Systems Design
Community Design
Eco Guide
A redesigned waste-sorting system for the Troy Farmers Market — making composting intuitive through signage and community-centered design.
Final Compost and Landfill bins deployed at the Troy Farmers Market
Role
Systems & Community Design
Timeline
3–5 Weeks
Tools
Laser Cutting (RDWorks),
Signage Design
Method
User Testing & Iteration
The problem

Eco Guide is a redesigned waste-sorting system for the Troy Farmers Market, built to reduce human error in composting, trash, and recycling — while adding structural support to the market's existing wire bin frames.

After reaching out to the market to collaborate, it became clear their biggest pain point was sorting errors: patrons regularly mixed compostable goods with trash due to unclear signage and unstable bin frames.

“How can we create a more structurally stable and intuitive composting system, when the current one is prone to mixing compostable goods and trash?”
The market's existing Landfill bin, a wire frame with a plastic bag liner and cardboard sign
Fig. 1 — Current landfill bin
The market's existing Compost bin, a wire frame with a plastic bag liner and paper sign
Fig. 1 — Current compost bin
The market's existing recycling education signage board
The market's own recycling education signage
Ideation

A mind map surfaced the key requirements: collapsibility, clear signage, structural stability, and easy liner replacement. Thumbnail sketches then explored bin formation, lid shapes, collapsible frames, garbage bag holders, handle systems, and both icon-based and text-based signage.

Mind map of key design requirements for the waste sorting redesign
Fig. 2 — Mind map
Grid of thumbnail sketches exploring bin and signage concepts
Fig. 4 — Thumbnail sketches
Signage and signifier pin-up sketches with icon-based category grids
Fig. 5 — Signage & signifier pin-up
Collapsibility and function pin-up sketches exploring frame structures
Fig. 6 — Collapsibility & function pin-up
Low fidelity prototype

Signage was printed on glossy paper and mod-podged onto cardboard. Foam core formed the lid shapes, wallpaper sheets became the bin faces, and dolphin tape finished the edges. Two wood rods were inserted into the landfill lid rim to allow 360° rotation.

Three-panel assembly process: painting signage, wrapping foam core frames, and finished laminated signage sheets
Fig. 7 — Assembly process
Final low fidelity prototype with wallpaper-covered bin faces and printed signage
Fig. 8 — Final low fidelity prototype
“User testing revealed that the two-tone icon signage was hard to read from a distance. The solution: larger icons, clearer words, and a real-item collage matching the market's actual waste.”
High fidelity prototype

After measuring the market's existing wire frames precisely, the design was revised to prioritize ease of fitting over the frames and easy liner changes — collapsibility was deprioritized based on staff feedback. New designs were laser cut in RDWorks.

Signage was redesigned with simplified icons and readable fonts, and a real-item collage was added using spray adhesive and scavenged materials from the market, helping patrons visually match their waste to the correct bin.

Laser cutting blueprints in RDWorks showing bin panel templates
Fig. 10 — Laser blueprints in RDWorks
Laser cutter mid-cut on the bin lid material
Fig. 11 — Laser cutting the lids
Who I worked with

Eco Guide was built by a team of four. I contributed across all parts of the project, from ideation through final fabrication and testing.

Final product

The final Eco Guide system pairs stable, laser-cut bins with clear, icon-driven signage and a real-item collage — helping Troy Farmers Market patrons sort their waste correctly on the first try.

Final high fidelity Compost and Landfill prototype deployed at the market
Fig. 13 — Final high fidelity prototype
Detail shot of the final Compost, Landfill, and Recycle prototype set
Fig. 14 — Final prototype, detail
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