The Carbon Donut App
Spark Sustainability is a climate impact startup that enables and inspires personal climate action. With Spark Sustainability’s Carbon Donut, individuals can calculate their personal carbon emissions and see which climate actions would have the highest impact with the lowest effort.
The Carbon donut app is intended to educate users on the carbon footprint associated with their daily activities and help them take steps to reduce their carbon footprint.
I joined the team as a first hire, and worked mainly as product designer in addition to operative tasks.
Step 1: Research
The first step in the design process was to conduct thorough research on the carbon reduction apps already in the market. This helped in identifying gaps in the existing apps and developing a unique value proposition for the new app. Additionally, research was done to understand the target audience and their needs, challenges, and preferences related to carbon reduction.
Step 2: Define Goals and Objectives
Based on the research findings, the team defined the goals and objectives of the app. The primary objective was to create an app that was easy to use, engaging, and educational. The app should provide users with information on their carbon footprint and offer suggestions for reducing it. The team also set specific targets for the app, such as increasing awareness of carbon reduction and encouraging behavior change.
Step 3: Sketches and Wireframes
The next step was to create sketches and wireframes of the app. The team created multiple designs, iterating and refining the ideas until they found the best design. The sketches and wireframes helped the team to identify potential user experience issues and provided a basis for the development of the final app design.
Step 4: Design and Development
Using the wireframes as a guide, we created the final design of the app. This included the user interface, graphics, and other visual elements. After the design was finalized, the development team started coding the app. Regular reviews and testing ensured that the app was meeting the goals and objectives set out in the initial research phase.
Step 5: User Testing and Feedback
The app was then tested by a small group of users who provided feedback on the app's usability, design, and functionality. Based on this feedback, the team made necessary changes and updates to the app.
Step 6: Launch and Post-Launch Support
After the final testing phase, the app was launched in the app store. The team provided post-launch support to ensure that users could report any bugs or issues they experienced while using the app. Additionally, the team continued the app development based on the user feedback.
Conclusion
Designing a carbon reduction app involved a significant amount of research, design, and development work. However, by following a structured design process and continuously gathering feedback, the team was able to create an app that met the needs of the target audience and helped reduce carbon emissions. The success of the app is evidenced by the positive feedback from users and increased awareness and behavior change towards carbon reduction.