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Eco Fix is an iOS app designed to help busy professionals easily adopt and maintain sustainable habits.
Research Objectives
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Understand Barriers to Sustainable Habits
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Impact of Consumerism
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Investigate Effective Habit Change Strategies
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Assess the Role of Budget Constraints
Assumptions
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People lack knowledge on how to reduce waste and live sustainably
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Small, consistent changes are more effective for lasting sustainable behavior than major overhauls
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Finances greatly influence people's ability and willingness to adopt sustainable practices.
Hypothesis Statement
I believe people struggle to adopt sustainable habits due to uncertainty about the most impactful, convenient, and affordable actions. I'll be right if 2 out of 3 participants express feeling overwhelmed or unsure about integrating such practices into their daily routines.

The Challenge
Decisions
vs.
Habits
40% of the actions people performed each day weren’t actual decisions, but habits.
Problem Space
People want to reduce waste - 72% say that they actively try to reduce waste - but feel overwhelmed by the perceived cost, inconvenience, and all-or-nothing pressure associated with the zero-waste movement. This leads to frustration, a cycle of unnecessary purchases, and quickly discarding items. However, by focusing on small, achievable changes in everyday habits, we can make a significant positive impact.
One paper published by a Duke University researcher in 2006 found that more than 40% of the actions people performed each day weren’t actual decisions, but habits.
Secondary Research
We generate 2.12 billion tons of waste annually – enough to circle the globe 24 times if loaded onto trucks.
Our consumer-driven society generates massive amounts of waste, with trillions spent annually on goods and services. This unsustainable consumption strains resources and fails to bring lasting happiness. A shift to sustainable living is possible through small, habitual changes. By understanding the "habit loop," we can replace wasteful behaviors with eco-friendly alternatives, ultimately reducing waste and fostering a more sustainable future.
Habit Loop
The Habit Loop is a neurological loop that governs any habit - Duhigg, C. (2012)

HMW Question
How might we empower budget-conscious young adults living in major North American cities to easily adopt and maintain sustainable habits that reduce waste and save them money?
Data Collection and Analysis
Methodology
One-on-one decontextualized interviews with three target users, where I’ll gather qualitative and attitudinal data. Questions were prepared under the interview guide.
Participant Criteria
Age Group: Millennials;
Location: Residing in a major North American city;
Financial Status: Mindful of their spending;
Interest in Sustainability: They express a desire to reduce their environmental impact and waste, but may face challenges in doing so;
About
This case study showcases the design journey of Eco Fix, a mobile app created to help busy professionals adopt and sustain eco-friendly habits. I identified barriers such as complexity, lack of knowledge, and perceived inconvenience through user research.
To address these, I designed an intuitive iOS app featuring repair guides, personalized tips, and a community hub. Using the Double Diamond Methodology, I conducted user research, usability testing, and iterative prototyping in Figma.
Working independently under a tight deadline, I managed the entire process, delivering a high-fidelity prototype praised for its seamless navigation and functionality. Eco Fix reframes sustainability as accessible and rewarding, enabling users to embrace eco-conscious living and reduce their environmental impact.
Project Type
Capstone
Timeline
11 weeks
My Roles
UX Researcher, UX/UI Designer, Content Designer, Branding Designer
Designer Tools
Figma, Canva, Otter.ai

Revised HMW Question
How might we reframe sustainable living as convenient, enjoyable, and financially rewarding for budget-conscious young adults in major North American cities, enabling them to effortlessly reduce waste and save money through everyday choices?

Define
User Persona
Based on the insights gathered from my interviews and analysis, I developed a comprehensive user persona that embodies the target user group and aligns with the chosen theme.
Meet Emily
Emily, Age: 32; Location: Vancouver, BC
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Emily is feeling overwhelmed by the vast amount of information about sustainability.
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Emily feels that sustainable choices require too much effort and sacrifice.
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Emily Lacks the time and resources to research and implement sustainable practices.
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Emily feels guilty about not doing enough for the environment.
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User Experience Map
To better understand our user persona, Emily, I created an experience map that illustrates her journey towards a more sustainable lifestyle. This map visualizes her challenges and frustrations with current eco-friendly options, highlighting opportunities to simplify and streamline her path to greener choices.

Enhancing Lifestyle and Habits
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As a busy professional, I want a subscription box for eco-friendly household products that are automatically delivered to my door so that I can save time and effort
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As a busy professional, I want to access quick and easy DIY repair guides for common household items and clothing so that I can fix things instead of throwing them away
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As a busy professional I want to learn how to properly dispose of electronic waste so that I can avoid the impacts of e-waste
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As a busy professional I want a tool that helps me identify and prioritize the most impactful sustainable actions so that I can focus my efforts on what matters most
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As a busy professional I want a platform that allows me to easily donate or sell unwanted items so that I can so they can be reused or repurposed
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As a busy professional I want a delivery service that prioritizes reusable or minimal packaging so that I can order the things I need without generating excessive waste
User Stories & Epics
After analyzing my research findings and considering Emily's experiences, I transformed user insights into actionable user stories. These user stories were then grouped into four distinct epics, each representing a key phase in the user's journey towards sustainable living. This organization helped prioritize features and create a clear roadmap for the app's development. From these epics, I selected a core epic and translated its user stories into specific tasks, forming the foundation of my user task flow.
Task Flow
After selecting a user story and task from my core epic, I developed a task flow for Emily. In this flow, she'll be accessing the Eco Fix app to find a repair guide for her malfunctioning coffee maker. She hopes to fix it herself to save money and reduce waste.

Legend


Ideate
Chosen Epic
The chosen epic aligns perfectly with the "Convenience vs. Perceived Gain" theme, tackling the common barrier of perceived inconvenience in sustainable practices. By offering accessible repair guides, we aim to showcase the immediate benefits – saving money, reducing waste, and fostering empowerment – making sustainable choices more attractive and feasible for busy individuals.
Enhancing Lifestyle and Habits
As a busy professional, I want to access quick and easy DIY repair guides for common household items and clothing so that I can fix things instead of throwing them away.