ApproTEC's Marketing team is closest to ApproTEC's customer base and, as a result, is often at the beginning of the product innovation cycle. The Marketing group in Kisumu, western Kenya, led by Bob Hyde, developed the first proof-of-concept prototypes. Because of the timing of the rains, we decided to fast-track this design and minimize initial exploration.

As a Product Designer on the Technology Development team, I was charged with developing the product specifications, exploring design alternatives, getting user feedback, refining the design

We used state-of-the art solid modeling software to accelerate the design process. Being able to visualize design options right on the screen, before having them built, allowed for more "protyping" cycles.

We found potential users--small-scale farmers and nursery owners--who helpd us to field-test the prototypes and gave us great feed back on features and improvements.

Throughout the development process, we took pains to simplify the design to facilitate use, maintenance, and mass-production. The pump:

• pumps water form 20 feet down
• pushes water to 20 feet up
• pulls up to 15 liters of water per minute
• irrigates up to 1 acre
• attaches to standard off-the-shelf hoses
• is easily operated by both men and women
• can be entirely disassembled and reassembled without tools
• has self-cleaning valves

In addition, the steel used in the pump is all standard, commonly available cross-sections, assembled using only commonly available processes (cutting, welding, and drilling). The rubber and plastic parts are all locally made. The pump will retail for $20--half of the price of the MoneyMaker PLUS--and should enable more Kenyans to start their own small micro-irrigation businesses.