Neighbourhood form design

I want to make a tiny shed for one bike. The idea is to stop me being lazy and driving everywhere, because the car is easier to access than my road bike.

At the moment the road bike is stored and locked in a very messy shed, across a muddy garden, in the opposite direction of where I need to cycle. If I can build a tiny shed next to where I park my car, then it’ll be harder to make the excuse to drive all the time.

Maybe the tiny shed is a commitment device, or maybe just another way of procrastinating from getting back on the bike. Either way, right now I have a DIY project to do, so I need materials.

As ever with my DIY projects, I like to use recycled and reclaimed materials. The plan for this one is to use pallet wood. I already have two, but I need a few more, and I spotted a load on a building site just up the road.

People aren’t often on site at the moment though, so I keep missing opportunities to ask if I can take their old pallets. I’d rather not just pinch them, even though it does seem clear that they are soon to be skipped.

How to get their elusive attention?

Form design to the rescue!

I needed an easy way to ask if I can take some pallets, and an even easier way for them to respond. A big friendly onsite form felt like it might do the job:

Hello

A question from Mathew, a neighbour from [my house], just down the lane

Could I take 4 pallets for a DIY project if you don’t need them all?

Thanks either way, and all the best with the build

Please delete Yes / No below as appropriate and I’ll see your answer when I walk past

I hope it’s clear, and the Yes / No interface is obvious enough: They need to rip off one option, and leave their answer for me to see. I even cut little perforations along the dotted line to make it easy to tear!

A photo of a white A4 page, stuck with green tape to some wooden pallets. The page says, Hello A question from Mathew, a neighbour from [my house], just down the lane Could I take 4 pallets for a DIY project if you don’t need them all? Thanks either way, and all the best with the build Please delete Yes / No below as appropriate and I’ll see your answer when I walk past At the bottom of the page the words yes and no are on tabs that can be teared off

I think it’ll be enough to see. A bright page of A4, large friendly text, and bright (and ‘Yes’ inducing) green tape.

A wide photo of a building site showing a large pile of wooden pallets and an A4 page stuck to them. A yellow circle highlights the A4 page. A big friendly yes no option is clearly visible at the bottom of the page

Now just to see if whoever’s on site next sees it, interacts with it, and gives me the answer I’m hoping for.

From the point of view of getting back onto my bike, this is all feeling a bit like swallowing a spider to catch a fly so far, but at least this will see me walking up and down the road a few times.