Case Study | WeCycle
My Role:
UI Designer / UX Researcher
Context:
In my senior year of college, I started my Capstone project. This assignment prompted students to devise a design solution for any issue.
I centered my project on recycling in hopes to reduce the amount of litter around my campus.
Outcome:
WeCycle is a platform that provides users with social and informational tools. It is designed to allow users to create community, and act as a guide for recycling beginners.
Initial research:
I conducted informal interviews with a diverse audience, including students and staff ranging from ages 20 to 65, to gauge their basic understanding of recycling and their motivation for recycling.
"I honestly don’t recycle as much as I should, sometimes I just don’t know what to recycle.”
Anonymous A | Student, San Francisco State
Key Takeaways:
Young participants had less recycling:
knowledge and frequency
Majority of both age groups decided awareness was not reguarly promoted
52% of participants, majority younger, mentioned convenience being an issue on their lack of recycling
Participants agreed they’re more likely to recycle if seeing someone else reycle before them
Secondary research:
Two of the studies I found that supported the interview results and aided me to ideate on the problem and solution:
A behavioral study done by University of Southern South Columbia researched which recycling information source prompted more students to recycle the result was television, internet and newspaper (USSC).
A survey done within the North American Packaging Paper & Recycling Company DS, revealed generations Z, and X tend to recycle least compared to older generations. Due to factors such as confusion over materials (DS Smith).
Problem:
How might we enhance the convenience of recycling while also educating individuals about its importance?
Solution:
A user-friendly recycling hub with features like:
curated recycling articles
item scanning camera for recyclability checks
interactive map of nearby facilities
public forum for community engagement
Designed with a user-centric approach, the hub empowers users to make informed recycling decisions and collaborate on sustainability efforts.
Lo Fi Wireframes
Mid Fi Wireframes
Hi Fi Wireframes
What I learned
After allowing my surveyed group to test the mid-fidelity prototype of WeCycle, I received valuable feedback highlighting areas for improvement. Specifically, respondents emphasized the need for enhanced interactivity and improved categorization of forum subjects.
Changes I made:
I redesigned the sorting menu
added a community function on the map, to let users mark where they need help in their location in a waste flooded area