Final+DOCUMENTATION+for+Group+Project

The Life-O

Prepared by:

Syed Saad Qaiser

Hassan Waqar

Maham Akram

Syed Mustafa Abbas Mahmood

Course: Cct 333

Professor: Mike Jones

Date submitted: March 21, 2011.

We call our product “Life-O,” which targets the underprivileged class that is often deprived of hygienic drinking water. The product is inspired by “Life-Straw” and “Q-drum”, which are its predecessors. With Life-O, we are trying to harness the positive features of both of its predecessors and strike a balance between the two products, as well give Life-O its own unique features. Our aim is to carefully carry out a research before coming up with the final design in order to minimize the drawbacks and chances of failures. We would like to briefly highlight the purpose of 'Life-Straw' and 'Q-drum'. The former is a small straw that filters out un-hygienic water in order to make it drinkable. The latter is designed to carry and store water; especially for the poor propel in less-developed regions such as Africa. 'Life-O' is designed in a way that would serve both purposes hence it is extremely sensitive to the demands of 'poor'. Life-O is a cylindrical shape device made of food grade plastic; it is transparent in color and has filters installed that purify the water while the water is flowed through. The mechanical process of moving the product does not only aims at mobility but at the same time it also aims at filtering the water inside without creating any further hassle. The transparent food grade plastic allows the consumers to actually witness the process of filtration, which in our opinion would increase their confidence in the product.

** The basic aim of this product is to: **

1, Provide clean hygienic drinking water. 2, Make mobility and storage easy. 3, Provide durability 4, Earn trust of the target market. 5, Selling it at lowest price possible hence design in a way that minimizes cost. 6, Give a long lasting sustainable solution. 7, Keeps water cool and serves it for other purposes as well such as cleaning etc. 8, Easy to use and can be used by everybody including infants and old that weren’t catered by the design of Life-Straw and these are the people who are most vulnerable to diseases. 9, Hygiene- That is one of the main concern since previous predecessors (Life-Straw) in our opinion failed to do that as it was not durable and could only last for no more then one year moreover it released chemicals that were harmful in nature and caused side-effects and diseases. 10, Efficient subjected to time durability.

**__THE ENVIRONMENTAL SCANNING__** Our group has decided to come up with the product life-O, which aims at solving the persistent problem of lack of clean drinking water that has affected millions around the globe. Therefore we believe that our target market is large enough to make this product a success. However, the key to success would depend on how we market our product and how we dispatch it amongst the users (discussed later). Our main strategy is focused on making the target audience realise the importance of the product.



Waterborne diseases are one of the prime reasons for many deaths of children. Due to the inaccessibility of safe and clean drinking water, many children die at very early stages of their life due to diseases such as malaria, cholera, TB, dysentery. This not only takes place in the rural areas as they too have a constant struggle of accessing clean water, but also in the big cities due to the large slum population.

The factors that have influenced the direction and goals of our group revolve around the fact that “More people in the world own cell phones than have access to a toilet. And as cities and slums grow at an increasing rate, the situation worsens. Every day, lack of access to clean water kills millions, leaving others with reduced quality of life. As studies reveal that 1.4 million children die every year due to waterborne diseases, thousands of hours are spent each year on collecting and carrying water that is not even clean and drinkable yet the situation remains unresolved. It is estimated that 884 million people lack access to safe water supplies; approximately one in eight people. And 3.6 million people are each year from water related diseases. Furthermore it is shocking to see that people living in the slums often pay 5-10 times more per litre of water then wealthy people living in the same city.



Half of the world’s hospitalization are due to water-related diseases hence so much money is spent on spill over effects of lack of clean water and the problem does not only persist but is growing at a rapid rate and the worst part is that over 50 percent of all water projects fail in the first few years and the reason behind failures are as follows.

1, People who are affected by these crises are usually poor and are unable to afford the luxury of clean drinking water.

2, the needs of these people are usually ignored because of their lower financial status, they have less say and governments of developed economies find a easy way out to simply ignore them.

3, Lack of education, many people who are affected do not realise the importance of clean drinking water.

4, many products get ruled out due to their limitations and lack of practicality hence not a long term solution.

After carrying out a careful research and research and environmental scanning, our team has identified the following limitations associated with clean drinking water.

