Problem Statement

Many individuals struggle with knowing whether specific items are recyclable and how to recycle them properly. Items like plastic crates, paint cans, used batteries, and other materials often end up in the wrong disposal streams. This uncertainty affects environmentally conscious users who want to recycle correctly but lack the necessary information and guidance. The absence of an easy-to-use solution leads to frustration and lower recycling rates, negatively impacting both the community and the environment. 

Design Goals

• Design a user-friendly interface

• Provide quick Yes/No response to users

• Provide guidelines based on the user's location​

• Encourage users to recycle more and better 

The top 3 insights are:

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• More than 50% of participants are not sure what materials are recyclable in their area

• More than 75% of participants simply put an item in the trash or recycling bin without checking any references

• More than 80% of participants said they would be willing to look for answers if there was an easy way 

Interview

We then had follow-up interviews with target users to understand the problem better. We discussed recycling in-depth during the interviews, citing specific examples and situations to understand better their routines, habits, and challenges/frustrations about recycling.

Key takeaways are:

• They had challenges every time they needed to decide which items belonged to which bin

• They were frustrated by the process of deciding whether the item was recyclable or not

• The whole process of recycling was time-consuming

Competitive Analysis

Before I started sketching I ran a Competitive Analysis to discover the strengths and weaknesses of Recycle Pro's potential competitors.

I tested 5 direct and indirect recycling apps to discover what types of services they offer and check if their products effectively have eliminated or solved the user's problems. 

Key takeaways:

Half Solutions - Some apps only identify if an item is recyclable, but do not provide details on how or where to recycle it.

Not Local - Some apps are very generic and do not offer specific details, relevant to a person’s specific city, county, or state regulation. These apps are therefore not very helpful.

Poor Organization - In some of the apps, users are only able to search by category. This is problematic if you are not sure which category an item may belong to.  This becomes frustrating, and time-consuming, and creates a poor user experience.

Weak Search - Some apps are unable to recognize photos easily, and do not offer keyword search matching. 

Affinity Diagram

Persona

Meet Mike: Mike is 39 years old and living with his wife and 5-year-old daughter in San Jose, CA. He cares about the environment and the future of our planet and he leaves it to his daughter. One challenge he has is figuring out whether or not he can recycle an item when he sorts the family garbage each week.  Mike finds that he gets lost anytime he attempts to find answers to his recycling questions online. 

Problem Statement

• Identify recyclable items quickly

• How to recycle an item if it is recyclable

• Recycling is time-consuming

• Recycling labels are confusing

• Finding local guidelines for each item

• The ability to bookmark recycling items and share them with others

Storyboard

Mike's daughter plays with lots of battery-operated toys such as dolls and robots, flashlights,... Mike's family has a bag full

of used batteries at the end of the month and he does not know if he should throw them into the trash or recycle them.

Mike launches the RecyclePro app. He takes a photo of the bag full of batteries. Mike learns that he can recycle this item very easily at local electronic retail stores. There are three drop-off locations less than five miles from his home. 

User Flow

Sketches

I started sketching my ideas rapidly.

Homepage Ideation

We use Crazy Eights to ideate for the app homepage. We came up with different page layouts based on users' needs and business goals. From there we did a few more sketches to identify how the app would work, what the navigation would be, and the functionality it would offer.

Wireframe

Mood Board and UI Kit

I created a mood board with elements that reminded me of nature, the earth, calmness, and peacefulness. It inspired me to choose the color pallet so I took Green color as the primary color for the app.

To make a Recycle Pro color pallet, besides our primary Green color that was inspired by nature using neutral colors. This will give the app a more clean and organized look.

In choosing icons, typography, and making CTA buttons, I was inspired by the round shape of the earth.

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Iteration 

The project highlights:

• Practice User-center design principles in each step I took

• I managed to successfully design a simple and intuitive interface that saves time for the app users

• I learned about recycling rules and understand the necessity of effectively participating in recycling

Next Steps

• Add a personal pick-up calendar based on the zip code the user provides

• Add "Tips and Facts" section to the app to improve the user's recycling knowledge

• Motivate users by rewarding them with points and encouraging them to recycle more frequently

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