[Stoves] Balancing Technical and User Objectives

[Tom Miles]

A Brigham Young Unversity thesis exemplifies a relevant topic of,”
Balancing Technical and User Objectives in the Design of Improved Biomass
Cookstoves for Developing Regions of the World” 

By Kendall Steven Thacker, Brigham Young University

 

“Over the past decade a large amount of research has been dedicated in
academic literature to improving the technical capabilities of improved
cookstoves; primarily the performance efficiency and reduction of emissions.
Unfortunately, as published literature has highlighted, the trade-offs that
result from placing such a concentrated emphasis on these technical
objectives is that improved cookstoves lack the same level of usability as
traditional cookstoves. Thus, users often return to using their traditional
stoves and the potential impact of the improved cookstoves is never fully
realized. In order for improved cookstoves to have greater impact, there
must be
betterbalancebetweenthetwocompetingdesignobjectivesoftechnicalcapabilitiesan
dusability. This research explores the challenges and benefits associated
with achieving the appropriate balance, and provides guidance on how to more
effectively achieve this. A list of the most common customer needs from
around the world is provided for cookstoves. Interestingly, there are needs
that are common to all cookstove users (global needs), and needs that apply
to only a subset of users (local needs). Due to the diversity of such needs,
there are many unique challenges that come with trying to satisfy these in
the design process. A design methodology is presented that accounts for
these challenges and helps balance the competing design objectives. This
methodology is demonstrated through the modification of a traditional
cookstove used in the Tambogrande region of Peru. This modification includes
an inexpensive set of pot skirts that integrates directly with the
traditional stove. These pot skirts allow for varying sizes and number of
pots, and the use of traditional fuels. Laboratory testing, using the Water
Boiling Test (WBT), identified the skirts’ technical improvements: 41.7%
increased thermal efficiency, 32.7% decreased fuel consumption, 28.8%
decreased time to boil. Field testing was performed to determine the pot
skirts acceptance and compatibility with the traditional cookstoves, with
over 75% of the participants recognizing some type of benefit. Although the
technical improvements of these pot skirts are less than other cookstoves on
the market, the higher levels of usability are likely to lead to a more
positive enduser reaction, which could potentially lead to higher rates of
adoption and impact. Though this research is primarily focused on the
application of improved cookstoves, the need for more balance between
technical and user objectives is applicable to nearly all products being
designed for the developing world.”

https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7301
<https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7301&context=et
d> &context=etd

 

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