Phones for Friends

A phone recycling system concept, with a website protoype, branding & advertisements, and a physical kiosk design for donating old phones to be recycled to lower phone costs for those in need.

Industrial Design

Phones for Friends banner with envelope mockups and kiosk 3D rendering

Project Overview

Project Type: Industrial Design, Web Design, Branding and Advertisements, Interface Design, 3D Modelling
Project Timeline: March-April 2025
Tools: Figma, Illustrator, Photoshop, Rhino
Problem to Solve: How can I design an efficient, simple, and convenient phone donation system that raises awareness about phone cost issues and persuades users to donate their phones now and in the future, while prioritizing data privacy?

Phones, when not disposed of properly, pose significant environmental issues, consume energy, and enable intensive mining processes to manufacture new phones. Recycling and repurposing old phones can not only save the environment but also benefit a friend in need.

Solution Approach

What is a priority to meet stakeholder needs?	Why is it important?	How was it addressed in the design?
Creating Awareness	Make the user care enough to donate	Why don't some people have phones? Device Cost. Recycled/refurbished phones are cheaper. Concept of hearing it directly from people who face this issue. Website inspired by charity/NPOs websites Mock letters and Advertisements in public places(parks, streets)
Simplicity and Convenience	If the solution is easy to use and easy to access, we minimize reasons not to donate	User is walked through every process, and provided additional help through walkthroughs and videos An additional screen on the front of the kiosk for ease of use and accessibility for users in wheelchairs
Efficiency	Each stage/process/mechanism is intentional for a smooth process	Simplified process, only the necessary steps, which I arrived at through flowcharts
Persuasion	Ethos, Be trustworthy; Pathos, Get the user emotionally invested; Logos, show numbers to convince.	Pathos – Emotional connection (Use of word "Friend", Letters for everyone who donates – Impact of donation, Logo forms a heart) Ethos – Building trust (Actual letter from someone facing phone costs as an obstacle, Confirmation emails, details for each step.) Logos – Statistics, process (Citing Pew Research Center, WEF, among others for statistics.)
Security	User data must be secure. Safety of devices in points of contact and transportation.	User prompted thrice to make sure data was erased before donating phones. User walked through the data removal process for their specific phone model. Letters are anonymous Safety in transportation and digital spaces Acrylic transparent siding for kiosk. Locked access to phones in machines ID Verification