Boosting Climate Change Engagement with UX and Gamification

Team

1 Project Supervisor

1 UX/UI Designer

Role

UX/UI Designer

Deliverables

Design Documentation

Figma Prototype

Timing

Summer 2024

Summary

Sustainabite is a grocery list app that aids users in purchasing groceries that leave a positive impact both on themselves and the environment. Utilizing double diamond as design process, both the problem and potential solutions were thoroughly explored.

The problem

Learning about sustainable eating practices and cooking delicious recipes can be difficult, especially for beginners. The subject matter is also plagued with misinformation, which hinders learning even more. In addition, staying motivated and engaged with sustainable eating habits is challenging.

The solution

The app addresses these pain points in various ways. Users can add to, remove and cross off items from their grocery list. In addition, the user can:

  • Learn about their list's sustainability and alternative choices in a quick and engaging manner
  • Browse recipes, bookmark them, and add items smoothly to their list
  • For social engagement, the user can invite family and friends to join their list

74% are concerned about biodiversity and the state of nature in Finland

2 out of 3 people are ready to make changes in their lifestyle habits to be more sustainable.

Secondary research revealed a lot of attitudes that people in Finland have towards nature. Literature reviews also revealed the positive impact that gamification can have in engaging people in sustainability related issues. The collected data helped to model the typical user that Sustainabite should cater towards.

Defining the main problem

It quickly became obvious that various issues arise when people try to adobt more sustainable eating habits. Utilizing user journeys both before the app and with a rough structure of the app revealed the actions, pain points of the user and helped explore potential solutions to these problems.

Mapping out the user's sustainable eating journey before the app

The initial user journey revealed lots of pain points related to actions and feelings the user would have. Lack of time, learning, and food choices were the biggest discovered challenges.

Developing a feature list from real life actions, pain points and improvement ideas

After mapping out the initial user journey, it was possible to explore improvement ideas and thus create a rough feature list. These features were cross-referenced with literature, that helped clarify the features then further.

The second user journey iteration

Second iteration included the steps the user would take within the app, creating a set of pain points consider in the future, when solutions would be further explored with paper prototypes and user flows.

Exploring different solutions

User flows and paper prototypes helped more thoroughly explore the potential solutions to the problems. Prototypes and user flows were evaluated against the pain points found earlier, ensuring that the design didn't go against the user's interests.

Paper prototypes and wireframes

Wireframes were utilized to better understand and explore more complicated information, layouts and visual hierarchies that needed more fidelity than what paper prototypes could provide.

Delivering a functional Figma prototype

Supporting grocery lists

Provides the basic functionality that behavioural, cognitive and social engagement are built around.

Ability to invite family and friends

Not only is it useful to be able to share lists between family members, it also provides a meaningful way of learning together.

Recipes

By combining both grocery lists and recipes, users can both shop and eat sustainably.

Feedback and tips on grocery lists

Engaging cognitively with sustainability related issues is a key aspect of adopting positive, long term habits.

Feedback session

Instead of typical usability tests, a feedback session was conducted using a Figma prototype. Four people took part in testing out the prototype, and provided valuable feedback afterwards.

Results (coming soon!)

Next steps and project reflections (coming soon!)