Deep Dive: User Attitudes across the Domestic Recycling Space
KEY DETAILS
August 2023 - April 2024
Practice-Based Honors Thesis
OVERVIEW
Curious to understand the human factors that shaped large scale recycling behaviors, I spent 9 months researching the problem space. ReCo was awarded the “Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Prize” by the National University of Singapore for the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, for the Academic Year 2023/2024.
IMPACT
My 9-month research work with ReCo yielded in the following:
Findings from 108 Participant mixed-methods survey
80 validated screens for end-to-end post-research
14 visual assets designed and created for ReCo
1 high fidelity, interactive prototype, proof of concept
OBSERVATIONS
My curiosity about the recycling space began due to observation in my day to day surroundings, which were a stark difference in reality to Singapore’s goal of achieving zero waste in 2030.
Managed by differing Public Waste Collectors (PWCs), recycling in Singapore is home to a large variety of stakeholders and processes.
Most belonged to different PWCs, and some were initiatives made by the National Environmental Agency to encourage informational literacy on recycling materials, processes and methods.
Through preliminary industry and academic research, I identified potential blockers across both the physical and digital space for domestic recycling.
TIMELINE & SCOPE
Considering the timeline and content limits of my project, I chose to narrow down on the barriers that could be possibly be tackled by a digital intervention.
My work was split into 2 main sections, the Preliminary Review and Iterative Testing periods. The purpose of the Preliminary Review was to confirm assumptions and gather requirements, while the Iterative Review followed a cycle of testing prototypes with a representative demographic.
PRELIMINARY REVIEW: LEARNINGS
Through industry research and mixed-methods survey, I was able to glean the following insights to shape potential profiles prior to iterative testing:
Cost-Benefit Mindset: The effort of recycling items is weighed against benefits received.
Accessibility: The discovery and access of bins varies for different age groups due to mobility, tech-savviness and personal schedules.
Continuity: Users want to know how much they have contributed, and where their items go post-recycling.
Domain Knowledge: Surface understanding of the main types of materials that can be recycled, but individual items are harder to ascertain.
ITERATIVE TESTING: LOW & MID FIDELITIES
The iterative testing was done in 3 rounds, across 12 participants. Participants were a mix of four demographic profiles that built based on trends from the mixed methods survey.
Through low-fidelity and mid-fidelity tests, I was able to learn and categorise particular key flows (eg: Scan QR Flow, Social Recycling Flow) that would be part of the eventual ReCo prototype.
ITERATIVE TESTING:HIGH FIDELITY
Through iterative evaluation of key flows and incentive structures in earlier fidelities, participants were asked to interact and rate a prototype under usability (O’Brien, 2018) and motivational (Xi & Hamari, 2019) dimensions:
Average 17/20 for Measured Autonomy (4-item) across Participants
Average 16.5/20 for Measured Competence (4-item) across Participants
Average 11.75/15 for Perceived Usability (3-item) across Participants
Aside from usability, visuals for ReCo were also created to test for recognisability and aesthetic appeal:
80% recognition rate across 14 visual assets across Participants
RECO: PROPOSED INTERFACE
Following iterations of testing, I was able to develop a proof of concept interface. ReCo is a coordination app within the field of domestic recycling, connecting households with information, bin locations and social opportunities to get incentivised rewards.
Discover: Check bins and material types across Singapore space and within neighbourhoods.
Recycle: Scan QR on selected bins, recycle materials and view personal history.
Reward: Exchange points for daily vouchers in transport, necessities etc
Social: Participate in social recycling and obtain multipliers with peers.
