RENEW
Project Overview
Adopting a zero waste and low impact lifestyle can be challenging due to its potential high costs and the complexity of recycling. Upcycling offers an accessible way for individuals to engage in sustainability by reusing items they already own, but many people struggle to determine when to recycle rather than upcycle. This challenge is heightened by limited access to recycling facilities in certain areas and confusion about what items can actually be recycled.
This app aims to assist users in deciding whether to recycle or upcycle items they have. If an item is able to be upcycled but the user prefers not to engage with it, the app facilitates posting it online for others, similar to the Freecycle model.
Problem Statement:
"How might we design an app or service that helps homeowners incorporate recycling and up cycling into their daily lives?"
Research
I conducted a multi-faceted research study to understand user needs and challenges related to recycling and upcycling. My approach included analyzing Reddit threads and recycling industry websites to identify common pain points, such as confusion over recycling rules due to inconsistent local policies, lack of clear communication from facilities, and an underemphasis on “Reuse” and “Reduce.” I also conducted interviews to explore participants' recycling habits, their access to reliable recycling information, and gaps in current services. Additionally, through a co-design activity, participants created an ideal app site map, prioritizing features like image recognition for recyclability, preferred learning resources, and a well-structured hierarchy of information. This research helped shape a user-centered app design that addresses key barriers and improves accessibility to recycling and upcycling resources.
Reddit Analysis:
My Reddit research highlighted key recycling challenges. Commuters struggle with unclear disposal rules and limited recycling bins, benefiting from app notifications and bin locators. Recycling facility workers face contamination issues, emphasizing the need for better sorting tools and public education. Upcyclers repurpose discarded items, thriving with tutorials and community sharing. Parents seek simple guides and drop-off points to manage toy and baby product waste. These insights shaped solutions for the app.
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Interviews and Co-Design Kit:
Kara
“Eco-Conscious Advocate”
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Consultant
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Recycler with Upcycling Aspirations
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Passionate About Environmental Impact
Kara sees recycling as necessary but inconvenient and sometimes questions its impact. She prefers to learn gradually through small, actionable tips or weekly challenges. She prioritizes upcycling over recycling and only recycles when upcycling isn’t an option. Due to varying recycling guidelines by location, she often feels uncertain about what’s recyclable in her county.
Liv
“Low-Key Eco-Conscious ”
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Researcher
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Practical Recycler
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Casual Contributor
Liv finds recycling, especially plastics, confusing and often has to Google items for clarity. She prefers bite-sized learning resources like infographics and quick tips while recycling. Seeing a tangible measure of her environmental impact, such as a carbon footprint tracker or positive affirmations, would be motivating. The app should be simple, ad-free, with no paid features, and easy to navigate.
Jodie
“Environmental Educator”
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Garden Coordinator
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Dedicated Recycler and
Upcycler -
Sustainable Problem-Solver
Jodie saves items for upcycling but often feels overwhelmed by clutter and ends up discarding them. She struggles with knowing how much cleaning recyclables require and identifying which plastics are recyclable due to varying local guidelines. Her use of Facebook’s “Pay Nothing” group highlights her interest in community sharing.
Ideation Sketches
I created ideation sketches to develop the core features of the recycling app, ensuring an intuitive and engaging user experience. The Home Page serves as a central hub, offering quick access to key features and personalized content. The Profile Page allows users to track their recycling and upcycling habits, set goals, and view their environmental impact. The Item Scanning feature enables users to quickly determine if an item is recyclable or upcyclable through image recognition or barcode scanning. Impact Tracking visualizes users' contributions, such as COâ‚‚ savings, waste diverted from landfills, and progress toward sustainability goals. The Community section fosters engagement by connecting users with others for sharing, upcycling exchanges, and discussions. Finally, the Learning section provides bite-sized educational content, including interactive lessons, infographics, and actionable tips to improve recycling habits. These sketches lay the foundation for a user-friendly app that simplifies recycling while promoting sustainability and community involvement.
