Recycle Hero

UX Case Study by Valentina Maio

Scope: September 12th - October 14th (4 weeks)

Project Overview

By blending education with play, it encourages children to adopt sustainable habits while making recycling fun and easy to understand.

Its intuitive interface and reward system motivate kids to take action and positively impact the environment.

Role

UX Researcher
UX Designer
UI Designer

Tools

Figma
Figjam
Canva

Google Drive
Trello
Zoom

Recycle Hero is an interactive app that teaches kids about recycling through gamified challenges and engaging visuals.

Problem Statement

The Problem

Children often struggle to grasp the importance of recycling and how to properly sort materials, leading to confusion and poor recycling habits. The current app lacks engaging features and clear, age-appropriate guidance, hindering effective environmental education.

My Impact

Research: Led user interviews and analyzed results to guide the project.

 Prototyping: Created wireframes for tablet and desktop, and led Figma prototyping and iterations.

 Testing: Developed testing scripts, planned testing cadence, and conducted all user tests.

 Project Management: Managed team progress through Trello and Google Drive, ensuring timely delivery of deliverables and deadlines.

Design Process

Our design process for Recycle Hero focused on creating an engaging, fun experience to inspire kids to embrace recycling. Through user research and testing, we identified key motivations and challenges, then developed a gamified app with interactive features to keep kids excited. The result is a simple, intuitive app that makes learning about recycling both enjoyable and rewarding.

Research

User Research
User Interview
Competitive Analysis

Project Timeline

Week 1

Define

User Persona
Empathy Map
User Journey

Week 2

Ideate

User Flow
Card Sorting
Information Architecture

Week 3

Design

Wireframe
Hi-Fi
Design
Prototype

Week 4

Test

Feedback
Iteration
Future Enhancements

Pain Points

1. Limited understanding of recycling concepts, like sorting materials, reduces kids' ability to engage effectively.

2. Low retention and engagement occur when the app lacks variety and incentives to keep kids interested.

Opportunities

1. Simplify recycling education with interactive tutorials and step-by-step guides for different age groups. Gamify learning with age-appropriate challenges and rewards to help kids grasp concepts like sorting waste and understanding recycling symbols.

2. Introduce a progress-tracking system that rewards consistent engagement and achievements. Add features like daily challenges, customizable avatars, and virtual rewards to boost interest and encourage frequent use.

Competitive Analysis

A competitive analysis of direct and indirect competitors revealed common features in recycling apps. While competitors addressed some issues, they still lacked effective solutions.

Company Info

Advantage

Strength

Weakness

Bower

works to make sustainability more accessible by simplifying the process of recycling for consumers and businesses

monetary rewards, convenient and intuitive, wider use base with more than 500K users

Website is user friendly, visuals are engaging and effective, easy to understand info

limited use - can only recycle items with barcodes, cash payouts are small

Imagined Earth

brings reverse vending machines to partners and to the public to reward people for recycling their packaging waste

innovative use of reverse vending machines, users receive immediate payouts

Website is visually pleasant, offers partnerships, effective icons that are visually engaging and educational

limited coverage - app’s function depends on access to RVMs, app functionality - users report glitches when using app

Terra Cycle

mission is to eliminate the idea of waste by providing effective solutions to keep trash out of landfills and from incineration

specialized recycling programs, brand partnerships, global reach, zero-waste boxes

Clear and engaging UI, organized information, easy to contact and get involved

high cost for zero-waste boxes, various programs offered can be overwhelming for users, shipping requirements

Trashie

designed to gamify recycling and waste management, encourages users to recycle more effectively by tracking their habits

specialized focus, targets a unique-niche, rewards system that provides exclusive deals on products

engaging, visually compelling UI, easy and fun for users to explore site

Limited to clothing and does not cover any other recycling materials, geographic restrictions, limited to places that only work with app

User Research

We interviewed and surveyed both parents (ages 35-40) and children (ages 5-7) to understand how they approach and learn about recycling. The interviews lasted approximately 15 minutes and took place in September 2024. Participants highlighted a discrepancy in finding accessible, easy, and clear guidelines for recycling. They also suggested that an app offering engaging and informative incentives would encourage more recycling.

Observations

43.4%

of users are confused about what can be recycled

User Insights

Users highlighted that the strongest motivators for recycling are monetary rewards and the ability to see their environmental impact.

Users would like to recycle more often but are confronted with hesitation and uncertainty due to lack of information

Users would recycle more if it was easier and more convenient

33.3%

of users lack any access to recycling centers

23.3%

lack awareness about recycling programs

User Persona

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Oliver Taylor

7 years old

Berkeley, CA

Overview

Oliver is a curious and energetic 7-year-old who loves hands-on activities and challenges. He enjoys playing games on his tablet, especially those with a mission. At this stage, he takes pride in being responsible, particularly when it comes to protecting nature. Oliver often plays learning games with some help from his parents

Goals

Feels like a hero on a mission to clean the Earth
Completing tasks makes him feel responsible
Collecting points and comparing progress with friends is important
Learning recycling through interactive games helps him understand his role

Needs

Fun characters (e.g., superheroes) to create an adventure
Rewards system (stickers, stars, coins) for motivation
Clear, simple visuals to show recycling, trash, or compost bins
Short, educational mini-games that are easy to play