Role
Contract Design Project Lead for client Seabin in partnership with Invention Corps of Berkeley
Skills
User Research
Product Design
Usability Testing
Digital Prototyping
Timeline
Dec. 2022 - May 2023 (12 weeks)
Tools
Figma
Unreal Engine
Notion
Thus, we asked...
how might we engage the general public of Los Angeles in Seabin's efforts, through an educational digital product and in-person exhibition?
Project Background
Seabin aims to tackle the problem of ocean micro plastic pollution through data collection and behavioral change, to protect our oceans, and ensure a healthy and prosperous planet for all species in the near and distant future.
Microplastics, entering oceans from multiple sources, harm marine life and infiltrate the human food chain, impacting health and even being found in human organs and newborns' placenta. Most common source of microplastics are human-made from clothes to cigarette butts and fishing nets.
Therefore, Seabin challenged Invention Corps of Berkeley, a student-led design consultancy to educate and engage the general public of Los Angeles on the issue of microplastic ocean pollution.
My role in this project was to lead a team of designers and data scientists to use seabin's data to create a digital product that works in tandem with an exhibition.
Talking to Los Angeles
01
User Research
Qualitative and Quantative
We decided to research the general public of LA through surveys and user interviews, collecting a total of 88 survey responses and conducting 8 user interviews with people from Los Angeles that were not generally aware of this topic. The purpose of the survey and interviews was to gain a better understanding of the current and desired engagement level on this topic and to understand their pain points when looking to engage. We also conducted secondary research to understand if a digital tool and an exhibition can lead to behavioral change and mobilization.
Insights, and more insights...
02
Research Synthesis
Upon gathering research data from the general public of Los Angeles, we needed to analyze and integrate the data collected. Since our project was bilateral, we had to utilize different synthesis methods to derive actionable insights for both sides of the project. In order to set a design framework for the project moving forward, we collaboratively looked for any recurring patterns, trends, and behaviors across all interviewees and survey responders.
We used visualization techniques like affinity mapping for survey questions and atomic UX research for both surveys and user interviews to group all our findings into facts, insights, and opportunities. Considering those research findings, we organized prevalent behavioral patterns into user personas, guiding our design process to address their pain points and requirements.
Sparking Creativity, Unleashing Ideas
03
Ideation
Subsequently, keeping these key insights in mind, I led the team through the ideation phase starting with inspiration, then diverging with brain dump, discussion, free draws, and crazy 8's to then converge with discussion and the pugh matrix prioritization framework.
During the inspiration phase, we conducted a competitive analysis exercise, examining three digital apps highly regarded for their educational content. Additionally, we explored two exhibitions known for their immersive user experiences, where users were central to the experience. Moreover, we visited Seabin's Los Angeles site to delve deeper into their mission and conduct a site analysis for our exhibition design. This ultimately helped my team be more motivated about the client and their goals, and the project itself, ultimately sparking creativity for the ideation phase.
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Turning Tides: Embracing Client Goal Change
04
Pivot in Client's Goals & Prototyping
Upon presenting our final concepts to the client, they expressed admiration for our exhibition idea as an effective education and engagement tool. However, due to constraints in labor capacity, they were unable to allocate resources for funding and maintaining the exhibition. Despite our suggestion of hosting it as a pop-up event in Los Angeles, the client declined, citing concerns about investing in materials for a one-time occurrence.
Consequently, with the project schedule advancing, we redirected our attention fully to the digital product. While the transition required relinquishing the effort invested in researching and ideating the exhibition design, it highlighted our team's adaptability in responding to evolving client needs. By aligning our strategies with evolving client objectives, we not only pivot gracefully but also unlock new opportunities for collaboration and success.
Given that the exhibition offered a compelling opportunity to integrate our digital product, we proposed to the clients the idea of aligning it with their community engagement program to enhance digital interaction for our project goal, to which they agreed was a great idea.
Subsequently, we started drafting up a user flow and started brainstorming how the scale manipulation with the 'infinite zoom concept' would look like. Using Seabin's data, we would also include quizzes, information, where to find Seabins in the area, and much more. We then started prototyping low-fidelity and mid-fidelity wireframes.
Navigation Bar at the Side or Bottom?
One design decision I found challenging was determining whether we should create the scale navigation bar on the side or the bottom. Initially, I leaned towards the bottom navigation bar for its thumb reachability and digital interface familiarity, especially with iOS interactions. However, recognizing the significance of this choice, I decided to validate this assumption.
Upon further secondary research, user heatmaps for button usage tells us that users prefer having buttons to the side rather than the bottom as it gives an interaction similar to that of scrolling. Additionally, placing the navigation bar at the bottom would obstruct the interactions that we have designed as many of the interactions moved from top to bottom.
Gathering Feedback and Refining
05
Usability Testing
It was necessary to perform usability testing to validate our design hypotheses for the digital product. We sought general feedback from 6 users and organized the usability testing guide into three main categories: Discoverability, Interactions, and Information. We then used the feedback to iterate our designs to ultimately finalize the prototype.
The Final Deliverable
06
Educational Side Navigations
As the user navigates through the scales, there are many clickable objects that portray Seabin's data in a more digestible way. These interactive elements provide access to quizzes, fundamental information, and engaging graphics. They serve as an enjoyable method to educate users about Seabin's data and offer new strategies for integrating habits into their daily lives to reduce ocean plastic pollution.
Looking Forward...
When looking back at the work we have done, I was very proud of my team, but knowing that my team and I could have definitely finished the bilateral project and not being able to finish the exhibition design was a bit heartbreaking. It was an amazing way to connect the two deliverables and increase engagement and retention on both products. However, client satisfaction is key when working at a design consultancy, and that is definitely one of my main learning lessons during this project. Just for fun, I created a mockup on SketchUp and a rendering on Photoshop to showcase how the exhibition design might have looked like.
Scale Manipulation
This feature allows users to navigate themselves through the scales starting from the great pacific garbage patch all the way down to the microplastic scale. There are really cool interactions that connect the scales as the user clicks through them and it educates users on how microplastic connects to humans, the food they eat, and their surrounding environment.
Reflections...
As a first time project lead, I didn't know what to expect going into the project, but coming out of the project I learned so much from my team and as a leader.
Ocean pollution and any environmental crises is a sensitive topic to me, and working towards a solution to a complex issue like this was an awesome experience. By educating and engaging the general public about this issue using Seabin's data, the ultimate goal is to change the daily habits of the public to mitigate this issue.
Our team was challenged with a two-sided deliverable, a broad user base, challenging design decisions, and a change in client goals. We pushed through all the obstacles thrown at us and maintained an open mind and stuck together with a collaborative spirit to finish the project on schedule. We all learned that adjusting to the client's needs and iterating based on user feedback was necessary to keep a human-centric approach to a product.
Kudos to Adin Esberg, Sanjana Nitturkar, Jenny Weng, Abhi Subramaniam, Margaret Lee, Austin Ho, and Dusty Buyck for being such an uplifting, flexible team and giving me a great experience as a first time project lead! Also, big thanks to Bryan Plante and Andy Bearer from Seabin for being amazing clients!