1. The un- accounted industrial waste

2. Transportation of water is a big concern.

3. The water filtration.

4. Storage of water.

5. The low confidence in water purifying products.

6. Educated the importance of clean drinking water and its cost and opportunity cost.

7. Even the educated class fail to realize the dangers of this persistent problem.

8. Government failure and corruption.



(The above-illustrated chart summarizes the sources of water pollution in Thailand).

**__What is Life-O and how it works?__**

Life-O is a circular water filtration device. The circular shape of the product that is inspired by the Q-drum and this circular shape accommodated by a rope make the water transportation possible. There are two filters installed inside for the purpose of purifying water and the netting on the outside (mouth) clarifies the visible pollutants. Finally another additional washable and reusable filter separates the filtered water from the pollutants.

The plastic used is the food grade plastic for the outer surface since its highly durable and the outer color of the product is transparent which makes the filtration process visible while the water is being transported.

A tool like the LifeO would be beneficial for them due to its simplicity and the idea of it being so 'mobile'. Further, it would also be very easy for young children to learn to use this tool, thus preventing the cycle of increasing number of deaths seen amongst children due to waterborne diseases.

According to the World Health Organization, "21% of communicable diseases in India are water related". India is just one example of a nation that requires such a tool due to its high death rate in regards to water related diseases. Life-O can truly enhance the lives of many in such areas and help reduce death rates. It is designed to address all of the previously mentioned problems. The product is inspired by the “Life-Straw” and “Q-drum”. With Life-O, we are trying to harness the positive features of both of its predecessors and strike a balance between the two products, as well give Life-O its own unique features. Life-O is a cylindrical shape device made of food grade plastic; it is transparent in color and has filters installed that purify the water while the water is flowed through. The mechanical process of moving the product does not only aims at mobility but at the same time it also aims at filtering the water inside without creating any further hassle. The transparent food grade plastic allows the consumers to actually witness the process of filtration, which in our opinion would increase their confidence in the product. The purpose of Life-O is to provide clean hygienic drinking water; the water can be stored easily and even transportable because of the Life-O being ‘mobile’. It provides durability and is long lasting sustainable solution. It is very easy to use and can be used and shared by anyone and everyone, anywhere and everywhere anytime.

**How effective is our product and how can it solve the persistent problem of lack of clean drinking water?**

The Life-O does not have any problems as it is already a solution product made and invented to overcome the problems present in life straw and Q drum and other filtration devices, but as any product it does have a few limitations such as the filter is to be changed after a year, in order to give the guaranteed clean filtered water. The filter will still be clean if kept and used for more than a year but its result wouldn’t be as good.

One possible issue that we thought can be a limitation to success of the product is the issue of changing the filters, at first we thought of giving people the liberty to change or keep filters according to their preference but this in our opinion would result in improper replacement and considering that our target market is uneducated, they would possibly just try to mess around with the product by trying to clean the filters manually, this would result in improper filtration and would eventually result in failure of the product. The other possible solution was that we will keep detailed record of our customers and sales and would send our employees from time t time to change the filters, however this idea was ruled out since it would result in unwanted expenses and is also low in its practicality. So the final idea that in our opinion was the best solution to this problem is that our team will teach and give tools, free of cost to each and every retailer f our product be it in large cities or small towns. Only the retailer would be able to change the filters and their interest would lie on the sales of filters that would be there in their stocks.

Life-O is a product that overcomes the problems in Q drum which purpose itself is limited only to transporting water. The Life-O not only transports, but filters that water as well. The Life straw on the other hand has a bunch of limitations such as clean water not being stored, and you can’t even share the life straw with one another, with the Life O one can not only store the clean filtered water but can also share the water with others who cannot afford such products. Water from Life-O can also be given to infants without them having to suck it through the life straw. The Life-O provides clean hygienic filtered water, safe for anyone and everyone to drink, unlike the Life Straw in our opinion failed to do that as it was not durable and could only last for no more than one year moreover it released chemicals that were harmful in nature and caused side-effects and diseases.

Another issue which is the key to our products success is its pricing. The previous such products such as the Q-drum and life straw were in our opinion expensive for the users as the price of a Q-drum was approximately $60 and price of life straw was $3.5 per straw and on average there are 8 family members in developing economies so collectively the price of life straw comes up to $30 and the product is not long lasting making it very unaffordable for the consumers. After analyzing our market we have concluded that since the target market is large and the demand of the product is elastic, we believe that keeping the profit margin low and focusing on the turnover would be most profitable for us. Therefore we have decided to sell our product at a market price of $42.

**__ IDEAS REJECTED: __** There were a couple of ideas that we thought about before the Life-O but due to different reasons, we agreed upon rejecting them. Some of them are as follows: First we were thinking of making a water purifying tablet dispenser, which dropped a tablet in water on a push of a button to purify a specific quantity of water. The reason we thought of this design was that it could be shared by a whole group of people and made storage of these water-purifying pills easier. We rejected this idea as the water purifying pills can not be used in dirty water and it is not a remedy for particulate materials floating in the water(if any). Also, this would increase the cost of these tablets which is not a great idea. We then also thought of redesigning the XO-Laptop but we thought that there is not much that could be included or made better in the same price range so we let go of this idea too. While we reached the design for the Life-o, we went over different design ideas before we reached the final Life-O design. Initially we thought of installing lifestraw in the Q-drum but this idea was ruled out because it would not accommodate many people as the lifestraw is recommended to be used by one person. Also, it would reduce the property of mobility of the Lifestraw. Another idea we rejected at the last minute was adding an outer layer to add vacuum that would keep the water cool but we let go of this idea because it would increase the cost and considering our target market is under privileged we had to keep concentration on our main purpose of water filtration. The issue with filters is discussed later. **__THE COST AND MATERIALS USED:__**

This section of the line up would reflect on the materials and cost that would be incurred for the production of Life-O. **Plastic:** made from linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) and is one continuous piece, no seams, because it is rotationally moulded when it is made. The polyethylene, being one continuous unit without extras like metering attachments or additional pieces of plastic, making it incredibly durable and when tested, virtually indestructible. It has one cap that is removed so it can be filled. The Life-O’s long body means that a rope can be tied through it and can be pulled with ease as it merely rolls behind the person pulling the momentum of the water carrying it forward and reducing stress on the puller. The shape also means it can be dragged over rough terrain and roll over or through obstructions like rocks and holes. Besides being well built, well designed, and incredibly simple to use, it is incredibly helpful to those in developing countries. The Life-O eliminates back strain and back, spine and neck damage to the water-carriers of society. Better health means that they can be more productive for longer and contribute to the growth and wellness of their communities. **Polyethylene** or **polythene** (IUPAC name **polyethylene** or **poly(ethylene)**) is the most widely used plastic with an annual production of approximately 80 million metric tons. The size of the plastic cylinder would accommodate about 30 litres of water at one time

** FILTERS: **  · Water passes through a mesh filter that removes the larger sediment and dirt. The holes in the filter are about 100 microns in diameter.  · A polyester filter with a much smaller mesh of about 15 microns -- about a tenth of the diameter of a human hair -- catches bacteria.  · The next step sends the water through iodine-coated resin beads. Iodine is a halogen (reactive non-metal) that kills parasites, viruses and bacteria. These halogenated resin beads lie in a specially designed chamber that maximizes the exposure of pathogens to the iodine.  · The water passes through an empty chamber.  · The water is pulled through an active carbon filter to remove any taste left from the iodine and block any remaining pathogens. Carbon is the porous result of burned organic material and is activated by a special chemical process that makes it even more porous and more able to absorb impurities.

So conclusively if we analyze the cost based on our research, the plastic drum would cost $15 and $12 would be the collective cost of the filters. The labour electricity and other miscellaneous cost would further add up to $ 10. Hence the aggregate cost of the product would be $37. 10% would be our profit margin on the product there fore the price of Life-O would be an affordable $42 for the complete product. $3.7 will go in our pockets and $1.3 will go to the retailer. It is our prime aim to get government subsidy in form of no taxes since the product is aimed at providing a better quality of life to the poor. The price of the replaceable filter set would be $15.

The other additional cost such as initial marketing and educational programs would be dealt as Capital investment as per mutual agreement of the group.

**__ OUR TARGET MARKET AND AREAS WHERE THE PRODUCT WOULD BE SOLD: __**



This section of the write up would shed further light on our target market and the areas where this product would be sold. The problem of lack of clean drinking water is particularly prevalent and very serious in Africa, Asia and the Pacific. The lack of clean drinking water around the world forces millions of people to drink unsafe water. After Africa, the number of people around the world who do not get safe water is second highest in India. Life-o is specially designed to cater to the needs of people, where poverty often results in inadequate distribution of resources. Our target market are people in such people who cannot afford to buy safe drinking water as it is a necessity which thousands of people are not able to obtain in many parts of India. Since a lot of government and non-government organizations are already focusing on providing aids, even then it is not easy to provide all the unfortunate ones with the amenities over night. Life-o can help majority of population in India, as a developing country where due to high poverty everyone cannot afford to buy clean and safe drinking water. Only available sources for water are miles away from houses and communities in many rural areas. This leads to an increase in waterborne diseases like diarrhea. Other diseases include typhoid, cholera, and viral hepatitis A, these all can get really fatal if not diagnosed and treated on time. However, sadly in such rural areas where clean drinking water is not available as a normal facility, it is also quite hard to find affordable medical assistance for a vast number of populations. By having a Life-O, in every household at such rural area with people who lack access to clean drinking water, can help avoid or reduce the chances of suffering from different diseases and live a healthier life. Indian government cannot afford to provide the infrastructure to provide thousands of people with basic facilities such as clean water and proper sanitation. In some areas, the government how ever provides with water plants from where pure filtered water is available. These plants are usually at far distances from many houses and communities. In some parts of India, people have to transport water for long distances due to shortage of sources. Many men and women have to carry gallons of water on their shoulders. Carrying heavy load in old age is likely to cause backaches and discomfort many people. With life-o, water, transportation is easier than ever. Life-o targets vulnerable communities living in poverty and it will be helpful for people to solve their own water problems. People purchase our product can use the low cost sustainable technology of life-o to transport, filter and store clean water to save time by not having to go to filtration plants or other resources more frequently. The rural population of India comprises of almost 700 million people, to provide safe drinking water to such a large population is an enormous challenge. Because of non-uniformity in level of awareness, poverty, lack of socio-economic development and education it is much more complicated for the government to provide with safe drinking water to everyone. With the availability of life-o in the markets it is more likely to be, possible reduce the number of people who live in adverse conditions. Moreover in countries such as India and Pakistan where there is large income disparity, a lot of plans are established and a lot of money is spent on this prevalent issue however most of these efforts go in vain or do not achieve full commitment due to corruption and poor planning. In Pakistan, there was “Clean Drinking Water for All project” in 2004. In this project, Rs 23.8 billion were to be spent. However today, if we reflect back at the plan we can see that the work carried out has been unprofessional and improper and a lot of money has been wasted yet the problem is not even close to being solved. Therefore, one of our corporate visions is to seek subsidies and grants from the native governments. By planning awareness programs as one of our marketing techniques in rural areas, where the literacy rates are very low, we can spread the knowledge of worst effects of unsafe drinking water. The public needs to find out how much important it is for them to consume clean water rather than drinking directly out of rivers, lakes streams and wells without any purification. Once people are educated about the negative aspects of impure water, and how a small investment in life-o can assist them to avoid its adverse effects on their health, they will be more likely to make an effort on their own to help themselves instead of hoping for the government departments to do so. The government can also focus more on bigger issues like changing the unfavorable living conditions people in such areas. To maintain 100% efficiency of life-o, there will be training programs conducted in areas of distribution. Volunteers and retailers will be taught how to service the product for its best performance to filter and purify unsafe water. This may also provide as an opportunity to earn money for people who can charge for providing maintenance of life-o in their community. In India, there are several small villages, which are at distances from towns or urban infrastructure. Once the potential market reaches its peak, it can create favorable circumstances for people in desired communities, who chose to offer services with help from training programs for maintaining the product. Another feature of Life-O that, this product can be used and shared by many people at a time therefore it is an excellent product that can not only serve a household but in places where poverty is at extreme, this product can be shared by people living in small towns hence the cost would be divided amongst sizeable populous.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06-RQgg-fNU



**Conclusion:** With all sincerity it could be said that a product like Life-O alone cannot bring the change that we wish to see. The success of this product cannot be merely relied on, a sound corporate vision and effective design and execution. However, there are a lot of other factors and departments, which have to play part in bringing about a positive change. First of all the importance of water and other natural resources should be taught at the basic level people living in developed economies or in other words people who can afford, fail to value the importance clean drinking water that has become a luxury for millions, today. Governments, corporate giants and other related institution should also step up in support of our corporate vision and lastly people who are affected they themselves need to realize the consequences associated with drinking un-clean water. All of us need to play our part and realizing the importance and minimizing the improper disposal of water. Only then can we say that the product Life-O can be effective in eradicating the problems associated with providing clean drinkable water.



(The above-illustrated chart summarizes the sources of water pollution in Thailand).

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