Temi A. Ogunyoku, PhD

Enhancing the Technical and Business Development of Novel Sanitation Systems

I led end-to-end research to understand adoption pathways for novel sanitation technology in emerging markets, working with a globally distributed team across Nigeria and Kenya to inform product strategy and market entry decisions.

The insights and recommendations helped guide the foundation's strategic investments while identifying key technical parameters for product iteration in two key markets.

Organization

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Role

Senior Design Researcher and Team Lead

Timeline

8 weeks

Scope

Foundational Research

About the project

I was hired as the Senior Design Research Lead for an initiative funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) to explore market opportunities for their Reinvented Toilets (RTs) — novel sanitation systems designed to address global sanitation challenges.

The project was led by Dalberg, a strategy and policy firm contracted by the Sanitation Technology Platform, an organization supporting the development and commercialization of BMGF's new sanitation products. I collaborated with a cross-functional team, including product designers, UX fellows, data collectors, and local guides, to conduct comprehensive field research across multiple cities.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

The Problem

Globally, 2 billion people lack access to basic sanitation UNSTAT. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation had invested in developing innovative toilet technology but needed to understand adoption pathways. There was uncertainty about how to introduce this novel technology in low-income markets, making market-specific insights essential to inform both product design and go-to-market strategy.

Research Goals

  • Identify pathways and opportunities for adopting RTs in the Nigerian and Kenyan markets.
  • Understand common sanitation needs, preferences, and behaviors across targeted user segments.
  • Pinpoint specific design characteristics of RTs that best address customer needs and behavioral patterns.
  • Generate insights to inform technical design and refine key product features of RTs.

What I Did

Team Alignment: I led two diverse field teams (10 members in total) across two countries, ensuring alignment and clear communication on project objectives and roles. I developed and implemented detailed research and recruitment plans, coordinating with local fixers and guides to facilitate seamless fieldwork.

Upwards alignment was essential due to the multiple stakeholders involved. Dalberg contracted with the Sanitation Technology Platform (STeP) to streamline field testing and commercialization of new sanitation products for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF). Within Dalberg:

  • Dalberg Advisors led the market-sizing and go-to-market strategy.
  • Dalberg Research focused on quantitative research with target user groups.
  • Dalberg Design, my department, conducted qualitative research with the same user groups.

To keep the project on track, I coordinated closely across Dalberg departments to ensure aligned objectives, improved execution, and integrated data collection efforts. I had weekly check-ins with STeP to share progress, discuss challenges, and adjust plans as needed. I also reported milestones to BMGF, presenting key deliverables and final insights to support data-driven decisions on product design and market strategy.

Research Methods

 

Multi-Method Approach

I developed a sequential, multi-method approach to reduce cultural bias in sanitation research. We began with contextual interviews to build trust and gain unbiased insights into participants' daily lives. By layering methods—contextual inquiry, card sorting, concept testing, and surveys—we cross-verified responses, uncovering nuanced sanitation needs and ensuring the Reinvented Toilet (RT) design aligned with user expectations.

Contextual interviews

Conducted 51 two-hour interviews with landlords and tenants, documenting behaviors and attitudes toward utilities. This method mapped their utility needs, spending patterns, and key decision points, also identifying technical requirements (e.g., water for flushing, electricity) essential for RT functionality.
Contextual interviews

Card sorting

Participants ranked sanitation features based on preference, revealing values, unmet needs, and upgrade priorities. Visual cards helped overcome language barriers, and observing non-verbal cues allowed deeper probing into preferences and biases.
Card sorting

Concept testing

We did not have a physical prototype due to development confidentiality, so we created simple visual representations of the product's key features. We presented participants with a simplified image of the RT and engaged them in an in-depth discussion about the potential by-products the toilet could produce. Using these visuals, participants selected their top three preferred by-products and explained their rationale. We also explored preferences for installation, maintenance, and willingness payment to assess alignment with local sanitation needs.
Concept testing

Immersion and intercept interviews

In local sanitation markets, we observed workflows and interviewed four vendors, identifying branding and marketing insights essential for RT positioning.
Immersion and intercept interviews

Quantitative Surveys

The Dalberg Research team initially conducted a portion of the 600 planned surveys in one country. After I joined, I led my team review and refine the survey for better alignment and triangulation with our qualitative data collection methods. With these adjustments, the team completed the remaining surveys, enabling us to integrate quantitative and qualitative insights for a comprehensive analysis.

Data Synthesis & Reporting

By triangulating qualitative and quantitative data, I uncovered key patterns in user needs, technical requirements and constraints, as well as market opportunities.

I developed personas for the target user groups in each market, capturing the availability, accessibility, and reliability of basic services. These personas highlighted critical needs for essential services and preferences for potential by-products produced by the Reinvented Toilets (RTs).

Using the insights gained from data analysis, I created detailed summaries of the 12 input and 11 output operating parameters of the RTs. These parameters outlined the ideal operating ranges for RT developers to consider when designing or modifying the systems.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Key Insights

  • Sanitation is Not a Top Priority: Respondents viewed sanitation as relatively accessible through informal options, such as public facilities, and expressed less urgency in upgrading their systems. While shared toilets caused some frustration, users did not prioritize improvements. In contrast, utilities like electricity, water, and cooking fuel were seen as more unreliable, costly, and difficult to obtain, making them higher priorities for households.

  • Product Value Lies in By-products: The primary appeal of RTs lies in their ability to produce valuable by-products such as electricity and biogas, addressing significant frustrations with unreliable electricity and high fuel costs. Respondents saw these by-products as enhancing their utility access rather than improving their sanitation systems. This positions RTs as a utility-enhancing solution rather than just a sanitation product.

  • Skepticism Toward New Products: Users were hesitant to commit financially to a conceptual product without seeing a physical prototype. Trust in proven technologies and branded solutions, particularly foreign-made products, outweighed interest in local innovations. Providing a physical prototype is essential for building credibility and obtaining realistic feedback on willingness to pay.

  • Infrastructure Constraints: Unreliable and informal utility markets in low-income areas pose operational challenges for RTs. Electricity and water supplies cannot be depended upon, making off-grid solutions essential. Additionally, space limitations in one-room households make installation or retrofitting impractical, highlighting the need for shared sanitation units or compact designs tailored to these environments.

Organization Impact

  • Data-Driven Decision Making: Delivered critical user, technical, and environmental requirements to partners, equipping stakeholders with the data needed to develop effective sanitation systems in targeted markets. For full report (design research on pages 108 - 140 and 244 - 273) please visit: Gates Open Research

  • Market Opportunity Identification: Determined that Nigeria presented a stronger market for Reinvented Toilets (RTs) compared to Kenya, due to higher demand for reliable basic services like electricity, and a less established sanitation market.

  • Strategic Investment Recommendations: Provided the foundation with insights to guide $200 million in future grant investments, recommending projects such as multi-unit toilets and technologies that could produce electricity as a byproduct, aligning future development with market needs.