Redesigning to engage users with sustainable actions
GetGreen is an app that helps users find and track sustainable actions. It had almost no active users due to the friction in logging sustainable actions -- the main function of the app. We revamped the product vision to lower the churn rate by introducing gamification.
The redesign was tested to show an 100% approval rate from users, demonstrating strong potential to boost engagement. The project is in development and scheduled for release in Q4 2024.
IMPACT
User Research
Wireframing
Prototyping
Developer Handoff
Role
2 Product Designers
1 Mobile Developer
1 Product Owner
TEAM
Jan 2023 - Aug 2023
8 months
Timeline
COntext
An app to track and explore sustainable actions
People want to lower their environmental impact but don’t know where to start. GetGreen helps by suggesting personalized, eco-friendly actions to adopt to your everyday life. As users complete these actions, they earn leaves that are used to calculate the carbon offset of their lifestyle.
How does GetGreen work?
Earn leaves by completing actions
Explore ways to be sustainable through action cards
Achieve goals by completing a set of actions
Discovery
With a 100% bounce rate, do users want this app?!
The user data revealed that within just four weeks of onboarding, 50% of users had already abandoned the app. By the two-month mark, this churn rate spiked with ALL users dropping off after sign-up.
Through interviewing 8 first time users, we learnt that GetGreen’s value proposition is the exploration of sustainable actions. The app did have inherent value, we needed to find the friction point after sign-ups.
“I want more info on how to be sustainable in different realms of my life…expand to more than just single use plastic and recycling”
Feedback from potential users
We turned our attention to current users. Through interviews and analyzing user feedback we learnt that the novelty of exploration was overshadowed by a critical flaw—REDUNDANCY in finding and logging existing actions.
All completed and saved actions are grouped under a single tab. Users have to navigate all actions to find the one they completed.
“My sustainable habits are already present, I don’t need to track them again”
“It was a good reminder I suppose, but I didn't feel much motivation for going into the app to say I completed it each week.”
Feedback from current users
Leaves accumulate but have no significance
Progress ring around profile does not connect to any metric
Insights from heuristic evaluation of the app
The app awarded leaves for completing actions, but users didn’t fully grasp the significance of those leaves or how they connected to the larger picture of carbon offset.
Synthesizing insights from various research methodologies clearly pointed towards a need for a simpler tracking system, which gave us our design direction.
How might we reduce redundancy in tracking and focus on exploration of sustainable habits?
Ideation
A gamified approach to create a simplified tracking system
The main cause of friction was the repeated logging of actions. To simplify tracking we started by categorizing actions broadly into weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual.
⚠️ Edge Case Not all actions are recurring, so daily challenges were devised to earn additional leaves.
Easy wins to earn leaves
⚠️⚠️
But, this task repeats every week
And, the user needs to find the action and click complete every week
What if move from single actions to habits and automate tracking? Reducing the need to log-in established habits.
Daily
Weekly
Monthly
Actions -> Habits
Daily (7x)
Weekly (4x)
Monthly (2x)
Repetitions for each category
Each category required a set number of log entries. Once users logged the action for the required repetitions the tracking becomes automatic, removing the need for manual input.
Final Tracking System: Simplified calculation and tracking of earned leaves, with repeating leaf values automatically being added.
Tracking System v1: We tested a rate system for repeating actions.
❌ All users where confused by the score tally and rate concept.
Automated tracking system exploration
Iteration 1: With action categorized based on recurrence
Iteration 2: With action containing category and “+” for logging
Final: With action containing category and clear log button
Design explorations for actions on the home screen
Psychology v/s simplicity — Using the term habits
I debated using the term “habit,” knowing that more than 60 repetitions of an action psychologically lead to a habit(source). However, I knew from our research that the value proposition is exploring actions. So, we tested with a group of 10 users, and we learned that the term “habit” is easiest to understand.
Designing accountability measures for built habits
With automated tracking and a low repetition threshold for habits to form in the app, users might not have maintained habits. To enhance accuracy and accountability, I designed an algorithm that periodically reassesses user habits. If certain habits are no longer part of their routine, they can be re-logged to ensure their carbon offset and leaves reflects their actual lifestyle.
