Once upon a time, in the heart of Romania a group of enthusiastic students from the Informal IT School gathered to explore a topic of crucial importance: encouraging sustainable behaviors among users. Under the guidance of their mentors, they embarked on a UX design journey, aiming to conceive an innovative digital solution that would inspire positive change.
Research and Ideation
User testing
Reevaluate
Wireframing and Prototyping
Visual design
Through a rigorous analysis process, we identified three key areas where design thinking could bridge the gap between intention and action. We phrased these areas as
"How Might We" questions, sparking creative problem-solving and propelling us towards potential solutions. These questions became the guiding lights for the next phase of our project, directing us towards designing solutions that empower users to seamlessly integrate sustainability into their daily lives.
From the initial spark of an idea, we've navigated the information architecture and user flow, sketched out the foundation with low-fidelity wireframes, added a layer of visual appeal with mockups, and finally, honed the ideal user experience through the happy flow. Now, I am thrilled to unveil the culmination of these efforts – the final prototype.
By focusing on the happy flow during user testing with our prototype, we can ensure our app is not only visually appealing but also efficient and effective in encouraging users to embrace a more sustainable commute.
LET'S SEE THE PROTOTYPE!
Unveiling a Greener Path: Conclusion and Project Retrospective
While this prototype represents a significant step forward, there are some areas where I can continue to improve and iterate. Due to time constraints, certain aspects may not be as fully developed as desired. This could include limitations in the number of features explored or the level of detail within specific screens.
As a beginner in these design tools, there might be functionalities or features that weren't fully utilized due to skill limitations.
I'm committed to continuously improving my skills in the design tools used for this project. This will allow me to leverage their full potential in future encounters.
These mockups added a layer of visual design to the wireframes, giving a clearer picture of the app's aesthetics like colors, fonts, and basic layouts. However, these mockups were still static – they didn't have any interactive elements.
From Brainstorm to Blueprint: User Flow Design
Low - Fidelity wireframe
The user journey map showed us exactly what Ana's daily commute was like, with the good parts and the bad parts – the easy bits and the times when everything went wrong. With this roadmap in hand, I jumped into the brainstorming phase, which was all about coming up with creative ideas to solve Ana's transportation problems!
But first the paper sketch part
In the phase of lo-fi wireframes I managed to ask a few users about the concept behide the app and presented them with the prototype, observing how they interact with it and gathering their honest feedback. I did observational concept testing and also besides asking for feedback I also manage to see their reactions towards the app.
Sketching the Green Path: Low-Fidelity Wireframes Take Shape
We've navigated the information architecture and user flow phases, meticulously organizing our chosen solution's features and outlining user journeys. Now, it's time to take those ideas from abstract concepts to something a bit more tangible – enter low-fidelity wireframes
Stepping into the Defining Phase: Refining My Focus
By stepping into Ana's shoes, I could truly understand their frustrations. It became my mission to map out their journey, a visual narrative called a user journey map. This map would chart their daily transportation routine, from trip planning to arrival, highlighting the pain points and frustrations that stood in the way of a more sustainable commute.
Sustainable Transportation Emerges as a Key Themeing
This focus on transportation highlights the potential for design solutions that can empower users to make eco-friendly choices in their daily commutes.
Following our insightful interviews, several themes emerged surrounding sustainable behaviors. Among these, sustainable transportation resonated deeply with me.
Identifying the research goal
Explore the experiences of people with sustainable behaviors and identify potential technologies that could support them in adopting and implementing these practices.
After utilizing Google Forms for an initial screening process, we narrowed our focus to delve deeper. We then conducted in-depth interviews with 10 individuals who expressed a strong interest in adopting sustainable behaviors in their daily lives.
Journey through reseach
Our initial foray into understanding Romanian user behavior surrounding sustainability began with a cost-effective and time-efficient approach: desk research. This involved a comprehensive analysis of existing data, reports, and online resources.
Desk research built our knowledge base of Romanian sustainability habits. We discovered a surprising gap: only 15% actively participate, yet 80% desire a greener lifestyle. This disconnect between awareness and action became our project's focus.
The project was completed within a limited timeframe, which may have constrained the depth and breadth of the research and design phases.
Roxana
Dragos
Anca
The team, consisting of Ciubotaru Anca, a passionate Junior UX Designer, Dragos Moldoveanu , and Roxana Dascalu, also passionate Ux designers and with many diverse talents, set out with a clear mission: to support sustainability-conscious citizens in adopting sustainable behaviors in their daily lives.
My role was to develop a user-centered digital solution to encourage sustainable transport behaviors, including creating a high-fidelity prototype, user personas, user journeys, conducting qualitative research and usability testing.
The main challenge was to create an engaging and practical tool that motivates users to make meaningful behavioral changes rather than merely raising awareness.
Encouraging Sustainable Behaviors:
A UX Journey
Track your eco-journeys, earn rewards.
UX/UI Case Study
This app tracks sustainable transportation activities like walking, cycling, scootering, and public transit, rewarding users with points for incentives.
Anca Ciubotaru
Role
Ux/Ui Designer
Researcher
Duration
4 months
Area
Environmental health