As a person who developed the love for art since a very young age, I have always been interested in arts and crafts of all forms. I love to create handmade cards and gifts to give to my loved ones, and their reactions are always so rewarding to me. It's also nice for me to see that people have picked up crafting and creating DIY projects as a hobby amidst the chaos of the pandemic a couple of years ago.
I have also noticed that the Gen-Z generation has also been more interested in thrifting and up-cycling due to the rise of Tik Tok and other social media platforms. Alongside with the rise of interest in thrifting and DIY projects, the world is also concurrently facing a serious environmental threat due to the global plastic crisis, with almost 300 million tons of plastic waste generated each year. Recognizing the increasing enthusiasm for DIY projects, I wonder if there is a chance to tackle the issue of plastic waste as well.
How could the interest in DIY projects presents an opportunity to make a positive impact on the plastic waste problem?
What is going on with the world we’re living in?
We produce almost 300 million tons of plastic waste each year, and this problem is worsening with an annual growth rate of 9% in 2022. The overproduction and disposal of plastic are seriously harming the environment. Our everyday consumer habits and a lack of awareness about eco-friendly options are making this issue even worse.
After a little more research, I found out that The United States generates an average of 4.9 pounds of trash per person every day - the highest amount of waste per person of any country. This means we produce so much waste everyday. We don’t only produce plastic waste, but also metal, textiles, electronics,..
The US creates over 624,000 metric tons of waste per day. (latimes.com), and the US throws away $11.4 billion worth of recyclable containers and packaging every year. (Rubicon)
The US is on track to run out of room in landfills by 2036 (globalcitizen.org), and roughly 80% of the items buried in landfills could be recycled (Rubicon)
Wouldn’t it be great if I could create something that raises awareness for a more eco-friendly lifestyle while actively helping our environment as well?
Understanding the problem and finding the connection
Firstly, I went on Pinterest and made a search for “DIY projects” to see what’s trending nowadays
These are some of the DIY projects that caught my attention, and I noticed that the materials needed to complete these projects can be found in most households. They’re often things like paper, tin cans, glass jars, plastic,... We can easily find these things laying around in our house with no intention for future use.
Instead of throwing these so-called “junks” away, is there a way for me to encourage people to cut down on waste, promote a more sustainable lifestyle, and nurture a creative and resourceful mindset when it comes to giving new life to everyday items?
The research
To figure out the extend of people being more intrigued and interested in DIY projects, I have gathered some very useful statistics:
The DIY category on Pinterest has over 2 billion monthly searches. (Source: Pinterest)
Pins related to sustainable living and eco-friendly DIY have seen a 30% increase in engagement over the past year. (Source: Pinterest)
70% of consumers are now more aware of the environmental impact of plastic pollution in 2023 than they were five years ago. (Source: Ipsos)
Searches for “DIY crafts for adults" increased by 300% during the pandemic and continued to rise towards the end of 2020. (Source: Google Trends)
I dove a little deeper into apps and products that people often look for when they’re in need of finding inspirations for their DIY projects. It was helpful for me to see what sets them apart and what they are/are not currently offering users.
I interviewed 3 of my friends who enjoys arts & crafts with the intention of also finding out their lifestyles and their current habits when it comes adopting sustainable practices into their daily lives.
I created an affinity map to organize the common theme, pain points, challeneges as well as goals & needs that participants have provided
which formed some key insights:
Challenges during DIY projects were mostly from lack of visual and video instructions, and lack of proper research.
DIY projects serve as a deeply satisfying and therapeutic creative outlet. The joy of crafting something personal and one-of-a-kind is a major motivator. Saving money was also a contributing factor.
Material sourcing varies from mainstream craft stores to second-hand finds. This diversity showcases a commitment to sustainable practices through repurposing and finding unique materials.
While passion for DIY projects is evident, there is a shared acknowledgement of time constraints by the participants.
A persona will help me keep the users’ needs and challenges in mind as I go forward and help me make good design decisions.
Figuring out how to build the solution
To start defining what my product should offer, I need to specify a main problem to solve for. I set out a problem statement based on the user persona that I created:
"Ashley is an elementary school teacher, who wants to personalize her living space with practical and impactful DIY projects that could also help her live a sustainable and eco-friendly lifestyle."
To figure out what will help my users best, I brainstormed a couple of propositions and must-have features that correlate to our persona’s frustrations and needs:
How can I encourage users to craft sustainable DIY recipes from recyclable materials or things around them to reduce waste?
1. Recommend users DIY recipes that correlate to the things they have around their houses or things that they are about to throw away.
