Problem, Solution, Impact
Problem: Lack of knowledge and resources make recycling and waste management a challenge for people to recycle everyday items.
Solution: To create an app that will provide users with the proper resources to encourage recycling habits that will last.
Impact: I was able to reduce search time for the Rewards page by 16 seconds: 29 seconds on the original group mid-fidelity app, 12 seconds on the hi-fidelity redesign.
Research
​We created a proto-persona named Cynthia Thomas, a young married marketing assistant in NYC who wants to learn more about recycling but is concerned about finding recycling facilities. We conducted 5 user interviews using open-ended and follow-up questions to understand their thoughts and habits about recycling.
We conducted an online survey via Google forms and social media platforms, receiving 34 responses that defined our app's goals and needs. The survey revealed that 77.4% of people don't search for proper recycling facilities, but 80.6% consider recycling important.
Our survey and interviews aimed to understand current recycling habits and identify barriers to recycling. Using an affinity diagram, we determined key factors for our ideal user. Our research revealed that the majority of people consider recycling important and try to make it a habit. However, many don't dispose of non-recyclable items properly. Challenges include knowing what can be recycled, where to dispose of non-recyclables, and accessibility to recycling services. We also found that incentives or visual feedback would increase motivation to recycle.
Competitor Analysis
While researching our competition, we found a few direct competitors who have different strengths such as scanning and searching materials to learn how to recycle them and setting reminders for putting out your recycling. However, they all had weaknesses with technical and visual difficulties. The indirect competitors were mainly basic search algorithms so their weakness is that they aren’t targeted directly at recycling management.
Persona
We created Leslie Humblecut, our user persona. Leslie was similar to our proto persona but has all the grouped qualities from our user interviews and survey. Leslie wants to be more informed about the recycling resources near her in the big apple. She has a goal to make recycling more accessible in the city - which really prompted the ideas for this mobile app.
User Insight & Problem Statement
To capture what we wanted to achieve with our app, we came up with this as our user insight statement: “The lack of accessible recycling resources, limited knowledge of proper recycling practices, and the uncertainty of what materials can actually be recycled, make it difficult for residents in major cities to participate in effective waste management.”
After a few iterations, we identified the issue to be that “ Residents of major cities face challenges managing their waste due to a lack of knowledge about disposal methods and resources. This problem leads to improper waste disposal and ultimately contributes to the damage of the urban environment.
Definition & Ideation
Once we gathered all of our research and defined the problem, we were able to brainstorm what features would most benefit our users, and then translate that experience emotionally through our user journey map and storyboard.
We brainstormed potential features for our recycling app, dot voted on the best ideas, and narrowed down to a rewards system, visual tracker, and locator.
User Journey Map
We created a storyboard featuring Leslie, who uses our app to recycle an old mattress, track her impact, and earn points for a plant. Our journey map shows her emotional ups and downs. With features and journey defined, we began building our prototype.
Feature Prioritization Matrix
We brainstormed potential features for our recycling app, dot voted on the best ideas, and narrowed down to a rewards system, visual tracker, and locator.
Wireframing & Prototyping
After finalizing the user flow, we transitioned to wireframe sketches where we outlined the key features and functionality of our app using the optimized 10-step flow on Invision.
We each drew sketches of each wireframe page we would need from our user flow. Below are the sketches I made for the wireframes.
Mid-Fidelity Wireframe Explanation
We combined sketches into an ideal wireframe flow and created digital wireframes using Figma. Through iterations, we developed a final clickable mid-fidelity prototype. We updated wireframes based on feedback from usability tests and conducted additional tests. Below is the final mid-fidelity prototype. Despite challenges, our group enjoyed working together on Greecycle and achieved impressive results in researching, defining, prototyping, and testing the waste management app.
Style Guide
I then developed a style guide on my own style guide for the beginnings of the high-fidelity prototype.
Reflection
I learned that leading a group is difficult but definitely rewarding. With this being my first group based case study, I was nervous about handing over the reigns to trust my team. I learned that it was better to trust my team because more times than not, collaborating led to the creation of amazing ideas and designs. I also learned that if something doesn’t feel right, asking for feedback or doing more tests is quite rewarding and more efficient in the end.
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I would love to add more features to the current app including:
A sorting feature — where users can look up items by their name, like a light bulb, or a mattress and be shown what facilities can recycle those items.
An education feature — that shows users facts about the importance of recycling, recycling tips, and more.
A companion feature — that allows users to connect with friends for accountability in their recycling endeavors.