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Refrigeration is Hot

Sanitation isn't sexy, unfortunately. But refrigeration? That seems to be a big thing here in Kumasi. We've seen several households throughout our visit that have installed a refrigerator in their homes (often with nothing more than a bottle or two of water or coke inside), but have no access to a household toilet. And on a quick drive through town today we saw countless roadside refrigerator sales (selling second-hand refrigerators), all of whom seemed to be doing good business.


So why is refrigeration so hot (pardon the pun)? First, it's hot here. Really, really hot. So having a cold drink is pretty darn appealing. But, more relevant to our research, refrigerators are an aspirational purchase and seem to be associated with a higher social status. And lastly, refrigerator's benefits are clear and immediate – you plug it in and a little while later, your drinks are cold.


How might we design a sanitation system that's as easy to use and understand as a refrigerator? How might we make the benefits of household sanitation more immediate and relevant than the existing options? How might we make household sanitation as much of a status indicator as other aspirational purchases?

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