designer role:
Researcher | UX/UI Designer
tools:
Figma | Adobe Photoshop
DEFINING THE PROBLEM:
Our planet is in the midst of an uphill battle against a multitude of environmental problems of human origin. Unfortunately, there is currently no app that allows users to calculate their environmental impact and simultaneously receive information on how to reduce it. The effort involved in gathering the relevant information and determining one's impact can be an exhausting and complicated process. Coupled with the subsequent need to identify and incorporate drastic changes into a daily routine, many will likely be dissuaded from acting. EcoStance seeks to streamline this process.
high level goals:
• Offer users an easy way to understand their impact.
• Allow users to access informative resources and alternative ways to reduce their carbon footprint.
• Encourage daily use through intuitive and engaging interface.
UNDERSTANDING THE USER:
Designing this app required understanding the different kind of users it was meant for, in addition to their individual goals and frustrations. After conducting several surveys, I organized the resulting research into four different personas that generally encompassed the different user pain points, as well as their needs and wants.
DESIGN PROCESS:
• Brainstorming - Ideas, functionality and navigation brainstorming
• User Flow:
> Understanding the flow of user experience and interaction with app functionality
> Exploring in more detail the subcategories of app, and user logic...
• Navigation - Thinking of potential placement of app options based on functionality and purpose.
• Wireframe Sketches:
> Taking the next step in thinking of screen content and transitions from one app feature to the other
> Sketching a more consistent flow of wireframes that further analyze potential content and distribution of features and functions.
lo-fi WIREFRAMES:
BREAKDOWN:
Less is more! Not including settings, there are only three main tabs driving overall app functionality:
• Carbon Footprint: Overview of your carbon footprint stats, along with the categories that comprise it, and a feature that allows you to toggle between your carbon footprint vs the average of similar homes for comparison.
• Track: Customization of statistics is made here by adjusting diverse elements within relevant categories.
• Reduce: Articles and relevant eco-friendly tips live here, divided by life-style sub-categories. Articles and tips populate based on areas in need of most improvement (determined from statistics above).
NEXT STEPS:
Taking into account the expansive nature of sustainability, and reflecting on the user needs and pain points, an ideal next step for this app would be to collaborate with environmental experts, which would potentially help answer outstanding questions about sustainability and which actions can yield higher impact results.
It is exceedingly difficult to quantify actions and environmental impact (whether it's positive or negative), so collaborating directly with people who specialize in this kind of knowledge could lead to an even more insightful and better-structured app.
