Overview
The Problem:
People frequently cite that the biggest barrier to proper waste disposal is lack of knowledge, limited access to recycling and composting facilities, and lack of motivation.
Possible Solution:
WastED is designed to help college students create better waste habits with the ability to take photos of and search items for their correct waste stream, as well as find where their nearest trash, recycle, or compost sites are.
Project Duration:
3 weeks
Team Members:
4
Tools Used:
Figma, Miro, Illustrator
My. Role:
I had a major lead in the UI design, handling color scheme, typography, logo, and other graphics, while also sketching and creating wireframes for the camera feature, and progressing the app from Mid-Fi to Hi-Fi through prototyping.
My Design Thinking Process
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In the discovery phase, I explore user behaviors, needs, and pain points. Through methods like interviews and analysis, I gain insights essential in forming the basis for a user-centered design approach.
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During this phase, I transform user insights into a problem statement, setting clear goals and aligning the design solution with user needs and business objectives.
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In the ideation phase, I creatively brainstorm and explore solutions to tackle user challenges. Through collaborative sessions and unconventional thinking, I am able to generate innovative ideas that help to develop impactful design solutions.
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In the prototyping phase, I transform ideas into interactive mock-ups, refining the user experience through iterative testing and feedback. This process helps blend concept with implementation, ensuring an effective human-centered design solution.
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In the test + evaluate phase, I examine the prototype through user testing, iterating on the design based on feedback. This step confirms functionality, addresses issues, and ensures an optimal user experience before final implementation.
01 Discover
Research
To better understand our user’s needs for waste education and services, we conducted 6 user interviews.
Research question:
As a user researcher, I want to understand the internal thought processes of users when it comes to disposing and sorting their daily waste.
Objectives:
Determine what factors have the biggest influence on their waste habits.
Determine the most effective ways for waste education to be presented to users.
Determine the biggest pain points for users when it comes to sorting their waste.
Determine the user's decision making process when it comes to disposing of their waste.
Key Insights
“I care about the environment but I don’t have the time to sort through my waste.”
“I don’t know where to compost or recycle at my campus.”
“I barely know the basics of composting and recycling.”
02 Define + Analyze
Empathy Map
User Persona
User Insights
Our user finds it difficult to recycle frequently and needs to learn the correct way to do so while living at school, because she wants to live a sustainable life. This is also difficult because of the lack of knowledge on guidelines when it comes to recycling or throwing out waste.
They need to learn the basics of composting because they want to have a positive environmental impact but doesn’t really even know what it is.
They need to know when their actions have a positive impact because they are more eager to do something when this is the case.
03 Ideation
Brainstorming
Feature Prioritization Matrix
User Story
User Flow
A closer look…
04 Prototype
Lo-Fi Wireframes
Home Page Labels
Log in
Error
Hi-Fi Wireframes
Log In
Error
Home Page
User Testing
To identify any issues, we performed 3 user tests.
360 View
Homepage
360 View
Camera Feature
Results
Iterations
Final Prototype
Camera Feature
Results
05 Testing + Evaluation
All 3 users tested reported few issues completing the following tasks:
Create an account and Log in
Use the photo feature to determine what waste stream an aluminum bottle belongs in, then add item to “My Bins”
Search for a nearby recycling site
Find a composting location
Search which waste stream an aluminum bottle belongs in
Issues reported:
-Clickability problems
-Add labels to menu bar
-Unable to go back after searching aluminum
-Missing “New Password” screen
