Challenge: Recycling is confusing for the average consumer. Resources are scarce and infrastructure to support regular recycling habits is poor. When recycling isn't "easy," many people simply won't make the effort.
Approach: Learn about current state of recycling in US, interview range of potential users to gather initial feedback, determine main obstacles consumers face when recycling, ideate solutions, prototype, test.
Solution: An app that gives the user the ability to quickly "Scan" any item using the phone's camera. It returns feedback to the user on a) if it's recyclable and b) how to properly recycle the item. The app also contains a categorized resource section for learning and reference, a map of nearby recycling centers, and a dashboard that tracks their recycling efforts.
Duration: 1 month
Role: Research, Interviews, Ideation, Design, Prototypes, Testing
Background
I came up with the idea for this app after a recycling experience at Whole Foods left me confused and almost certain that I had placed my waste items in the incorrect bins. This wasn't the first time I had experienced the non-user-friendly bin setup, however this time I was determined to do some research and find out why recycling is really... hard!
If you've ever visited WF you may have noticed the "convenient" 3-4 bin recycling areas they have set up for dine-in customers. They are multi-colored and labeled (landfill, recycling, compost, etc), and usually have some type of photo collage of items that belong in each bin.
Sounds great right?
In reality, it's a UX and engineering disaster. The photos are small and unhelpful, and the colored designations of the bins don't provide enough meaningful direction to the user. In short, recycling is way too complicated.
Understanding
I spent roughly 8 hours on websites like epa.gov, reading through market research reports, and other non-profit environmental sites to try and understand the bigger picture of recycling in America.
The Good News
> Recycling and composting as a total percentage of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) generated was at roughly 35% in 2017, which is up from 16% in 1990.
> "In 2017, the recycling, composting, combustion with energy recovery and landfilling of MSW saved over 184 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO2E). This is comparable to the emissions that could be reduced from taking over 39 million cars off the road in a year."
Source: epa.gov
The Bad News
> As of 2017 landfills are still comprised of roughly 20% plastics and almost 22% food waste (as a percentage of total MSW generated).
> Almost half of Americans say they recycle half the time, rarely, or never.
> US recycling infrastructure is poor compared to other countries with more successful national recycling efforts.
Sources: epa.gov | Pew Research Center | Ipsos Research
Discovery
For this project I recruited close friends and family to represent a range of consumer and recycling habits. I conducted interviews and surveys to establish their current recycling practices, perceptions, and limitations. The interviews helped me generate personas that provided context for the product.
In combination with my research I discovered three things about recycling:
1) We have a perception problem
The way recycling is presented to the public is confusing and makes it difficult to do properly or take seriously.
2) We have an education problem
There is a lack of user-friendly educational resources that are easily accessible to the recycling-inclined consumer - this further adds to the confusion.
3) We have a compliance problem
Recycling is behavioral much like exercising or eating healthy. If it's not easy, people won't do it.
Use Cases
Based on the described recycling challenges, I drew up the following use cases:
- Scanning an item (Identify)
- Searching for general recycling information + advice (How-To)
- Searching for specific items (What)
- Searching for recycling locations + contact info (Where)
- Browsing upcoming recycling drives/events/pickups (When)
- Track personal recycling effort (Log)
Functionality
Scan
The biggest challenge here was to make recycling fast and user friendly - that way people will actually do it. The Scan feature is the prominent component on the bottom navigation, making it easily accessible when the app opens.
Users can scan the barcode of any item or place the item in the field of view to activate smart sensing photography AI, which will search a database of similar looking items. The user will be notified when a result is found (or not), at which time they can add the item to their "personal recycling bin" in the tracking section (Dashboard).
Search (Home)
The app is now centered around its main function of scanning and saving recycling items, however there may be items which aren't easily identified via photo. The next best tool is a manual search which will pull an extensive list with images for the user to choose from (ie: plastic water bottle).
The Search/Home screen area will also feature Categories of all the major types of recycling materials. Here the user can find general information, tips, and a list of the most common items for each category.
Events
There are many consumer products that simply can't be tossed in the blue recycling bin (electronics, batteries, clothes, etc). The Events tab functions as a calendar, showing the user when and where local recycling drives are happening. It adds a convenient method for users to see How, When, and Where to recycle. The user can easily add these events to their calendar app and set reminders.
Map
Right in line with the Events feature, the map is a pretty obvious solution to the problem of How and Where to recycle. For users that don't have curbside pickup services, they can easily identify nearby recycling centers. Users that want to drop off old electronics can quickly and easily see nearby locations to do so.
Users will be able to see location address, contact information, and request directions through the app.
Dashboard
Ahhh yes, finally we get to the shiny dashboard. This feature provides functionality along with the delight of progress tracking. The main display element is data based on the user's recycling log. As the user inputs items into their "personal recycle bin," the Dashboard will display:
- Total items recycled
- Estimated CO2 offset by recycling (amount)
- Percent of goal reached (%)
The second part of the Dashboard is the tracking log. Users can easily access a history of items already recycled, allowing them to increase the totals by increments of 1 by simply pressing the + button.
Users who frequently recycle the same items will skip the Scan and Search feature by going straight to the Dashboard tracking log and updating their efforts.
Lastly, the Dashboard will play an important psychological role in the effort and reward feedback loop. Users are able to see the results of their efforts, can work towards achieving a set goal, and in turn will stay engaged in regular recycling habits.
UI Design
Form follows function and this app looks and feels like a clean, easy to use resource; quickly helping users determine how and what to recycle.
The Home screen is the Search, and the Scan button is prominent in both size and color. Simple and bold category headlines help the user in making easy selections to learn more about their recycling items.
The clean, minimal aesthetic reflects the utilitarian aspect of this app. It's intended to look and act like an information resource, while simultaneously providing user friendly recycling tools via AI photo recognition technology.
I referenced Google Material Design for many of the design elements. This app is intended for both iOS and Andriod.
Learning
I created this app because I recognized the need to create better tools for sustainable living. I noticed a process that is both inefficient and confusing, and was able to confirm that same feeling in others through surveys and interviews.
After doing research on the recycling industry, it became clear that a multi-layered problem exists and resources are scarce. In short, people just need more help recycling properly or they won't do it as often as they should.
The biggest problem for me was determining what features to include (or exclude) so that the main functionality shines... as well as how to arrange the features. I knew that having a "Scan" feature would be a quick and easy way to determine recycling eligibility because I've seen this feature in action via Fitness Food Tracking apps (I used to own and operate a Fitness Training Center). One feature I decided to leave out is recycling tutorial videos, although it may be a good future A/B test within the Categories area.
The goal is to have a working prototype for my users to test within the next 3 months.
Thanks and I hope you enjoyed this concept.
