Service Design as Entertainment

Had a lovely walk with Heather and Leo this morning. The muse of Pooptopia visited me while I was enjoying a cappucco in the cafe next to Heather's flat. In the foamy swirl of my cup I received this cryptic message.

The Great Prophet of Pooptopia said:
Seek Shit and You Shall Find It.

After observing two sizable dog communities around parks, and monitoring the local parkless (non) community, I realized that citizens of Pooptopia (Pooptopians) may need more than a poop-scooping service for city sidewalks. And conversely, Puptopians may not even want some else to scoop their dog's poo. They are perfectly capable of doing it themselves and have the motivation, provided they see other dog owners doing the same.

So, while some may want a scooping service and some may not, all dog owners - be they Pooptopians or Puptopians - need ice-breakers, fodder for conversation. Dogs are social animals and require the same of their owners, and what do Pooptopians talk about dogs exchange olfactory namecards?

Perhaps dog owners could receive a daily quote from the Great Prophet of Pooptopia delivered via SMS; food for thought, wise words from a sage, or pithy one-liners about poo from a graduate student in Interaction Design ;-). That along with local neighborhood Pootistics, a daily report of choice facts, which could alert them perhaps if their Puptopian neighborhood was on the verge of being assimilated into Pooptopia's odiferous realm.

Dog owners aren't the only people affected by the battle between Pootopian and Puptopian neighborhoods. Other stakeholders would be the poo-haters (who may also be dog-haters just looking for an excuse). We shall dub them Poogilantes. Picture Clint Eastwood disguised as Italian lady wearing an immense fur coat and a scowl, armed with a shopping bag on wheels and a Poodar-equipped mobile phone. Then there are Junior Pootectors a.k.a. the Poonies, brave and reckless bands of youth recruited from the neighborhoods of Pootopias and Puptopias. An inquisitive bunch, they have a natural fascination with anything body fuction related and dog poo is always good for a giggle. They pootag for fun and glory. They pootag to defeat Captain Dongchim and the Nemse Machine (more on that neferious duo later).

Pooptopia LBS Values for Stakeholders rundown:
For dog owners. Portrait of a Pooptopian: Whether on not they choose to scoop, at least they have something to talk about.

For poo-haters: Portrait of a Poogilante: A cranky poo (and possibly dog) hater who points out poo in a furious attempt to oust all dogs and dog owners from their neighborhood. Pootagging gives them proof of the problem and fuel for their anti-merde politicking.

For poo-lovers: Portrait of a Pootector: A young, enthusiastic squad of poo-hunters. Their mission: Seek and destroy poo. Their ranks swell with every passing day with the fresh-faced youth of Pootopia's Police Squad. Armed with Pootector Kit: For now a disposable camera and neighborhood map to Poolog. Pooflags with Semacode on toothpicks to Pootag. This kit is to be handed out to volunteers at local church.... Come se dice "User Research Probe"?

A bit confused by all these filthy terminology? Check out my previous Pooptopian post which describes the environment in which Pooptopia LBS was born.

In the next Pootopian post I will introduce Pooptopia's nemesi:

Captain Dongchim (똥침/Poop-needle) and the Nemse (냄새/Stink) Machine!