Dragonfly-e Initiative
Project Overview
Creating and expanding site with an app. This includes a tool that the users would use to track and calculate their carbon Footprint.
Role & Methods
Competitive Analysis, Journey Mapping, Primary and Secondary Research, Style Guide, , Usability Testing, Wireframing, Interactive Prototyping
Tools Used
Figma, Zoom, Keynote
About Foundation
Dragonfly-e is an organization that is on a mission to reduce carbon emissions from organic waste to decrease energy burdens for municipalities & small businesses in Minnesota and beyond. Partnering with Dragonfly-e was an exciting opportunity to get people informed and teaching them the impact it GHG emissions makes in our lives and how anaerobic digesters can Improve, Change and Benefit our communities and our future.
Opportunity Areas
With the lack of education around carbon emissions. People don't fully understand carbon as a commodity and how it can help communities save money. Without the knowledge around this topic, users don't fully know how the system can help them & their communities long term.
The founder of Dragonfly-e Initiative is looking to expand the site in order to create an actionable solution and to further educate users.
In doing so the goal is:
To extend their site by adding a Carbon Footprint and a future goal of having Carbon Credit flow.
Organizing information on website to engage better with users.
Discovery
Collaborated with 1 other designer to conducting Usability Tests and interviews.
My role was to create a Carbon Footprint Calculator for the Primary user group.
Check- ins with the founder of the organization.
Sketched Low-Fidelity to High Fidelity Wireframes, then created Interactive Prototypes with a second round of usability tests that combine both team members prototypes
Secondary Research
Within research I found that measuring business and personal carbon footprints are more common than a tool specific to Farmers.
Since Farmers are going to be one of the Primary users. I decided to take on their journey within this feature.
User Statement
Research Methods
I began my research by using the Competitive Analysis Method. By looking at what was currently out there, this allowed me to see what functions were necessary for this new tool.
My teammate and I then did Usability tests and when that was difficult to source I was able to find a Minnesota Directory of Organic Farmers. I then proceeded by cold calling as many farmers as I could in order to get interviews with them.
From there I created a Journey Map and additionally a Usability test with Stakeholders.
Competitive Analysis
User Flow
Using the user flow, I was able to identify what the tool would look like as well as the information that would be needed to show value, How it works, How long it would take and why they should do it.
User Flow
Challenges Encountered
Sourcing local farmers was difficult. In which I would add, most were busy working on their farms.
Metrics within this tool made it difficult identifying what materials would need to be weighed and calculated.
As all competitors differed throughout this tool and not many farmers carbon calculators are available.
Another challenge I faced was, difficulty identifying the micro categories that would be measured.
As some would fall into multiple categories, making it difficult to know where the questions would fall into.
Ultimate Goal
Creating a Carbon footprint calculator that shows Farmers that they are sitting on unused materials that can be used for energy.
Homepage
In combining a usability test with Thomas and a questionnaire, I was able to see where users would see this new tool located within the site
Majority of the users pointed at the homepage as a placement for this tool, seeing it as an action after the educational information
This works as a way to create a call to action opportunity for users to calculate their impact and learn how they can make a change
Landing Page
This was seen in all websites which provides a continued Action, adding value to why one should calculate their carbon footprint.
Includes the estimated time and how it works. Interviews with primary users wanted an understanding of the time it would take to calculate.
Results page
It allows users to visually see what they are missing out on.
Research with stakeholders showed that charts are helpful in learning about this topic
Users also wanted a place where this information can continue
Leading to an opportunity to donate to the solution and the ability to share results with friends family
— Next Steps/Takeaway
For next steps, Carbon Credits is a future goal for the organization. This would need to be researched as this would also be an added function and as I have learned, no farmer I spoke with knew what it was.
Additional research:
Usability tests with farmers to receive more feedback on all the categories that are needed to be measured
As this will be universally used, research would need to be done within more regular users, as questions will differ within a farmer and an average user.
Over all Dragonfly-e Initiative is hoping to create an opportunity to grow community within the site, being able to create a profile, share and track your information.