Pop-ups periodically appear on the homepage to asses habits
Users can manually remove a habit as well
Accountability pop-ups and habit removal
Levels system for actionable milestones
To address the lack of impact of the earned leaves, we introduced a levels system that allows users to visualize their sustainability journey through meaningful progress milestones with the goal of reaching the last level.
With “greenness” as the theme we introduced six levels based on the number of habits the user has.
Pop-ups after completing log-ins
Testing the initial concepts
Before we spent more time iterating on the levels systems, we spoke to users to gauge their response to this new direction. We were delighted to conclude that ALL users approved of this new direction.
R
Before
Proposed
Leaves accumulate but have no significance
Users log recurring actions to form habits which determine levels
New User?
Take quiz
Yes
Profile
Level information
Activity and leaves earned
Badges earned
Homepage
Today’s challenge
Habits in progress
Recommended actions
Saved actions + Active goals
Action Cards
Action information
Repetition information + Save/start logging
Related products
Recommended actions
Explore page
Search bar + Categories
Recommended + recently added actions
Goals
No
Simplified user flow through the app
Solution
Easy wins -- Fixing inconsistencies
Through heuristic evaluation we noticed some low efforts fixes that could improve user experience. This was the first set of changes that were made.
Adding placeholders and categories on explore pages
Single button with save
to
Reducing friction in logging by removing extra clicks
Adding category information on the action cards
Setting up a design system
The app had inconsistency in design language, we established a design system to simplify handoff to the developer.
Onboarding a new levels based system
We redesigned the onboarding to immediately engage users with the new level system. Using progressive disclosure, users are given a list of sustainable actions; as they choose more actions are gradually introduced to determine the level.
Initial Concept: Category based quiz. Based on research that users want to explore different aspects of sustainability
Final: Separating categories and using progressive disclosure of habits to determine levels
Users are guided though an onboarding that takes into account their previously completed actions
Pop-up for old users on the home screen
Transitioning old users
To ease the transition for current users, a prompt on the home screen directs them to experience the new levels system through an onboarding loop. The actions that are completed by old users show up first increasing accuracy.
Onboarding flow
A new homepage that simplifies logging in actions
The redesigned homepage focuses on the main function of the app, logging and finding actions. Simplifying it more the more bulky interface it had before.
All actions are grouped under a single hard to navigate tab.
One-off challenges
Current habits displayed as a scannable list
Current level, stats on leaves and habits to next level
Single click logging in of daily actions
Before
After
Onboarding flow
A profile that showcase impact with levels
The redesigned profile page focuses on showing impact of the sustainable actions and habits that the users have accumulated, with the intention to improve motivation in continuing to integrate more actions.
Number of automated habits displayed as a list
Current level visual + stats on habits to next level
Total leaves earned with automated caluculation
After
Before
Leaves accumulate but have no significance
Progress ring around profile does not connect to any metric
Onboarding flow
A renewed GetGreen that shows impact, eases tracking and improves exploration of new habits.
Log completed actions
with a single click
Explore new ways to level up your sustainable lifestyle
View the impact of your sustainable actions
IMPACT
Gamified GetGreen is what users want!
We tested the redesigned GetGreen with 5 users(3 new users and 2 previous users) to test whether this is the direction that future development should take. ALL users preferred the new version of the app.
We presented the findings to stakeholders and mapped feature rollouts that have the potential to increase user retention. The features are currently under development, with simpler fixes already implemented.
Reflections
If I had more time (and resources)
I would build a robust design system that is modern and matches users' preferences. We did tread along this path for a bit but were unable to build it due to a resource crunch.
Add more elements of delight, participants in usability testing were drawn to and appreciated the motion design elements. I would build capitalize on this.
Add community features to motivate users, as a future iteration of the product we proposed leaderboards and Reddit style groups for the exchange of ideas.
First growth design rodeo
In this project, I was able to flex my research as well as design muscles but the most important skill that I picked up was how to present to stakeholders in ways that connected the dots between users and business needs.
It opened my eyes to the world of growth design that entailed critically looking at userflows, and feedback, doing pointed research, and testing frequently. It was something that naturally came to me because of my background as a verification engineer.
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