With the rise of e-commerce, buyers can now purchase products from businesses worldwide and complete transactions without human involvement. In 2023, global e-commerce sales exceeded $5.8 trillion U.S. dollars, with an expected growth of over 39% in the next five years. However, this surge in e-commerce has also led to significant environmental impacts, primarily manifesting in three main areas:

In just six years (by 2030), total carbon emissions due to e-commerce logistics alone are expected to be around 25 million CO² metric tons annually. (Stastica, 2024).

People actively seek solutions to these growing issues as society becomes more environmentally conscious. Online communities promoting minimalism, frugal living, and reduced consumerism have gained popularity, with some of the largest communities boasting over 4.3 million members.

These voices led me to forming my initial problem statement.

Before defining product requirements, I needed to decide whether to create a B2B (business-to-business) or B2C (business-to-consumer) app. After some research, I found that the B2B market is already saturated with ESG software from companies like IBM, Microsoft, Diligent, and Workiva. This led me to focus exclusively on consumer-facing apps, which have less market saturation.

‍Now that I've narrowed my focus, I started my research with three specific goals in mind to tackle this issue effectively.

In two weeks, I surveyed 128 Gen Z and millennials in Canada. My primary objective was to understand their views on sustainability and collect data on what they are looking were looking for in an app. The survey consisted of 17 questions, which I summarized and synthesized the findings into the key findings below.

In conclusion, my findings suggest that users prioritize sustainability while navigating their daily lives. They aim to address climate change concerns without disrupting their routines. Additionally, they want to shop sustainably, preferring affordable alternatives to traditional sources.
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With this new information, I revised my problem statement.

The main survey findings indicate that Gen Z and Millennials desire to take more sustainable actions but face money, time, and knowledge constraints.

To guide the development of my MVP, I came up with four high-level goals to focus on:

I created two user personas to help stakeholders better understand our target audience by providing insights into their backgrounds, motivations, fears, and frustrations. This helps us put a face to our user base and to further help us identify and communicate our users' needs.

Additionally, I created a user journey map to better understand and empathize with the user. This map visualizes the steps a user takes to download and use the app, providing a comprehensive overview of their discovery process and the path they follow to reach their goal.

Although no apps functioned in exactly the same way, I audited three leading apps in the sustainability category. This audit covered various aspects such as user base, pricing, onboarding process, strengths, weaknesses, and potential areas for improvement.

Understanding the current methods for measuring CO² emissions and sustainability is essential for effective tracking and assessment. To achieve this, I conducted research on the calculation of carbon scores and the standardized sustainability badges employed in the e-commerce industry. The results of these measurements are summarized in the chart below.

In summary, Carbon Labels are categorized into four primary types: certificates, ordinal ratings, quantitative ratings, and a combination of ordinal and qualitative ratings. This research enabled me to integrate carbon ratings into product and browsing pages more effectively.

To outline the app's navigation, I created user flow diagrams to showcase how users would navigate through various sections, starting from onboarding, moving to the dashboard, and exploring each section.

The flow is straightforward: users start with a login screen and proceed to sign up through the onboarding flow. Then, they're directed to the dashboard, where key information is displayed. They can access the rewards and shop sections from the dashboard via the navigation bar.

The onboarding flow should include questions to engage users and gather initial information for their carbon emissions tracker. However, it should be brief to avoid disrupting users, potentially leading them to exit the flow. A "skip" feature would allow users to bypass the questionnaire if desired. Additionally, after inputting their email, a brief introduction screen should give users a quick tour of the app.

The dashboard appears immediately after the user signs up or logs in. It features the latest information, including a detailed analysis of their CO² emissions, a list of sustainable products to shop for, and updates on environmental news and tips for eco-friendly living.

The shopping and rewards section should provide local shopping options and sustainability information for each store.

Each store should feature detailed breakdowns of its environmental impact, graded across various categories such as average CO² emissions, packaging, ethical manufacturing, and logistics.

The rewards section should be updated weekly, allowing users to upload receipts as proof of their purchases.

After collecting screenshots and drawing inspiration from similar apps, I created two low-fidelity wireframes for each screen. These initial wireframes served as a starting point, providing a rough idea of the structure and layout before moving on to designing the mid and high-fidelity prototypes.

I developed a series of style guides to ensure consistency in potential front-end development. These guides were designed to standardize the appearance of every page, facilitating scalability without the need for constant addition of design assets.

Using the mid-fidelity designs I created, I conducted a user test to gather feedback from potential users. Most of this feedback was then used to redesign and refine the high-fidelity designs.

Product cards play a crucial role in capturing users' attention during the awareness stage of the shopping experience. Therefore, it was essential to design them to present information clearly and effectively. The goal was to ensure that users could easily understand the details without feeling confused or disinterested. Specifically, the product cards needed to display carbon emissions and sustainability ratings in an instantly understandable format.  After testing several options and gathering feedback, the following design was selected.

Like product cards, store cards are designed to capture users' attention and consideration early in their shopping journey. They are especially important for highlighting a brand's sustainability impact, distance, and overall user reviews. The store cards also needed to be concise, allowing users to quickly scan and obtain the necessary information within seconds.

After reviewing the current sustainability ratings, I received feedback from users to use both ordinal and quantitative ratings for products. These ratings will indicate a product's sustainability and estimate the carbon emissions produced during manufacturing. The product page will provide further detailed information, breaking down carbon emissions by each stage of the manufacturing and shipping process.

This was an exciting chance to design a product that I believe will help contribute to solving a complex societal problem. Working on my own product provided me with insights from the perspectives of a product owner, UX researcher, and designer. I not only tapped into the psychological aspects of what people are looking for but also had the opportunity to hone and refine my visual design skills.

Here are some things I learned from this solo project: