Reusable
Rewards
PROJECT
ADES 3503: PLANNING & DEVELOPING
INTERACTIVE SYSTEMS
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Each student team will plan and develop an interactive system that relies on gamification to inform and guide how the system operates to meet the needs of a particular user group that is challenged to learn a given array of topic-specific material.
TIMELINE
11.12 — 12.10.19
DELIVERABLES
Mobile prototype
OVERVIEW
Reusable Rewards is an app prototype created to reward students for choosing reusable items over single-use plastics at the University of North Texas.
TOOLS
Adobe Xd
Figma
Survey
A/B Testing
Usability Testing​
TEAM
Myself + 3 other classmates
FOOD PACKAGES
CREATE A LOT OF WASTE
32% of the 78 million tons of plastic packaging produced annually is left to flow into our oceans; the equivalent of pouring one garbage truck of plastic into the ocean every minute.
Source: Earth Day Network
FOOD IS THE
LANGUAGE OF COLLEGE KIDS
Between shelling out thousands on tuition and loans, or the sleepless nights trying to complete assignments, and studying for exams, many students find it hard to spend money on food. Opportunities for free meals typically draw large crowds of students, regardless of the occasion.
WHY WASTE WHEN YOU CAN REUSE?
Living in a time of increasing environmental threats with a looming sense of urgency, we believe it’s important to consider how one’s actions translate to the environment around them–even the smallest ones.
We took it upon ourselves to create a project that would incentivize students to do something beneficial for the environment through the promise of free food.
Using elements of “gamificaton,” we developed a system to facilitate what would ultimately lead to a reduction in waste on UNT campus.
EMPATHIZING
CHARLOTTE WALKER
I WANT TO PROTECT THE EARTH!
Charlotte is a sophomore at the University of North Texas. Part of the reason she chose to attend UNT over competing universities was because of the school’s goal to reduce their carbon footprint. She loves meeting with friends at the Union to grab a quick bite or a pick-me-up coffee. She volunteers with her sorority to pick up trash around campus.
ORGANIZED
LEADERSHIP
PATIENCE
LOGIC
0%
50%
100%
SUSTAINABILITY METER
1 2 3 4 5
DO I GET ANYTHING OUT OF THIS?
Darren is a junior at the University of North Texas. He is involved in several organizations around campus, and captains his intramural basketball team. He finds finds himself at the union often to hang with friends and at many campus events. His busy schedule leads him to eat on campus a lot for the convenience.
ORGANIZED
LEADERSHIP
PATIENCE
LOGIC
SUSTAINABILITY METER
1 2 3 4 5
DARREN
SIMMONS
DEFINING LOGISTICS
OLD TOUCHPOINT: IN-APP CODE
SHOW EMPLOYEE SCREEN
EMPLOYEE TYPES CODE
In the original iteration of the app, we came up with a scenario where earning points would come through a code, which only the employees of the food court would know and would have to type in. After consideration, we realized this would likely cause more problems than it would solve. How would the employees get the code?
POINTS EARNED
Would it need to change on a weekly or monthly basis? This would also have the potential to hold up lines, as it could take some time for the employee to get the phone and type out a code. After talking with UNT Dining Services, we learned more about how their systems work and what would be most feasible for them.
NEW TOUCHPOINT: RECEIPT
SHOW EMPLOYEE ITEM
EMPLOYEE ADDS MODIFIER
In the second iteration of the app, we came up with a system that removes the potentially difficult problems associated with the employee having to type in the code and instead offloads it into additional steps for the user to take.
CODE PRINTS ON RECEIPT
SCAN RECEIPT
The employer simply adds a modifier on the register that will generate a code that prints on the receipt, and the user would then be able to use the app to scan that code which will give them the appropriate amount of points. While it is more steps, it is practically more feasible so as to not disrupt the flow of service in the food court.
IDEATION
For the first round of testing, our goal was to gauge potential interest, and to see if users could generally gauge the purpose of Reusable Rewards just from seeing the home screen.
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We set up a table by the Campus Chat food court [where the app would be used] and conducted A/B testing between the two screens we created. We asked passerby students if they would participate in exchange for a piece of candy. 11 participants were surveyed.
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From our results, we synthesized elements from Home Screen A and Home Screen B to create a new home screen.
TESTERS SAID THEY WOULD BE MOST LIKELY TO BRING:
BAG
CUTLERY
STRAW
CONTAINER
0%
50%
100%
=
+
HOME SCREEN A
The hierarchy of elements in this version was designed to linearly explain the purpose of the app.
HOME SCREEN B
Participants expressed that the visual elements felt too small, but were overall very drawn to the central circle that contains the points.
NEW HOME SCREEN
The circle from version B and the size of visual elements from version A were combined to create a new iteration of the home screen.
OF THOSE SURVEYED:
82%
of testers said they would be inclined to use the app
64%
of testers immediately understood the purpose of the app
BRING
YOUR OWN REUSABLE
ITEMS...
BAG
2 pts
STRAW
2 pts
CUTLERY
3 pts
PROTOTYPE
Users would bring their reusable item to the checkout line and show it to the cashier as they pay for their purchase.
The cashier would then add a modifier on the register pertaining to what item the customer brought, which would produce a unique code at the bottom of the receipt from the purchase.
Users would then scan the code with the camera on their phone through the app, which would then verify the point value and load in the user’s account.
These points could then be redeemed in the app for prizes such as a free fountain drink or a meal voucher.
...EARN
POINTS TO EXCHANGE
FOR FOOD
SCENARIO OF USE
BRING REUSABLE ITEM
1
GO TO CAMPUS FOOD COURT
2
GET FOOD
3
CHECK OUT
4
GET RECEIPT
5
REDEEM POINTS
9
APP HOME
6
USER SCANS RECEIPT
7
USER EARNS POINTS
8
GAME-IFIED
FOR GREATER
INCENTIVE
Students can see their ranking across with other users across the school. This feature could create competition which might motivate some to bring their reusable items more often. Prizes could be given to users with the highest points at the end of the week, month, etc.
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Should this app be integrated beyond UNT, this feature could be used between schools to compete with one another.
USABILITY TESTING
3
You’ve just checked out at the campus chat and you brought a reusable bag to put your items in. How would you go about getting those points?
Where would you go to exchange your points for rewards?
Where would you go if you wanted to compare your weekly total of points to other people around campus?
To gauge the functionality of our system, we tested 10 students at our university to operate the application and give us feedback regarding how they felt about it.
We sat down students in the UNT Union and asked asked them to complete three task flows and observed their paths, reactions, and pain points to determine what would need to be adjusted within the system.
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While most users were successful in using the app, there are room for improvements. We learned that the visibility of navigation could be improved, as well as the general hierarchy of information on the landing page.
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