The Pre-Design phase of the EcoLyfe project consisted of competitive research, user research and a modifed closed card sort.

Research

The research methods our team used provided insights into what is currently on the market, how people feel about climate change, their knowledge of their carbon footprint and their willingness to change their lifestyles to reduce their impact.

Competitive Analysis Findings

• Carbon footprint tracking applications have not reached the mainstream users
• There are currently online carbon footprint calculators and a few mobile applications
• Many of the current trackers rely heavily on manual data entry

---

Interview Findings

• All participants were familiar with concept of their carbon footprint but none actively tracking it
• Most participants were interested in tracking carbon footprint
• There were feelings of guilt about their carbon footprint
• Participants were motivated by self performance or social competition
• Most participants reported desiring more knowledge about where to begin

---

Survey Findings

• People are interested in tracking their carbon footprint, but do not know where to start
• People prefer automatic data collection
• People are willing to change their lifestyle to help reduce their carbon footprint

Modifed Closed Card Sort

Our team created a modified closed card sort that focused on participatory design. We provided participants with 8 “dashboard slots” in which they could place 1 of 28 contributing factor cards. The first "dashboard slot" represented their highest priority and the eight "dashboard spot" represented their lowest priority. Our card sort was used to generate insights into our users’ interest in the varying contributing factors and their dashboard preferences. The dashboard card sort resulted in prioritization of the contributing factors for an individual’s carbon footprint.

Findings

• Results varied greatly from participant to participant
• People had varying interests
• There were four cards that were placed in the top positions most often:
1. Percentage Increase/Decrease
2. Start a New Challenge
3. Friends Activity
4. Settings

---

Design Implications

• Allow people to create their own personalized dashboard
• Create a global navigation that included the most frequently prioritized card

Our team went through an iterative process during which we designed a low fideltiy prototype, conducted usability tests and then created a high fidelity prototype for a second round of testing.

Branding

Our team started our design phase by creating a mood board, color scheme and logo. Creating a visual aesthetic for our project early on in the design phase made it easier for us to transition from sketches to a high fidelity prototype.

Sketches

Our team focused primarily on the setup process and the dashboard interactions for our design and prototypes. First our team took the old fashioned route and started with paper and pen sketches. This helped us work through the step sequence and the various functionalities.

Usability Testing Round 1 with a Low Fidelity Prototype

We transformed our sketches into a low fidelity prototype in AxureRP. For the first round of usability testing we used our low fidelity prototype and we explored the difference between in-person lab testing and synchronous remote testing. Our first round included six participants, three in-person and three remote. During the sessions we had each participant think aloud as they walked through the setup process and interacted with their dashboard.

Findings

• Little difference between usability issues reported by the participants in-person and remote
• In-person (LAB method) resulted in better rapport
• There was confusion on what was included under the “Shopping”
• The breakdown shape was a little difficult to understand
• All participants found the setup sequence easy to follow

Usability Testing Round 2 with a High Fidelity Prototype

Following our initial round of usability testing we created a high fidelity prototype that addressed the issues raised during the first round. We also implemented our branding and color scheme to bring the prototype to life. Our team also expanded the number of pages included in the prototype to allow for more freedom during the setup process. The second round of testing also included six in-person testing session that focused on touchscreen interactions.

Findings

• People liked the sequence and flexible options within the setup process
• People like that we split up grocery shopping and material good shopping
• The breakdown graphic was more successful
• There were concerns about the app’s security when adding in their credit card account for automatic data generation
• There were accessibility concerns with the font color contrast and amount of content on the dashboard.

View Our Final Presentation