Final Concept
The final concept for Renew is an interactive recycling and upcycling app that turns sustainability into a personalized experience. The Renew homepage showcases a user’s evolving national park, visually representing their progress and environmental contributions. The item scanning feature uses AI to identify items, providing step-by-step guidance on proper recycling, upcycling projects, or locating nearby facilities for responsible disposal. Impact Tracking monitors recycling habits, upcycling efforts, and challenges, translating them into COâ‚‚ savings and tree growth within the user’s national park. The learning feature engages users with weekly challenges and courses on environmental topics, encouraging sustainable behaviors while expanding their digital park.
The Renew home page showcases user’s personal national park, which grows as they recycle, upcycle, and complete weekly challenges. This fun and encouraging visual helps users connect their efforts to a tangible and rewarding impact over time.
It also highlights completed upcycling projects and items successfully recycled, serving as both a progress tracker and motivation. By combining progress visualization with achievements, the homepage encourages users to stay engaged and make an impact.
Renew Home Page
The Renew homepage displays users' national park, reflecting their progress using the app.​​​
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Scanning Item
The scanning feature helps users determine if an item is recyclable or upcyclable by simply scanning it. Using AI, the app identifies the item and provides a brief description.
From there, users are given clear options to recycle or upcycle the item based on its potential. This makes
decision-making easy while encouraging sustainable choices.
The item scanning feature identifies an item using AI and guides users step-by-step through detailed projects to recycle it or upcycle it or find nearby facilities to ensure proper disposal or reuse.
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Upcycle Item Walkthrough
The upcycle walkthrough feature offers users creative project ideas to repurpose their items. Each project provides step-by-step instructions, ensuring users can easily follow along.
Additionally, projects include details like estimated completion time and required experience level, helping users choose tasks that fit their skillset and schedule.
Recycle Item Walkthrough
The recycling walkthrough feature guides users step by step through the recycling process for any item. It educates users about their specific regional and county recycling guidelines to eliminate confusion.
Additionally, the feature highlights nearby facilities that accept the item, making it especially useful for complex materials like electronics.
App Specific
Impact Tracking
The App-Specific Impact Tracking feature monitors users' environmental impact by tracking upcycling projects, challenges, and items scanned or recycled.
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Users can adjust and update their recycled items, even if they weren’t scanned in the app, in order to reflect their complete recycling efforts.
Impact Tracking monitors and visualizes the user’s environmental contributions by tracking what they have recycled, upcycling projects, challenges and behavioral habits, all represented through a personalized national park that shows CO2 savings and tree growth.​
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Behavioral
Impact Tracking
The Behavioral Impact Tracking feature asks users a series of questions to gather detailed data on their recycling habits and sustainability efforts. Questions such as how often they recycle and where they recycle help the app track the user's CO2 savings.
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By answering these questions, users provide holistic data that the app uses to calculate their overall impact.
Impact Tracking Debreif
The Impact Tracking Debrief feature compiles all the data from the user’s impact tracking and visualizes it as their personal national park. This allows users to see their environmental contributions in a tangible way.
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The debrief also provides insights into how much CO2 the user has saved, along with the number of trees they’ve helped plant in their park. This motivates users by connecting their actions to a real, visual representation of their sustainability efforts.
Learning Homepage
The learning homepage offers users weekly challenges and access to previous courses. By completing these challenges, users can grow their national park while actively reducing their environmental impact.
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In addition to the weekly challenges, users can explore past courses. Each completed challenge helps users track their progress and contribute to their overall impact within the app.
The learning feature offers users weekly challenges and courses designed to educate users about environmental topics, helping them grow their national park and reduce their environmental impact.​
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Learning
Weekly Challenge
Each weekly challenge encourages engagement, allowing users to track their progress as they work toward reducing their environmental impact.
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By revisiting the app throughout the week, users can stay motivated and see their efforts contribute to their growing national park.
Challenge Completion
The challenge completion feature celebrates users with confetti when they successfully complete a weekly challenge. It also calculates and displays the CO2 saved through the challenge, adding a tree to their national park as a reward.​
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Each tree is identified with a species based on the type of challenge completed, adding a fun and personalized element to the user's progress. This feature motivates users and helps them visually track their positive environmental impact.
Brooke Visker Portfolio