EcoSnap.
ecosnap.
project title
Final design
PROJECT TYPE
Academic
TEAM
Celine, Eva, Grace, Lamin
MY ROLE
UX/UI Design, Usability Testing
TOOLS USED
Figma
a new opportunity for green initiative
Project Overview.
EcoSnap is a mobile application that allows users to report beaches and shorelines that require additional environmental cleanup by taking photographs and writing short descriptions about the compromised area.
This interactive system was designed for a senior interface design course during my time at Simon Fraser University, where teams were tasked with researching a specified user domain and identifying an existing problem from which we crafted a compelling interactive design solution.
This interactive system was designed for a senior interface design course during my time at Simon Fraser University, where teams were tasked with researching a specified user domain and identifying an existing problem from which we crafted a compelling interactive design solution.
Looking into prospective users
Research Process.
The beginning stages of the development process involved conducting primary research on our selected design domain “Sustainability,” and the eco-conscious audience existing within. Through a combination of research gathered from credible online resources and our team having conducted a series of brief interview sessions, we gained a better understanding for the thought processes of an average consumer and how that affects their green initiatives.
During this initial research process, we also attended a waste committee meeting with the Society Promoting Environmental Conservation (SPEC) and the City of Vancouver’s Solid Waste Programs. This was a fantastic opportunity for the design team to gain further insight from industry professionals into the larger perspective of the eco-conscious domain we were working within and to gain a supplementary understanding of our core audience from those who collaborate with them.
During this initial research process, we also attended a waste committee meeting with the Society Promoting Environmental Conservation (SPEC) and the City of Vancouver’s Solid Waste Programs. This was a fantastic opportunity for the design team to gain further insight from industry professionals into the larger perspective of the eco-conscious domain we were working within and to gain a supplementary understanding of our core audience from those who collaborate with them.
FRAMING THE PROBLEM SPACE
Framing.
01
Plastic pollution.
Within our design domain, one specific area for concern is the copious amounts of plastic pollution that enters the ocean annually, causing mass destruction to marine ecosystems worldwide.
02
Responsibility.
Based on our interview results, we identified that users feel personally responsible for maintaining a healthy environment for future generations by implementing green initiatives into their everyday lives.
03
Personal doubt.
Individual users also doubt the greater effectiveness of their environmental contributions, cultivating a lack of motivation to continue further.
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How might we introduce a new approach that encourages members of the community to maintain the cleanliness of local shorelines for beachgoers and wildlife alike?
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ARRIVING AT OUR FINAL SOLUTION
Design Process.
Having now framed the problem space, we were moving forward by developing initial wire-flows, prototyping the interactions by refining the aforementioned workflows and creating guidelines for the visual design and interface patterns.
The latter stages of the development process included the completion of an interactive mockup that was created using Figma, repeated user testing and refinement to identify existing design issues, and lastly resolving these problems in preparation for the final stage submission.
The latter stages of the development process included the completion of an interactive mockup that was created using Figma, repeated user testing and refinement to identify existing design issues, and lastly resolving these problems in preparation for the final stage submission.
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ARRIVING AT OUR FINAL SOLUTION
Overcoming Challenges.
During our development process, a challenge that our design team encountered was the decision on how we wanted to design the main home screen. Given that we had two varying designs, including a map-oriented view that provides users with the opportunity to visualize available cleanups through proximity and a list-oriented view that groups the necessary information for each available cleanup into an intuitive, straightforward interface, we needed to discern which was more adequate in terms of a clear, usability criteria.
We accomplished this by conducting A/B testing with a group of fifteen potential users between the ages 21-40. Twelve of those sessions were completed using remote communications and three in-person. From these sessions, we were able to gather that...
We accomplished this by conducting A/B testing with a group of fifteen potential users between the ages 21-40. Twelve of those sessions were completed using remote communications and three in-person. From these sessions, we were able to gather that...
7 OUT OF 15 CHOSE the...
Map-oriented view.
These participants believed it was the more intuitive to use method for viewing all relevant locations (i.e. reported areas for waste and already organized cleanup parties).
6 OUT OF 15 CHOSE the...
List-oriented view.
One of the positive aspects these participants shared was that all of the required information for each displayed cleanup event was available at a glance
2 OUT OF 15 users...
Had no preference.
Users believed that both prototypes were adequate in providing support for achieving their specified goals.
Taking into consideration the split results of our user testing, there was no definitive evidence that one prototype greatly outperformed the other in terms of usability. With our prospective users front of mind, we came to the collective conclusion that including both designs for the main home screen into the final high-fidelity prototype would prioritize the needs of all users by providing them with the tools they deem necessary to reach their goals.
HIGH-FIDELITY MOCKUPS
Final Implementation.
Reporting Littered Shorelines
Reporting feature.
By taking taking photographs of the compromised shoreline and providing the necessary information, users are able to share this report with others on the app, making it an available location for anyone to host a cleanup event for.
Joining a community cleanup event
Event sign-up feature.
To provide users with a different avenue for making positive green contributions, they can sign up and participate in the shoreline cleanups that other users have organized.
Keeping up-to-date with your calendar
Event calendar feature.
To further support the user in achieving their goals, the implementation of a calendar feature lets users easily view the upcoming cleanup parties they are scheduled to participate in.
Keeping track of your accomplishments
User profile feature.
EcoSnap users can view their previous accomplishments and progress towards different contribution badges, incentivizing them to continue with their sustainable contributions.
Reflection
Key Takeaways.
Reflecting on this project has made me grateful for having had the opportunity to participate in creating an original interactive product and the corresponding mobile interface design from the ground up. I gained valuable experience with user testing by conducting both qualitative interviews and quantitative A/B testing. Furthermore, I have continued to broaden my understanding of the universal UX principles and built off of what I learned by growing my design practices.
If we were to move forward with this project again in the future, I would look into the possibility of conducting a portion of the user testing within the context of the application. Given that the primary function is allowing users to report compromised shorelines, it would’ve been ideal to recreate an environment where users may genuinely find themselves using EcoSnap to perform our user testing. Given the difficulties of the pandemic conditions, however, we were unable to coordinate these sessions with our participants.
If we were to move forward with this project again in the future, I would look into the possibility of conducting a portion of the user testing within the context of the application. Given that the primary function is allowing users to report compromised shorelines, it would’ve been ideal to recreate an environment where users may genuinely find themselves using EcoSnap to perform our user testing. Given the difficulties of the pandemic conditions, however, we were unable to coordinate these sessions with our participants.
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