2. Beautiful personalized and tailored DIY recipes will encourage people to actually craft the DIY recipe
How can I foster a sense of community and collaboration among users to share their successful DIY experiences?
Users have the ability to share the results of their DIY project under each DIY recipe (similar to the reviews section of E-commerce website). This feature not only builds a supportive community but also provides users a great source of inspiration.
How can I make the DIY process convenient and user-friendly for users with varying levels of expertise?
Develop detailed step-by-step tutorials for each DIY recipe, accompanied by visual guides (including both images and videos). Each DIY recipe will include information such as the time it takes to complete the DIY, the difficulty level, and the materials needed to craft it.
After mapping out some must-have features, I had a clearer picture in my mind to what the product should achieve. With a “no bad ideas” mindset, I began sketching some of the key screens to bring the product one step closer to life:
The most important task that I want users to perform is to be able to find the materials that they have, and gather inspirations with that materials. I set up a user flow to help me start structuring the content of the app a little bit better.
I took my sketches and bring them into Figma, while also refining some design decisions that I have made while sketching:
Let’s kick it up to high fidelity
The words "bits" and "pieces" indicate the use of small components to create larger projects. The name effectively communicates the focus on DIY, crafting, and potentially environmentally-friendly materials.
Our logo features the Gliker font, known for its friendly and groovy style, which represents the app's mission. The font's warmth, creativity, and versatility ensure that our logo remains readable and impactful across various platforms and devices.
The green primary color choice is inspired by the natural world, embodying the essence of sustainability and eco-friendliness. Complementing this earthy tone, the orange color serves as the secondary color. It symbolizes creativity, enthusiasm, and optimism.
Additionally, the help of accent colors add depth and versatility to the palette, offering flexibility in design elements while maintaining a cohesive and visually appealing aesthetic.
I chose a dark charcoal color for the text color and an off white color as a background, offering a clean and minimalist backdrop while also portraying the visual of crafting paper.
I chose Prata as the typeface for headings and displays just because it has a sleek and minimalistic details, making it suitable for the app’s eco-friendly vibe. While it adds a nice touch and a personality to our branding, its simplicity reflects a sense of sustainability and mindfulness.
It is paired with Manrope, a clean, modern and friendly typeface that offers excellent legibility and readability across various screen sizes. Hierarchy was also achieved through different weights, sizes and spacings.
Icons are freehand to portray a hand-drawn look that give the app a friendly and creative vibe. By avoiding perfect digital lines, they add a touch of personality and warm.
Illustrations are bright and colorful to make the app feel more inviting and welcoming, helping users connect with the app in a fun and relatable way.
How will users behave?
The prototype was ready to be tested. I conducted 10 moderated usability tests to observe how easy and difficult it is to complete the tasks that I requested. Tasks include:
1. Complete onboarding questionnaires and create an account.
2. What would they do if they're holding a plastic bottle on their hands and looking for inspirations for DIY projects that can be made from that plastic bottle?
3. Add the DIY to favorites and submit a photo comment.
After the test, I synthesized key points and here are the results:
10 out of 10 participants successfully navigated through onboarding questionnaires and created an account.
2 participants claimed that the DIY categories were hard to read because of the real image background of the categories.
3 participants used the search bar to look for DIY ideas with a plastic bottle, while 7 participants clicked on the Plastic DIY category.
4 participants claimed that they liked how the DIY categories were sorted into materials, which makes people more motivated to complete the DIY project if they have the materials on hand and ready to go.
A/B Testing
I performed the usability test with option A first, and later on showed them option B to get their opinions.
2 participants claimed that the color were nice, but they were a little too colorful and distracting
3 participants love the use of real images of materials in the background, but some are kind of hard to read.
6 participants preferred A, and 4 participants preferred B
Changes I have made
Taking our users' feedback into consideration, I have made some small changes that could potentially improve the app's visual interface and improve the user's experience.
The Final Prototype
This is the final prototype for Bits & Pieces. It is simple and straightforward, with a clean interface and easy navigation. Through iterative design and user-centered iterations, I hope that the product will encourage users to live a more sustainable lifestyle but in a fun way!
Key Takeaways
Remember, perfection isn't the goal. I have learned that it's okay if things don't turn out exactly as planned and takes longer than anticipated — what matters most is the journey and the process that I took.
During my design process, I had a lot of ideas in mind but due to time constraints, they were not implemented. Something that could be built within the app in the future is the ability for users to scan the material or item that they're holding on their hands through the phone camera, and the app will be able to recognize what that material is, then recommend DIY recipes using that material. It could definitely simplify our user flow a little bit more, while adding the help technology and fun to the process.
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