Brainstorm

How can Americans be more conscious about the waste they throw away?

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I asked three questions to better understand this problem:

Next, I defined my audience. There were three segments I could target:

I decided to focus on students. Their location, high motivation and awareness, and tech-savvy potential were a good fit for a mobile app aimed at reducing waste.

User Research

I created an online survey to explore the problem space and identify potential opportunities. 21 individuals responded to the survey.

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The results revealed several potential problems:

Most survey respondents, however, were more likely to shop at environmentally focused stores and willing to adopt environmentally friendly habits such as purchasing eco-friendly products.

Define

The problem was now clear:

Students are willing to adopt an environmentally friendly lifestyle but face obstacles such as high cost, low convenience, and uncertainty.

Competitive Analysis

To gauge what solutions already existed, I examined how other apps were potentially solving this problem and what gaps remained.

Ideate

I decided to create a solution in the form of a mobile app for 2 reasons:

1. Mobile apps allow for more personalization than websites
2. Smartphones are more portable than laptops

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I brainstormed a handful of possible solutions:

I decided to focus on connecting users with sustainable businesses.

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Since the target users reported to be highly motivated to increase their environmentally friendly habits but also sensitive to cost, convenience, and uncertainty, my app would:

• offer promotions to reduce cost barriers
• conveniently display local sustainable businesses
• explain why they are considered sustainable to reduce uncertainty

Business Perspective

On the other side of the app, businesses have the potential to gain revenue, brand credibility, and a unique and direct channel to environmentally conscious consumers.

The following metrics would be used to measure the success of the app.

Design

Low-Fidelity Wireframes

I created lo-fi wireframes to acquire early feedback. These are some of the changes I made:

Design System

I chose a soft color palette reflect sustainability and a sans-serif font to emphasize that the app is modern and friendly.

High-Fidelity Prototype

Below are the key screens of the final prototype that I used for user testing.

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Test

I conducted three user testing sessions. Each interview included the following:

• A brief survey to gauge if they were a target user
• A user scenario to make tasks feel more natural
• A path that users could follow so each key function could be tested

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While I have not yet iterated according to my findings, below is a summary of the changes I would make in the next iteration.

Major Findings

Reflection & Next Steps

Next steps: More user testing and more iterations!

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