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Project details

Research the behavioral patterns and motivations of the target group to foster a culture of reducing and reusing

Team Members:

Ayomide Aderonke Fapohunda, Andrea Ann Zhang Dong, Hadis Moshki

My Role:

User Research

Duration:

3 months

Tools:

Figma, Miro, Google Forms

Problem

Recycling is Not Enough Anymore

It has become evident that recycling alone is not a sufficient action anymore to help safeguard our environment, as many regions lack the technology to fully process all the recycled materials.
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Therefore, the focus of this project is centred around fostering a culture of reducing and reusing.

Target group: Residents aged 20-40 living in Greater Toronto Area.

Solution

Video Presentation - Design Guidelines

Research Questions

Based on preliminary secondary research, we developed the following research inquiries:

  1. What factors engage a working group (ages 18 - 60) to contribute to reuse and reduce movement?
  2. What factors make reusing/reducing appear more manageable to the average citizen?
  3. What effect do different educational methods have on raising individuals’ awareness of the impact of plastic waste on the environment?

USER INTERVIEWs

We interviewed 16 participants in order to get a better understanding of our research problems:

Interview Question Examples:

  • What is the first thought on your mind when people talk about waste and the environment?
  • Walk me through a situation in which you listened/watched something about environmental issues that resonates with you?
  • What do you think would make you more inclined to reuse and reduce?
  • Could you please walk me through the last time you reused an item?

interview Insights

We summarized interview results and discovered 4 common themes:

Theme 1 – Motivation for Reusing

  • Knowledge of environmental and economic benefits
  • Social proof and trends influencing behaviours
  • Impact of governmental policies

Theme 2 – Reusing Behaviours

  • Economic incentives and savings
  • Stimulating creativity and innovation
  • Cultural and social norms affecting behaviours

Theme 3 – Awareness of Environmental Impact

  • Lower familiarity with reusing (compared to recycling)
  • Management difficulties in reusing items
  • Social influence on environmental attitudes

Theme 4 – Factors that Prevent People from Reusing and Reducing

  • Convenience and economic considerations
  • Personal satisfaction with current practices
  • Uncertainty about what items can be effectively reused

Survey

Based on the four themes identified from the interviews, we have refined our research questions:

  1. What kinds of information and information sources motivate individuals to engage in reducing and reusing practices?
  2. What recurring patterns of reuse behaviors do individuals exhibit in their everyday routines?
  3. How does individuals' awareness of reducing and reusing initiatives affect their motivation to engage in these practices?
  4. What factors hinder individuals from acting on reducing and reusing?

survey Insights

We collected quantitative and qualitative data from 39 participants:

1. Motivational Factors for Reusing and Reducing

  • Increasing awareness about preserving the environment.
  • Saving money by reducing consumption and waste.
  • Rewarding or penalizing based on sustainable practices.

2. Factors Influencing Perceived Control in Reusing and Reducing:

  • Difficulty in tracking and managing personal waste generation.
  • Engaging in reusing for artistic or innovative purposes.

3. Effective Methods to Raise Environmental Awareness:

  • Opting to educate through mobile devices for accessibility.
  • Utilizing platforms like social media for widespread environmental education.
  • Highlighting the consequences of waste on animal habitats and ecosystems.

4. Barriers to Reusing and Reducing

  • Reluctance due to health or sanitary issues related to reusable items.
  • Lack of knowledge about where to find and how to use reusable alternatives.
  • Alternatives are expensivePerceiving sustainable alternatives as expensive.

DESIGN GUIDELINES

We formulated 10 design recommendations to address the problem areas identified during research:

  1. Develop a mobile-friendly solution for easy access on smartphones and tablets.
  2. Visualize cost savings by comparing prices of used products versus their new counterparts.
  3. Create a loyalty plan where users earn virtual coins and rewards by completing tasks and challenges.
  4. Provide practical tips for sanitizing reusable products effectively.
  5. Create a social network to allow users to follow, react to and share others’ posts on reusing and reducing behaviours.
  6. Implement an alert / short ad system that reminds people about reducing and reusing.
  7. Design simple questions to estimate individual waste production.
  8. Develop a banner or bulletin board campaign promoting reduced animal harm through decreased plastic waste.
  9. Enable users to share their latest creative projects made from reusable products on social media
  10. Recommend sustainable alternatives and compare their long-term costs to encourage environmentally conscious choices.

project report

A detailed summary of our entire research processes

Read the 

Project Report ↗

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