Solution Development
Design each task in a problem-solving effort so that it is most fruitful and provides the most information or guidance
Have the microchips record recycling data into an exportable excel-type spreadsheet
Divide the total number of items dispersed in the system into the subcategories of recycling, aluminum, and cardboard
Use this data to determine product supply/demand in terms of production of particular microchipped products
Use various attributes of the final solution state to guide earlier decisions made along the solution path
Create an app/iPhone widget that tracks the amount of items saved from the landfill by using recycling bin
Use data collected to increase production of most used recyclable items
3. Define design goals and design specifications
Microchips should contain information associated with a combination of number unique to that product/what it is made of
Microchip scanner within smart AI recycling bin will scan the microchip and collect its data, then uploading it to a server that categorizes the data into four categories: total items per bin number (based off of location), number of plastic/glass items recycled, number of aluminum items recycled, and number of cardboard items recycled
App should also have a "scanning" function for the microchip/associated bar code of the item to be entered into the app and track the recycling data for the iPhone widget
App connects to user's Paypal account and gives them a 5% credit on the scanned item
4. Eliminate paths that do not satisfy the desired design goals and/or specifications
It would not be feasible to incorporate any other automatic function other than an app to track the data collected from the microchips
Other payment methods such as Apple Pay, directly entering credit/debit info, etc. are more complex to incorporate, therefore the cashback function of the app will be limited to PayPal