Re:Create Creative Reuse for Good
At-a-Glance
My 12-week UX capstone project explored opportunities to reduce waste in Ann Arbor, focusing on student move-out at the University of Michigan. Through extensive research, we connected with the creative reuse community and distilled key findings to guide our design process. The result is Re:Create, an app that facilitates the transfer of unused materials, educates users on creative reuse, and promotes sustainability.
Timeline
4 Months
My Role
Researcher & designer
Collaboration
3 Graduate Students
Platform
Figma
Executive Summary
Over the course of our 12-week design UX capstone project, our team investigated the opportunities and challenges to reuse processes in Ann Arbor. Focusing specifically on how students at the University of Michigan produce waste each year during move-out, which provides a distinct opportunity for reducing waste.
Our thorough discovery research confirmed the scale of the problem space as well as connected us to creative reuse as sub-community of the sustainability. This connection allowed us to continue empathizing with a specific group of people who have lots of stuff and the desire to do something with it.
After building an understanding of the problem space and user needs, we were able to distill our research into key findings and design requirements which framed our design stage. While progressing through ideation and the various fidelities, we consistently engaged with stakeholders and our design goals to create a user-centered solution.
The result is Re:Create, a creative reuse app that facilitates the transferring of unused materials, guides users of all levels through creative reuse projects, and empowers them to continue doing so.
Our solution is one that seeks to reimagine what is considered “trash,” educating users on the intersection of creative reuse and sustainability in a creative and engaging way.
Motivation
The University of Michigan student body produces 128 tons of waste during the move-out period each year, of which only 9 tons are saved through the university’s Student Move Out Donation Program. Beyond student move-out, the community still struggles with sustainability efforts.
Despite best efforts, the state’s all-time high recycling rate of 19.3% still lags behind the nationwide average of 32.1% which ranks the country 25th of the 32 countries that track the data.
While students are motivated by sustainability and even have infrastructural support to reduce waste, our group has identified core opportunities areas regarding education and habituation of sustainable living. Instead of focusing on what to do with materials at the point at which they considered trash, we wanted to shift the focus to how “unused items” could become useful again.
Goals
Our teams goals for exploring this opportunity space included:
Identify barriers & opportunities in the current recycling & reuse process
Design a user-centric solution to address uncovered issues
Promote community engagement and education in recycling and reuse
The question that would guide our project throughout its growth was:
Research
Research Questions
RQ #1 Understanding Behaviors and Motivations
What do students know about recycling and reusing in Ann Arbor?
Where do students get information about recycling and reusing?
RQ #2 Identifying Barriers and Reuse
What are the main barriers or challenges students face in implementing effective recycling and reusing habits?
RQ #3 Preferences and Needs for a Solution
What features and functionalities would students find useful in a digital solution for recycling and reusing?
What kind of community initiatives or events would encourage more recycling and reuse activities among students?
Research Overview - Context
Method #1 Competitive Analysis
We conducted a competitive analysis to explore apps in the sustainability and gamification spheres to understand existing apps in the same space and get inspirations for design directions.
Method #2 Desk Research
We explored creative reuse and initiatives implemented on college campuses and across various regions globally to gain insights into effective strategies and best practices in promoting sustainability and waste reduction within educational institutions.
Research Overview - UM Students
Method #1 Contextual Inquiry & Card Sorting
We recruited 4 students who were moving out soon and went to their homes to conduct contextual inquiry to explore how they deal with unused items. We also did a card sorting activity to understand how they categorize their items and their motivations when it comes to getting rid of items.
Method #2 Expert Interview
To understand existing resources and practices on campus to reduce waste during move-out, we interviewed members from a student org, the Student Sustainability Coalition. We also interviewed the staff member at the U-M Sustainability Department that is in charge of the Student Move-Out Donation Program.
Mid-Fidelity
Users expressed a desire for options to specify item quantity and condition, as well as guidance on handling leftover items. Iterations include incorporating prompts for users to specify item quantity and conditions, and providing an option to repurpose leftover items, aiming to enhance user control and sustainability practices within the platform.
High-Fidelity
Issues with the color scheme causing distraction and unclear button clarity were identified, along with a lack of back buttons for navigation. Iterations include updating the color scheme for clarity, improving button design to ensure clear clickability, and adding back buttons and a navigation bar to enhance navigation efficiency within the platform.
