Calibin

Sanitary Disposal Bin

Calibin

Hygiene by design,
not by effort.

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The Awkward Moment

A moment nobody talks about — but every woman experiences.

01
Holding and waiting
The user pauses — holding a used product with no clear next step. Every second of hesitation feels exposed and uncomfortable.
02
No clean surface, no bag
Without a disposal bag, direct contact is unavoidable. The absence of a clean option forces an unhygienic compromise.
03
Calibin anticipates the move
Blue light signals the bag zone. Your hand approaches. The lid opens. The moment resolves in one fluid gesture — before you've had to think.

How It Works

Four steps.
One fluid moment.

01

Blue zone signals

The illuminated strip at the base draws your eye to the bag zone below.

02

Reach → bag ready

Reach toward the slot. The biodegradable bag is ready to pull. Proximity opens the lid.

03

Wrap and seal

Drop your product into the biodegradable bag. Clean, contained, no contact.

04

Drop in, lid closes

Drop it in. Sensor detects — lid closes automatically. Done.

Product Showcase

Exploded View

Calibin diagram Calibin overlay

The awkward pause between holding a used product and finding somewhere clean — Calibin eliminates it entirely.

Product Demo

Design Direction

The real question wasn't how to open it — it was how to make disposal happen without thinking.

Through testing, I realized the true problem wasn't which body part triggered the lid. The real friction point was the cognitive and physical pressure of the in-between moment — hands occupied, product contaminated, decision required. A proximity sensor removes the decision entirely: as the hand approaches, the lid opens. Correct behavior becomes the easiest path.

01
Reduces hand involvement
At peak contamination — the moment of holding — physical contact with the device is eliminated.
02
Eliminates the decision moment
Proximity sensing removes the cognitive step. No button, no lifting. The lid responds to intent.
03
Disposal as reflex, not choice
Correct hygiene behavior becomes the path of least resistance — not an effort to remember.
04
Continuous flow
No fragmented steps. The gesture of reaching toward the bin begins and ends the interaction.

Design Research

From mess to motion —
the research behind Calibin.

Journey Map

Mapping the two user flows: tampon vs pad

We traced both product types step by step — from removal to disposal. The highlighted zone (Remove → Wrap → Disposal) is where contamination risk, cognitive load, and physical awkwardness peak simultaneously.

Product
Tampon
Decision
Prepare Tissue
Remove
Wrap
Disposal
Change
Pain Points
  • Environmental Assessment
  • Are there trash cans?
  • Is it clean?
  • Is there paper?
  • Not enough tissue
  • Hands will contact with blood.
  • There is nowhere to set it down temporarily.
  • Worried it might fall to the ground.
  • The packaging process was messy.
  • It took longer than expected.
  • Easy to give up and dispose it in toilet.
  • Hands are already dirty.
Product
Pad
Observation
Remove from underwear
Temporary Hold It
Roll Used Ones
Disposal
Change
Pain Points
  • Trash can? (more dependent on it than tampons)
  • Tissues?
  • Easy to get hold of.
  • Blood is directly exposed (visually jarring).
  • Extremely unstable.
  • High-pressure (hurry up and finish the swap).
  • Packaging bag is too small / difficult to wrap.
  • Involves multiple steps (folding, rolling, wrapping).
  • Hands come into contact with blood.
  • Don't want to touch the lid.
  • Smell / Visually exposed.
  • Laziness → Leave it on the floor or don't wrap it up properly.
  • Hands are already dirty.
  • The packaging is hard to tear open.
Key Insights
The user is handling a "contaminant" — blood triggers visual, olfactory, and tactile aversion. The intense urge: don't touch · don't look · get this over with — fast.

Situational pressure compounds the moment: holding a used product, nowhere to set it down, the new one not yet in place.

Erroneous behaviors = the path of least resistance — not wrapping, tossing on the floor, or flushing.
Opportunities
Disposal starts during removal.
Correct behavior must become the easiest path.

There is no support for the in-between moment — the gap between holding and letting go. Calibin is designed to close that gap entirely.

Design Process

What if the hands weren't involved at all?

The initial research question was how to minimize hand contact during the most contaminated moment. I began by testing alternative body parts — the wrist, the forearm, the elbow — as trigger points for opening the lid.

Concept exploration — elbow and forearm gestures

Low-Fidelity Prototype

Building to think

Three full-scale cardboard models — each built to test a different combination of lid mechanism, opening height, and slot configuration. I ran repeated user tests with each prototype: observing hand approach angles, measuring reach distances, and logging interaction timing. The testing surfaced an unexpected insight: the true constraint wasn't which body part triggered the lid. It was the moment of holding — that brief pause of uncertainty between removal and disposal.

Prototype 1 — cardboard model

Prototype 01 — hinged lid

Prototype 2 — slot test

Prototype 02 — slot mechanism

Prototype 3 — full form

Prototype 03 — sensor bay

Making Process

Making process 1 Making process 2 Making process 3 Making process 4

Regulation

Designed within
ADA standards.

Calibin mounts within the 80–90 cm grab bar zone and meets ADA 2010 reach range and operable parts requirements for accessible sanitary facilities.

ADA 2010 Standards for Accessible Design
ada.gov/law-and-regs/ada
↗
ADA regulation diagram
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Callia Chen

Design by

Callia Chen

linkedin.com/in/callia-sining-chen
Rhode Island School of Design
Master in Industrial Design
Emily Carr University of Art and Design
Bachelor in Fine Art, Ceramic

Five interventions.
One restroom.

Each product targets a different moment where hygiene fails.

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