ECO ROUTE

Connecting sustainable awareness with practical, everyday choices for a greener future.

TYPE

Team Project

Role

Research, UX Design,
User-Testing

date

January 2024

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Scope of work
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01

DEFINE

Overview
Problem Space

02

RESEARCH

Competitor Analysis
User Research

03

DESIGN

Wireframes
Prototype

04

Evaluate

Evaluation
Next Steps

DEFINE

Project overview

As the world changes rapidly around us, the urgency of climate action becomes increasingly more relevant and important. Commuting has become an essential part of every individual’s daily routine as everybody has to get to school, work, or any other related activities. Yet, one often overlooked aspect of this routine is how to commute sustainably. In 2019, carbon emissions from passenger vehicles peaked at 3.2 billion metric tons, highlighting the pressing need to rethink our transportation habits which created a growing demand for choosing alternative transportation methods.

Project statement

The current problem that we face is that many people lack the necessary information that is needed to make environmentally conscious decisions. Oftentimes, people turn a blind eye when it comes to recognizing the negative effects that may result from choosing non-sustainable transportation options. Without incentives to making better choices many choose to prioritize their time and efficiency. With the existing individuals who actively make environmentally conscious decisions, it is sometimes felt that their endeavours can seem a bit isolating as others around them may not align with their actions. There is a lack of community engagement tools when it comes to like-minded individuals connecting with others over their environmentally supportive achievements.

"How might we design a mobile application that promotes sustainable transportation options?"

Solution

See your impact

• Displays savings for each trip using sustainable transportation, with real-time feedback on carbon emission reduction
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• Shows the user's total emission savings over time
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• Tracks personal emission reduction goals and progress on a progress bar
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• Highlights collective goals and progress for the EcoRoute community

Plan your Eco-Trips

• Provides real-time tracking, traffic updates, and commuting status for informed decision-making
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• Enables choice of carpool ride, driver, and pick-up/drop-off times, promoting ride-sharing and efficient transportation
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• Offers options for secure transactions through card details, ApplePay, and PayPal

Get Rewards

• Rewards eco-friendly behaviour, motivating users towards greener choices
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• Encourages environmentally conscious commuting by rewarding sustainable choices
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• Allows collecting points for sustainable travel,redeemable at local businesses

Connect and motivate

• Encourages friendly competition by comparing efforts with friends
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• Motivates active participation through a collaborative spirit
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• Builds a supportive environment, emphasizing collective sustainable commuting efforts

Research

competitor analysis

During the development of our application, we decided to weigh our infrastructure against our top 3 direct competitors

Google Maps

Comprehensive User Features:

Serves multiple needs, including navigation, business listings, restaurant reviews, and user-generated content, making it versatile and user-centric

Technological Leadership:

Utilizes advanced mapping systems, real-time traffic updates, data analytics, and AI, setting the standard for mapping technology

Eco-Friendly Routes:

Offers an eco-friendly route option, but feature is under-promoted and under-utilized by users

Regulatory Challenges:

Operates globally, requiring compliance with diverse data privacy laws, antitrust regulations, and political systems that impact service in some regions

Economic Strength:

Supported by one of the world’s largest companies, Google Maps benefits from significant R&D investment and financial stability

Apple Maps

Ecosystem Integration:

Integrates within Apple’s ecosystem, offering a consistent and familiar experience for iOS users. However, accuracy and coverage often lag behind competitors

Augmented Reality Potential:

Advances in AR technology could provide innovative routing and mapping experiences, but these features are still under development

Environmental Commitment:

Promotes environmental sustainability in its products, but lacks visible initiatives like eco-friendly routing options

Regional Limitations:

Features and mapping data vary depending on geographic and political constraints, leading to inconsistent accuracy and coverage

Economic Considerations:

Success is tied to the Apple ecosystem and consumer spending on Apple devices significantly influences usage rates

Moovit

Urban Public Transit Focus:

Specializes in providing accessible information for urban commuters, including public transport schedules, real-time updates, and alternative travel modes like biking.

Community-Driven Insights:

Combines crowd-sourced data with AI to deliver personalized, real-time updates and recommendations for transit users.

Sustainability:

Actively supports sustainable transportation options, encouraging public transit and biking to reduce emissions.

Market Challenges:

Operates in diverse political climates and public transportation systems, requiring navigation of unique regulations and funding models.

Economic and Technological Support:

Backed by Intel, Moovit benefits from financial and technological support, ensuring continuous development and improvement.

Research

User Persona

Research

empathy map

Limitations & main painpoint takeaways

Needing ways to track and compare environmental impact
Not having a way to plan multi-model green commutes
Lack of a rewarding sustainability community

Research

Empathy maps

Limitations and main pain point takeaways
1. Needing ways to track and compare environmental impact
2. Not having a way to plan multi-modal green commutes
3. Lack of a rewarding sustainability community

Research

User testing

Qualitative Methods
Study Design: Semi-structured Interview

3 main tasks:

Check details on the emission-saver
Use carpooling system
Check redeemable rewards

3 open ended & 2 laddering questions:

How was your overall experience with EcoRoute?
Were there any difficulties or challenges using the application?
What improvements do you think could be added on to EcoRoute?

Quantitative Methods
Numeric Survey

Scale:

Scale of 1-5 (Strongly Agree, Strongly Disagree)

Questions

Navigation, inconsistencies in system, satisfaction level, preferences, level of understanding of different functions

4 main takeways of Testing 1

A need for enhanced visual clarity
Personalized and user-specific features
Real-time dynamic features
Comprehensive carbon footprint tracking

DESIGN

Ideation

Design System
&
Low Fidelity Prototype

DESIGN

High Fidelity

EVALUTE

Evalution

In closing, our user-focused journey from research to prototype development has been transformative. We identified key pain points among students, local commuters, and environmental enthusiasts, shaping the evolution of the EcoRoute app. Valuable lessons learned include the significance of meaningful partnerships and the challenges of simplifying complex environmental data. User-driven suggestions, from personalized features to motivational alerts, are guiding our future enhancements.

Looking ahead, our vision for EcoRoute extends beyond being a tool for sustainable commuting. We aspire to make it a dynamic, engaging platform that not only promotes eco-friendly practices but also prioritizes accessibility and inclusivity. Through future enhancements, such as an interface for drivers and the incorporation of A/B testing, we aim to continue our mission of creating a positive impact on both commuting habits and environmental consciousness.In essence, EcoRoute is not just an app; it's a journey towards a greener, more connected, and sustainable future.

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Project Name

EcoRoute

Heading

Date

November 25, 2022

Client

Team Project

Project

Team

Overview

EcoRoute

Heading 6

At the Sun Life uXperience Design Jam 2024, our team developed Fund Forward, a financial literacy tool designed to empower young adults to plan for their future. The project features a dynamic, interactive graph that visualizes the impact of key life decisions on financial goals. With personalized milestones, actionable insights, and educational resources, Fund Forward helps users navigate complex financial topics in an intuitive, engaging way. This tool is more than just numbers; it’s about mapping a clear path to one’s aspirations. I collaborated with a team of designers and strategists, focusing on creating a user-friendly, interactive interface that aligns with our goal of making financial literacy accessible and impactful.

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