Thesis Statement
An item in a landfill can remain for hundreds, if not thousands of years. However, much of peoples’ landfill waste could be reduced or even eliminated with the adoption of recycling and composting. To make greener disposal habits we must first pay more attention to our trash. With the help of a mobile app, users will periodically complete waste audits, during which they will record every material they dispose. By conveying information with interesting visuals and storytelling, I intend for WasteLess to teach users about their own habits and encourage them to recycle or compost whenever possible.
Users will periodically complete waste audits spanning from one to seven days. During these audits, they will log every item they dispose by selecting it from either their compost, recycle, or landfill list. By default, these lists will be filled with commonly disposed items, but the user can delete and input new items to make the lists fit their lifestyle.
Photo of a user logging a disposal, inputing the item's size.
After logging disposals, users can review their history. They can easily compare disposal method usage, waste quantities, and can also observe trends and progress. This information can be viewed as total waste, categorized by audit or by day, and can get specific enough to see each logged item.
A photo of a user reviewing their history.
Based on the data they've input, users can visualize their impact over time with the help of engaging animations.
Test the prototype at
https://invis.io/DQGN4OAWJUT#/284542933_SignIn
Intent
My goal for this project is first and foremost to educate people on their disposal habits. Once they become more aware of what they're using and disposing, they can work to reduce their landfill waste by recycling and composting whenever possible. Users will quickly recognize that their consumer habits greatly influence their waste output and hopefully they will be encouraged to adjust their lifestyle to avoid landfill disposals and waste less. My target audience is American smartphone users who are looking to improve their eco-friendliness.
Visual Research
While conducting visual research, I looked at other eco-friendly campaigns and imagery. I paid attention to things such as
color usage, message tonality, and the way information is shown.
Upper Left: Retrieved from https://www.watercalculator.org/
UPPER RIGHT: Climate Change logo by Milton Glaser
BOTTOM LEFT: Retrieved from https://www.salon.com/2016/07/15/america_is_a_wasteland_the_u_s_produces_a_shocking_amount_of_garbage_partner/
BOTTOM RIGHT: Retrieved from http://dothegreenthing.com/
Many photographic approaches were eye-catching, but lacked the individuality that I wanted in my project; they instead focused on generalizations and shock-value.
A composition from Chris Jordan's Running the Numbers depicting the number of cans used in the U.S. every thirty seconds.
I also researched other mobile apps that use tracking software and present data over time in clean, intuitive ways.
Design Process
Icon Development
I began by mocking up icons that would represent the three disposal methods: compost, recycle, and landfill. I wanted to emphasize the fact that composting and recycling are cyclical processes and landfilling is a terminal process. I assigned a different color to each method, similar to what is already seen in our world today. By incorporating this color system consistently throughout my prototype, I can easily and visually convey information to users.
Digital exploration and final icons.
App Identity Development
By working with the initials WL, I was able to experiment with a non-objective visual form. I began by exploring various ways to represent transitions, cycles, and the concept of "less". Ultimately I chose a minimal, spacious form that alludes to the visualization of data shown within the app. I also appreciated that this form allowed me to utilize two colors; since the color association is so strong within the app, I didn't want to emphasize composting but not recycling or vice versa.
Conclusion
By doing this project throughout a whole semester, it taught me the importance of time management. Since I like to perfect things as I am working, I found it difficult to prioritize tasks and would often get caught up doing minor adjustments for too long rather than focusing on the bigger picture. One of my strengths in this process was was my attention to language and tone, which surprisingly drove some of my navigation decisions. I made a great effort to ensure that users would understand the terminology, the process, and would not be confused or put off by the language.
Overall I am very satisfied with the outcome of this project and everything I learned along the way. It was a challenge for me to work in a digital medium—mobile app design can become extremely intricate and overwhelming—but I now feel much more comfortable with UI design. I would love to expand the functionality and complexity of this prototype if I were to prepare it for a real world application.
Sources
Written Resources
Binder, K., Glasser, H., & Fuqua, R. (2017). A Behavioral Approach to the Development of a Campus-Wide Recycling System. In Sustainability (Vol. 10, pp. 39-44). N.p.: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
Cecere, G., Mancinelli, S., & Mazzanti, M. (n.d.). Waste prevention and social preferences: the role of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations. In ScienceDirect. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921800914002092?via%3Dihub
Container Recycling Institute. (2016). Bottle Bills in the USA. In Bottle Bill Recourse Guide. Retrieved from http://www.bottlebill.org/legislation/usa.htm
EPA. (n.d.). Recycling Basics. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/recycle/recycling-basics
Farina, D. A. (n.d.). How To Conduct A Household Waste Audit. In Conserve Energy Future. Retrieved January 15, 2018, from https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/how-to-conduct-a-household-waste-audit.php
Kalamazoo County Household Hazardous Waste Center (2017). In Kalamazoo County Government. Retrieved from http://www.kalcounty.com/hhw/
National Waste & Recycling Association. (2014, January 8). National Waste & Recycling Association survey finds most Americans would compost if it was more convenient in their community. Retrieved from https://wasterecycling.org/blog/2014/01/08/national-waste-recycling-association-survey-finds-most-americans-would-compost-if-it-was-more-convenient-in-their-community-2/
Waste Management, Inc. (2017). What Can I Recycle?. Retrieved from http://www.wm.com/thinkgreen/what-can-i-recycle.jsp
Recycle Across America. (2018). RECYCLING IS IN A SERIOUS CRISIS. So let’s fix it, shall we?. Retrieved from http://www.recycleacrossamerica.org/recycling-facts
Visual Resources
AIGA. (2013, March 25). Case Study: Open Green Map—A Social Mapping Platform. Retrieved from https://www.aiga.org/case-study-open-green-map
Do the Green Thing. (n.d.). In Do the Green Thing. Retrieved from http://dothegreenthing.com/
Do the Green Thing. (n.d.). In Charlie vs. The World. Retrieved from http://charlievstheworld.com/
GRACE Communications Foundation. (2018). In Water Footprint Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.watercalculator.org/
Loki, R. (2016, July 15). America is a wasteland: The U.S. produces a shocking amount of garbage. Retrieved from https://www.salon.com/2016/07/15/america_is_a_wasteland_the_u_s_produces_a_shocking_amount_of_garbage_partner/
Valentine, A. (2016, October 13). The Best Mobile App UI Designs of 2016. Retrieved from https://blog.proto.io/best-mobile-app-ui-designs-2016/
Valentine, A. (2018, January 11). The Best Mobile App UI Designs of 2017. Retrieved from https://blog.proto.io/best-mobile-app-ui-designs-2017/
Visualizing Global Dying. (2014, August 8). In Ethics in Graphic Design. Retrieved from http://www.ethicsingraphicdesign.org/visualizing-global-dying/
https://thenounproject.com/
Ford Motor Company: Efficiency Leaves on Dashboard Screen
Primary Resources
Glasser, H. (2018, January 24). In-person interview with the Director of Sustainability on WMU's campus.
Johnson, B. (2018, January 26). Phone call interview with the founder of Green Girl Recycling in Boulder, CO.
Survey Monkey. “Waste Disposal and Diversion Efforts.” 100+ total responses.