Key Findings - UM Students
Insight #1 Understanding Behaviors and Motivations
In 2023, the U-M Sustainability department collected 9.7 tons of donations but there was still a staggering 127.8 tons of landfill waste generated during the two-week move-out period in April. This highlights both the success of the donation program and the scale of the waste problem.
Insight #2 Understanding Behaviors and Motivations
Getting rid of items like furniture and clothes have mature solutions, but handling miscellaneous items is a challenge. The move-out program also gets a lot of such items and they are welcomed by the thrift shop, which proves there's potential for these to be reused more creatively.
Insight #3 Understanding Behaviors and Motivations
From the motivations card sort, we learned that convenience and the potential for community impact—specifically, the ability to help others—are the primary motivators for people deciding what to do with unused items.
“I would rather give away my items for free if someone can make use of them. Selling online is too much of an hassle.” -Student #2
Research Overview - Creative Reuse
Method #1 Digital Ethnography
To understand how people give away items and the community dynamics, we joined a local Facebook Buy Nothing group and observed the interactions over a 1-week period. We found many inspiring behavior patterns and also identified the disadvantages of an algorithm-driven platform, which favor active users.
Method #2 Understanding Behaviors and Motivations
We went to 2 sites to see creative reuse in action - SCRAP Creative Reuse Center and the Logan Elementary Art Room. We observed the environment, the workflow, and how crafters give the materials a second life using their creativity.
Method #3 Expert Interviews
While on the site, we interviewed 5 experts in the creative reuse field to understand their perspectives and pain points. They include staff members working at SCRAP, skilled crafters who were shopping at SCRAP, and the art teacher who sourced materials from the community for her art room.
Key Findings - Creative Reuse
Insight #1 Creative Reuse is Uncategorized
The processing of raw materials for creative reuse is time and labor intensive. The massive categories of items are difficult to keep track of.
“Categories are very specific, making tracking difficult... there are so many items to sort through, being understaffed leads to slows turnaround.” - Expert #1
Insight #2 Visibility is Key
Donations are more likely and of higher quality when donors can see how their materials are being used.
“When I specify how something is going to be used or that it’s for the kids I’m much more likely to receive a donation.” - Expert #3
Insight #3 Creative Reuse Supports Community
Creative reuse encompasses and connect communities from local elementary school art rooms to the expert artisans craftshop.
“The more donations I receive, the more art centers I can open and the more mediums the kids can try.” - Expert #3
Design Opportunities
01 Easy Categorization & Donation
Streamlining the categorization process to help users quickly identify items suitable for creative reuse and create a donation plan.
Insight: Creative reuse categories are vast and difficult to keep track of. Users are confused about what items are accepted and where to donate.
02 Impact as Motivation
Helping users understand the impact of their donation and see how the materials are transformed into creative projects.
Insight: Students value community impact and seeing how others make use of their donation is a strong motivation.
03 Inspired by the Community
Supporting users to make their own creative reuse projects and foster a community where users can share ideas and inspire each other.
Insight: The current creative reuse ecosystem is fragmented and can benefit from the synergy of ideas and knowledge sharing.
Design Evalutation
For our Minimum Viable Product (MVP) design process, we prioritized gathering qualitative feedback to begin iterating. Starting with user feedback on early sketches, we gauged initial preferences and prioritized features. Low-fidelity wireframes were then tested to refine user flows, followed by evaluations of high-fidelity designs focusing on visual appeal and interaction. Usability tests were conducted for each feature, with feedback collected for every screen. We then collaborated to categorize user responses, identify common themes, prioritize feedback using affinity diagrams, and brainstorm solutions for highlighted issues.
We utilized a rainbow matrix chart to track our observations of the users moving through the prototypes. The columns represent our participants and the rows represent the observations on any confusions, concerns, and completing certain tasks.
Opportunity #1 - Categorization Process
Facilitate convenient donation and categorization of items to creative reuse projects for students moving out.
Sketch / Low-Fidelity
Users found scrolling through donation posts time-consuming, expressed concerns about multiple drop-off locations, and lacked information on accepted donation items. Iterations included exploring a donor-focused flow, generating optimized donation plans to reduce drop-off locations, and providing detailed information on accepted items to enhance the UX and decision-making.
