - There needs to be a more bee-friendly way of removing bee hives from buildings, homes and complexes.
The current measures adopted exterminate the bees using harmful chemicals due to an irrational fear associated with bees and ignorance about their importance in the ecosystem. Everyone's fond of pure raw unadulterated honey but without bees there is much more than honey that we will miss out on.
This service enables individuals to source honey right from relocated beehives, even from the comfort of their backyard.
This service model aims to protect urban bee colonies by connecting beekeepers with hobbyists and NGOs. This solution was ideated & planned using various Systems Thinking Methodologies like- User Persona Mapping, Service Blueprinting, Customer Journey Mapping, a Business Model Canvas & Ecosystem Mapping.
IDEATION GRAPHICS
Some screenshots from the Miro board used for noting down various problems, identifying stakeholders and ideating on the possible flow of service.
1. Flow of Service for Bee Relocation
2. Re-iterated Flow of Service
3. Stakeholder Maps
4. Identifying Various Problems in the System
UNDERSTANDING THE STAKEHOLDERS
An integral rule or part of Service Design is curating a service, keeping in mind each stakeholder involved in the process.
Majorly secondary data was used to collect insights into user behaviour and demand trends for honey.
Current interventions along the same lines were studied to analyse user needs - raw natural honey, aversion to killing and burning bee hives and gain knowledge about bee keeping.
Bee Exterminators and Pest Control Agents were also interviewed to gain an understanding of the methods of extermination practiced by them, the market prices for the same and reasons behind using these methods.
BREAKING DOWN THE PROCESS
Wardley Mapping. Project Canvas. Customer Journey Mapping.
1) Wardley Mapping
by keeping bees in the centre of the service instead of the usual customer-centred approach.
Enabled to devise various value propositions, understand diverse user needs and place where different functions of the service ranked on the value chain.
2) Project Mapping Canvas
led to the strategic placement of all key components of the service and also helped in refining the key areas and nitigrities of our system.
3) Service Blueprinting
helped give shape to not only the front end of the service (where the customer directly interacts with the user), but also the parts where the other stakeholders and touchpoints of the service would interact with the user.
LESSONS AND BEE FACTS
The research work for this project uncovered various harrowing facts about the status of the bees and their vitality in our lives.
Approximately one third of the food we eat is the result of honey bee pollination.
Many factors are influencing the decline of bees, including habitat fragmentation, increased use of neonicotinoid pesticides, colony collapse disorder, and climate change
A single bee colony can pollinate 300 million flowers in a day. Approximately 75% of the world’s crops depend on pollinators
Here are some steps that you can do to protect our pollinator friends!*
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Plant nectar-bearing flowers such as marigolds or sunflowers for decorative purposes on balconies, terraces, and gardens
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Buy honey and other hive products from your nearest local beekeeper
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Raise awareness among children and adolescents on the importance of bees and express your support for beekeepers
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Set up a pollinator farm on your balcony, terrace, or garden
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Preserve old meadows, which feature a more diverse array of flowers, and sow nectar-bearing plants
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Cut grass on meadows only after the nectar-bearing plants have finished blooming
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Use pesticides that do not harm bees, and spray them in windless weather, either early in the morning or late at night, when bees withdraw from blossoms
