Question

Shown below is a picture of a wash basin in a primary school. In the space provided in the answer booklet, list down ten various problems related to the possibility of a viral infection like COVID-19 spreading in the school. (5 marks)
Identify three problems that you consider to be the most important and clearly illustrate them.
You will be evaluated for:

Quality and diversity of your observation
Analytical skills
Communication

Hint:

For problem identification, think about the entire process or user journey. What happens before, during, and after the main action? This helps uncover a wider range of issues beyond the most obvious ones. When illustrating, simple diagrams with clear labels are more effective than complex drawings.

Answer 1

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This question tests observational and analytical skills in the context of public health and design. The first part requires identifying a wide range of potential problems from an image. The second part requires prioritizing the most critical problems and communicating them visually. 
Step 2: Approach and Guidelines - Part 1: Listing Ten Problems (5 marks): 
Systematically examine the image and think about the user journey of a child using this wash basin. Categorize potential problems to ensure diversity. 

Hygiene and Contamination: 
Shared Taps: Multiple children touch the same tap handles, a primary vector for virus transmission. 
No Soap Dispenser: Lack of soap or a shared bar of soap would make handwashing ineffective or another source of cross-contamination. 
Splashback: The basin design might cause water to splash between users, spreading germs. 
Stagnant Water: The bucket with the mop and standing water is a breeding ground for germs. 
Improper Drainage: Poor drainage in or around the basin can lead to contaminated puddles where viruses can survive. 
No Towels/Dryer: Lack of a hygienic way to dry hands can render handwashing less effective. 
 

Social Distancing and Ergonomics: 
Proximity of Taps: The taps are very close together, forcing children to stand shoulder-to-shoulder, violating social distancing norms. 
No Queuing System: The open design does not guide children to form an orderly, distanced queue. 
Height Accessibility: The basin may be too high for the smallest children, forcing them to touch more of the surface to support themselves. 
Maintenance and Environment: 
Difficult to Clean Surfaces: The rough concrete material is porous and hard to sanitize effectively compared to ceramic or steel. 

Step 3: Detailed Explanation - Part 2: Identifying and Illustrating Three Main Problems (15 marks): 
Choose the three most critical problems from your list. "Critical" problems are those with the highest risk of transmission. Good choices would be: 1) Proximity of Taps, 2) Shared Tap Handles, and 3) Lack of Soap. Illustration Guidelines: The goal is to communicate the problem clearly, not to create a beautiful drawing. Use simple diagrams, stick figures, arrows, and labels. 

Illustration 1: Problem - Taps are too close (No Social Distancing). 
Visual: Draw a simplified top-down or front view of the basin. Show two children standing very close to each other while washing hands. Use arrows and a label like "< 1 meter" to indicate the lack of safe distance. 

Illustration 2: Problem - Shared taps lead to cross-contamination. 
Visual: Draw a close-up of a single tap. Show one child's hand (with "germs" drawn on it) touching the tap. Then show another child's clean hand about to touch the same tap. Use arrows to show the transfer of germs from hand to tap, and then from tap to the next hand. Label it "Cross-Contamination". 

Illustration 3: Problem - No soap available for effective cleaning. 
Visual: Draw a child at the basin simply rinsing their hands with water. Draw "germs" remaining on their hands. Add a text box or a thought bubble from the child with a question mark next to a symbol for soap, indicating its absence. Label it "Ineffective Handwashing". 


Step 4: Final Answer: 
The answer booklet should first contain a numbered list of 10 distinct problems. Following this, there should be three separate, clearly drawn and labeled illustrations, each focusing on one of the top three identified problems and explaining why it is a high-risk issue for spreading infections.