EcoTrack - Sustainable Living Made Easy
Executive Summary
EcoTrack is a mobile application designed to help individuals monitor and reduce their carbon footprint. By tracking daily activities and providing actionable insights, the app encourages users to adopt more sustainable habits. This project focused on creating an intuitive user interface that makes sustainability accessible to everyone.
The Problem
The 2005 report by EPA Victoria revealed a crucial gap in the understanding of carbon emissions among Australians. Our project aimed to design a system that would motivate Victorians to make informed and sustainable energy choices, ultimately reducing their carbon footprint.
The Solution
EcoTrack addresses this gap by providing a user-friendly platform that simplifies carbon tracking. By equipping users with real-time data and community comparison tools, the system empowers Victorians to understand their impact and take actionable steps towards a greener lifestyle.
Role & Contributions
Role: Business Analyst & UX Designer
- Requirements Elicitation: Conducted stakeholder interviews and user surveys to identify key barriers to sustainable living.
- User Story Mapping: Translated high-level business goals into actionable user stories with clear acceptance criteria.
- User Journey Mapping: Mapped out the end-to-end user journey to identify friction points and opportunities for engagement.
- Prototyping: Created high-fidelity interactive prototypes to validate requirements with users before development.
Requirements Engineering
To ensure the app met user needs, I defined functional requirements using the INVEST criteria. Below are key user stories that drove the development process.
| User Story | Acceptance Criteria | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| As a user, I want to track my daily carbon footprint so that I can understand my environmental impact. |
1. User can input daily activities (transport, food, energy). 2. System calculates CO2 emissions in real-time. 3. Dashboard updates with daily total. |
High |
| As a community member, I want to compare my footprint with neighbors so that I can see how I stack up. |
1. User can view neighborhood average emissions. 2. Comparison chart displays user vs. community. 3. Tips provided to improve ranking. |
Medium |
Key Features
- Carbon Footprint Calculator: Allows users to input various household activities to understand and manage their emissions.
- Neighbourhood Comparison Tool: Users can compare their carbon output with their neighbors, encouraging community-wide sustainable practices.
User Journey Map
To ensure a seamless user experience, I mapped out the user's journey from onboarding to completing their first carbon footprint entry. This helped identify potential friction points and opportunities for engagement.
App Interface
Conclusion
EcoTrack demonstrates the potential of technology to drive positive behavioral change. The project highlighted the importance of simplifying complex data (carbon emissions) into understandable and actionable information for the average user.