Rescuing unwanted things
Overview
The project is a response to the growing need to create solutions that support the UN sustainable development goals. One of the key elements is combining environmental care with economic growth and social well-being.
My Role
I worked independently, going through a full design and research process. In the research phase, I conducted netnography, a survey, and in-depth interviews (IDI). Based on the gathered insights, I created personas and user journey maps. In the final phase, I prepared a prototype and conducted usability testing.
Netnography
I started working on the project by delving into the lives of the Facebook group community. I analysed existing data on what, how, where, when, and why things work or don't work. The obtained knowledge helped me formulate the first research questions:
- What items do people give or take away?
- How is communication working between the giver and the recipient?
- How do users proceed with reserving or obtaining items?
- How do users feel about the various stages of the experience?
Surveys
Having a set of research questions, I decided to conduct a quantitative study that would help me understand the characteristics of the target group. The study involved 94 people who belonged to the Facebook community group.
Interviews
In order to explore the thoughts, emotions, and motivations related to giving and receiving items within the "śmieciarka" community, I conducted a series of interviews with people who passed the screening questions.
I categorised the obtained data using empathy maps.
Users
The obtained data allowed me to create hypothetical personas that became the foundation for further conceptual and design work.
User Journey Maps
Personas along with their assigned needs, motivations, and emotions allowed me to simulate the experience of giving and receiving items.
Design Goals
On the basis of my observations, I defined the following key design goals:
- Provide users looking for various types of items with simple and intuitive access to current ads, thus supporting the decision-making process
- Support users looking for deals in a hassle-free process of booking and collecting interesting items, thus removing the cognitive burden from users
- Support users who both return and accept various items in a safe and secure transaction, positively influencing the satisfaction of use
Competitive Audit
With clearly defined design goals, I could freely move on to creating solutions. Analysing the competition — both direct and indirect — helped me better understand the strengths and weaknesses of existing products.
HMW?
Rephrasing identified problems into simple questions starting with "How might we...?" allowed me to look at design challenges from a fresh, more creative perspective.
"How might we improve the overall app experience?"
"How might we remove the need for users to constantly follow the announcements?"
"How might we increase user engagement?"
"How might we make sure users can find what they need?"
"How might we reduce the abandonment of reserved items?"
"How might we improve communication between giver and receiver?"
Proposed Solutions
- A rank and reward system as the digital equivalent of actual pay
- Notification system working on different levels inside and outside the system
- Clear and intuitive information architecture
- Easy to use text messaging system
- User profiles that can be evaluated in the context of exchange
- Geolocation-based search for nearby items
User Flows
With defined design goals, assigned solutions, and previously developed artefacts, I designed the key processes the product would support. By mapping the main user paths, I captured the flow of giving and receiving items.
Gamification
One of the solutions to increase engagement and satisfaction with the application was a reward system. For this purpose, I designed a mechanism for earning virtual bottle caps.
Lo-Fi Wireframes
Access to user journey maps allowed me to move on to visualising specific functionalities at the level of individual screens.
Based on initial component sketches, I created more detailed wireframes, which then served as the basis for preparing a testable prototype.
Usability Study
After combining the produced screens into an interactive prototype, I was able to validate the proposed design solutions.
I invited 6 people to moderated usability tests. After presenting the instructions, the participants were asked to go through tasks aimed at checking the broadly understood usability of the application.
- Most of the survey participants had a problem finding the button to post an advertisement
- Several people would like to be able to arrange a suitable pick-up date in advance
- All the surveyed people said that the gamification system is understandable
- A few people rightly pointed out that when considering a reservation, an additional decisive factor is the speed of its submission
- Several people talked about the usefulness of the quick message filtering functionality
Release
After many iterations and changes, I brought the product to its "final" version.
Summative Study
After release, I would conduct a summative evaluation to assess product effectiveness. I would compare the designed solutions with a selected competitor as a benchmark. I would focus on analysing key metrics such as success rates of core functionalities or average time spent in the application.