Mid-Fidelity
Users showed interest in comprehending the impact of their projects on the broader community. Iterations addressed this by updating the metric from total pounds contributed to waste diverted from landfills, measured in ounces across the app. Additionally, content organization was redesigned into tabs resembling Instagram's layout, including sections for projects, posts, and likes.
Opportunity #2 - Impact Process
Accomplishment metrics within the profile page enabling users to track their contributions and impact.
Sketch / Low-Fidelity
Users expressed a preference for community metrics over individual ones, such as items donated and reused, with a desire for a metric akin to water refill station counters. Additionally, some users considered "materials donated" and "contributed projects" redundant. Iterations include incorporating a posts history feature instead of individual metrics and implementing badge rewards to incentivize ongoing engagement with the platform.
High-Fidelity
Users expressed a need for more information on project cards and a preference for tabs labeled 'Saved' or 'Reposts' over 'Likes' in the profile section. In response, iterations will include enhancing project cards with additional content, changing the 'Likes' tab to 'Saved,' and introducing a media icon on post history cards to denote the presence of photos or videos. These changes aim to better align the platform with user preferences and expectations.
Mid-Fidelity
Evaluation findings emphasized the importance of integrating project customizability with system features, connecting item lists with project customization, and exploring user interests for creative inspiration. Iterations will focus on avoiding overloading project customization, and prioritizing project updates in detailed views, ensuring a streamlined and user-friendly experience within the platform.
Opportunity #3 - Inspiration Process
Generate project ideas from unused items and navigate the creative reuse process.
Sketch / Low-Fidelity
Integrating photos into the user workflow reduces workload, while enhancing customization options for different user proficiency levels and exploring connections between veteran and new users were identified as areas for improvement. Iterations focused on creating projects using existing items, considering customization levels and user input, and integrating inspiration from the user as well.
High-Fidelity
Initial evaluation findings highlighted that the designs appeared visually busy, prompting the need to adjust colors and typography for clarity. Additionally, empty state screens were introduced to enhance user engagement. Iterations will emphasize inspiration in these empty states, aiming to create a more engaging and visually appealing experience for users interacting with the platform.
Scenario
Create a Donation List
This feature helps users quickly identify and log items that are accepted for creative reuse, and help them generate a donation plan to save them the time and efforts.
Updated Design Problem
Design Solution #1
Scenario: Mindy created a list of items that she would like to donate and the app generated an optimal donation plan for her.
Design Solution #2
Make a Project
This feature help users generate creative reuse projects from the item list by adding their own tags, text prompts and community inspirations.
Scenario: There are some left over items after the donation. Mindy got prompted to make a creative reuse project for herself.
Design Solution #3
Track Community Impact
The profile page helps users track their community impact and how their donation is transformed. The community page encourage users to participate in creative reuse events.
Scenario: Some time passed and Mindy is able to see her community impact through her profile page. She can also participate in community events.
Next Steps
Conduct surveys and interviews with college students, art teachers, creative reuse organizations, and potential users to gather feedback on needs, preferences, and challenges related to creative reuse and waste reduction.
Host workshops or focus groups to brainstorm ideas, discuss features, and prioritize goals for the app with stakeholders.
Consider creating a stakeholder advisory board with representatives from key stakeholder groups to provide ongoing feedback and guidance throughout the development process.
Conduct pilot testing with a small group of users to gather feedback, identify issues, and make necessary improvements before launching the app to the public.
Explore further research questions such as specific types of waste materials generated by college students, ways to lower the barrier to entry for beginners, motivations for student participation in waste reuse initiatives, and challenges faced by college students and local artists in implementing creative reuse projects.
Technical Realization
Our designs were created using Google’s Material Design 3 as a basis, and as such also relies on the Google tech stack. For seamless cross-platform front end, we would use Flutter, and Google Cloud for our back end services. Google Firebase would also support our apps authentication, cloud messaging, analytics, hosting, and deployment. As our product progressed through the various deployment levels, we would be able to support more rigorous evaluations of our design as well, with Google Cloud supporting A/B testing.
A technical limitation we would like to address is the solution's reliance on generative AI for key features. Using the user’s inputs and creating a novel project requires the use of generative AI which has high environmental impact. This reliance does not fall within the spirit of sustainability that has guided our project, and an MVP modification would be to instead use the user’s inputs to search for user-generated content, which not only reduces the reliance on generative AI but highlights the community aspect of creative reuse.