Thesis Introduction
Through my graduate thesis work, I employed a user centered process to design for teens, decision making and the environment. Few tools give positive feedback to good decisions involving the environment. Reusing and reducing have not reached the same critical mass as recycling. With my thesis, I created a design that will foster improved behavior in relation to the environment through positive feedback and shrinking the gap between action and effect.
Literature Review
A selection of books read, scholarly articles read and videos watched.
I gathered information from many sources. These points have influenced the direction of my designs.
- Objects act as containers for memories. (Murray, 2003)
- Generation Z (current teens) do not see a boundary between online interaction and person to person interaction. (Trunk, 2009)
- The most difficult behavior to adopt is one that starts now and lasts forever. (Fogg, 2009)
- The designer, instead of simply making an object or a thing, is actually creating a persuasive argument that comes to life whenever a user considers or uses a product as a means to some end. (Buchanan, 1998)
- Surprises are the root of humor, strategy and problem solving. Games surprise players and let players surprise each other. (Schell, 2008)
- Recycling does not mean ecologically benign. (Braungart, 2002)
- “Be less bad,” is not an ideal approach to environmental change. Positive reinforcement is a more inspiring vision to garner change. (Braungart, 2002)
Journaling
Through research with participants, I wanted to find the current world-view that teens hold, and the habits that teens practice in relation to the environment. I created journals for teen girls in Pittsburgh and New York to complete. Three participants cataloged their daily thoughts and actions in relation to environmental issues.
(left) Journal kit given to participants.
(right) Two pages of completed journal pages. Participants took photos of objects and experiences that prompted them to think about the environment.
Generative Research
I worked with 6 girls in the 9th grade and 8 girls in the seventh grade. Over 4 sessions in the school art room, they explored problems in the world and worked in teams to create prototypes of design interventions using make-tools. During the last session they presented a scenario of usage for their design and took questions from classmates about their design.
(left) Participants working with make-tools.
(right) Drawings of thecurrent and future state of the environment. The future is looking up. There is less litter and everyone drives a carbon neutral electric car.
(left) Design called "Tidy Trash" created by a pair of participants. A live turtle wrapped in litter is displayed on the beach. This reminds people to be careful with their trash.
(right) Affinity diagram of game "I see, I wish." Participants focused on both abstract “world peace” level problems as well as local deforestation challenges.
Synthesis
While considering scholarly, exploratory and generative research, I created a list of design guidelines and user characteristics.
- Use animals.
- Show off actions.
- Connect to a cute physical object.
- Do not focus on screens.
- Create a physical community.
- Positive, fun feedback is best.
- Use current recycling habit as a base to build new habits.
- Connect to online social systems.
- Create a platform for users to inform others.
Personas inset in a matrix of knowledge and motivation.
Ideation
After considering all that I had learned about the environment, children and behavior, I met with fellow grad students interested in behavior changed. We played improv brainstorming games and created thirty design concepts. From this set, I selected 5 to develop in Illustrator and present to an audience for feedback. A few are presented below.
(left) Brainstorming meeting with fellow graduate students, Corinna Sherman and Jenny Shirey.
(right) Service Matcher: A concept that involves matching students to environmental service opportunities while leveraging Facebook to provide social support.
(left) Trashy Animals: A concept that implants statues and information graphic on local animals to trash cans.
(right) SwapMe: A concept that involves attaching stories to unwanted objects and trading them forward.
(left) RealTank: A concept that involves a digital aquarium linked to a location in the ocean and to the digital aquariums of friends.
(right) MyStuff: A concept that involves organizing virtual possessions between groups of friends and viewing resultant environmental impact.
Scenario Development
Based upon feedback from a public poster session and personal reflection, I moved forward with two design concepts (RealTank and SwapMe). While refining the designs, I renamed them to reflect changes(EcoSpace and ReUseIt). I moved both design concepts to Facebook.To test user actions and design outcomes, I developed scenarios of usage for ReUseIt and EcoSpace. I mapped usage of each system to the personas reactions and needs.
This is one frame of a scenario of usage for the Facebook application ReUseIt. Wireframes are mapped to the personas of yay!, eep!, sigh, and nvm. Their needs and feelings when using the application are described.
Visual Research
I researched current trends in visual design familiar to teenage girls. I visited popular clothing sites and researched popular artists featured on Billbord.com. I also visited colorlovers.com and pantone.com and searched for color trends, teen colors and teen patterns. I found two strong trends; a Lady Gaga goth alien aesthetic and a vintage screen-printed decayed paper look. As ReUseIt is about the reuse of objects, I opted to develop its wireframes with a vintage look.
Evaluative Workshops
To gauge response to the two concepts being developed, I conducted evaluative workshops. Sixteen ninth grade girls participated across four sessions.The first challenge was to create a persona, wireframes and scenarios for a Facebook game about ecology.
Next, I gave each participant an object to spend time with (scarf, ring, bracelet, stuffed animal, and squishy toy). At the next session, they each wrote a story about their time with their object. Next, they traded objects and the process was repeated. After two trades, the girls were assigned to teams and given design challenges. Through scenario drawing they drew solutions for story attachment to objects, visual indicators that objects held stories, accessing an objects history and planning to trade and object. They presented their solutions to the class and received feedback.
(left) Generative workshop session.
(right) Wireframes of window garden game created by a team.
(left) A few of the objects that participants carried with them.
(middle) The cover of one story journal completed by participants.
(right) A story written about an object.
Findings
I presented slides of the proposed Facebook application ReUseIt and asked them to evaluate it anonymously.After looking through collected data (wireframes, personas) and considering class conversations, I synthesized findings, into the following key points:
- Ecology is not a topic of interest for teen girls.
- Participants did not currently use games on Facebook and do not imagine that they could ever use games on Facebook.
- Eight of 16 girls kept the objects after the workshop was complete. Four of 16 girls kept the story books that accompanied the objects. This supports the finding that story trading adds value and interest to objects.
- Participants gave positive feedback (6 of 15) to using the system for trading.
- More positive than negative feedback was given regarding the concept, usability and aesthetics of the system.
- Of 15 participants, 10 said they would use this system.
- Of 15 participants, 4 said they would like to see objects and stories beyond their friend list on Facebook.
Service Blueprint
Responding to participant feedback, I changed some aspects of the design. Specifically, I made it possible to trade objects with non-friends in public meetups at malls and made this offline aspects of the service more understandable. I created a service blueprint to map the service and test for any problems with the design.
Final Application Screens
The final design includes a Facebook application. Based on feedback from participants, I made the application very bright, included both friends and an inventory on the landing page and used images of objects rather than illustrations on the instructional screens.
