Maeinia Saadbouh Montesdeoca

Key Insights

Data was collated and analysed using statistics, thematic analysis and affinity diagramming. Key insights included:
• Unawareness of the digital pollution problem as no visual feedback depicts how the use of digital devices is polluting, making them feel powerless and confused regarding how their digital carbon footprint can be reduced.
• Users spending unhealthy amounts of time in front of screens, causing worry about their eye health as they cannot find the way (motivation) to cut it down as they are currently studying or working remotely.
• Users are only willing to take actions that they know how to do and require little effort to reduce their digital carbon footprint as their motivation is not enough to sacrifice convenience.

Ideation

Insights were turned into ‘How Might We?’ statements and evaluated using an opportunity matrix to identify the ones with the highest potential for improving the user experience and addressing digital pollution. These were then used for individual ideation, where various techniques were leveraged. Two co-design with six and five participants were organised to help keep users at the heart of the idea generation process.

The initial concept was chosen by using the ‘How? Wow! Now’ matrix and evaluating the most promising ideas against the experience goals. Further secondary research was conducted after listening to a podcast on a current solution: Digital Clean-ups shared by Dr Val Mitchell.

Initial Concept Testing and Co-design

After bodystorming and two user testing sessions, the initial concept failed to address some pain points. Luckily, one of the user testing sessions turned into a co-design session where users provided a new concept idea that the designer elaborated on: Elevate. To evaluate and prioritise features and user requirements, the use case matrix and MoSCoW method were utilised.

Design Iterations

Elevate went through three design iterations where various user testing sessions were carried out for each. The feedback from each session was carefully considered to ensure the final design was user-centred. The first iteration aimed to systematically evaluate if the concept could succeed in a work setting and co-design uncertain features with a low-fidelity prototype, whilst the purpose of the second and third iteration was to assess the usability of the concept with a high-fidelity prototype.

Final Design

Elevate is a plug-in for Microsoft Teams (or other business communication platform) that empowers company employees that use a laptop for work by providing clear tools to reduce their digital pollution in a convenient, impactful and practically effortless way.

• Elevate informs employees of upcoming digital clean up days organised by the employer where they delete files that they no longer need.

• The plug-in also provides users with two unique modes: green mode and super green mode that they can activate to easily reduce their digital pollution.

• Elevate allows users to set their own goals to reduce their digital carbon footprint and track their progress. When an employee accomplishes their personal goal, they are rewarded with money that they can donate to one of their employer’s green partners (companies working towards net zero emissions) or claim a voucher from them.

• Elevate supercharges the company's motivation to decrease their digital emissions by setting them a bronze, silver and gold challenge (based on the company’s size and industry in which they operate) and rewarding them with a bronze, silver or gold badge that they can easily include in their branding.

• The monetary compensation given to employees for completing their individual carbon reduction goals would be financed by Elevate. Therefore Elevate would act as a social enterprise as a large percentage of the profits from selling the plug-in to organisations would be used to fund the donations and vouchers.

Want to know more about this project? Visit www.maeiniasm.com