User Research
Research Overview
Our project has always been user-driven and user-centred, aiming to develop an interactive waste-separation product which meets the real needs of the user and substantially contributes to the betterment of global warming. Based on these goals, our team has conducted a detailed user research which was divided into three main sections: Background Research, Generative Research and Evaluations, with a total of 134 stakeholders included. We used a variety of research methods such as semi-structured Interview, survey and hypothesis to obtain the most realistic and valid information, thus providing significant guidance for the further design and promotion of the product.
Background Research
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Literature Review
The literature review gave us a clear picture of the severity of the problem of waste separation at this stage and some of the solutions that currently exist, which helped us to situate our own research. We have studied a great deal of literature, news reports, etc. on the internet and also find out about people's current attitudes towards waste separation on social networks.Waste is now a major problem that is polluting the environment and troubling people. According to the CAUES (China Association of Urban Environment Sanitation), China produces nearly 1 billion tons of waste every year. In landfills on the edge of cities, the methane emitted from the decomposition of organic matter in waste is also one of the non-CO2 greenhouse gases that have a significant impact on global climate change. If waste is not segregated, many resources are lost and harmful waste is not disposed of adequately, for example, by burning or landfilling it at will. This has a great impact on the land, water and air quality, and is a major threat not only to humans but also to animals. Therefore, educating people on proper waste separation is an effective way to alleviate this problem.
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Competition Analysis
Competitive analysis is an important strategy for gathering intelligence and putting that information to use. By doing this, we can get to know our competitors and learn from their strengths to avoid their weaknesses.We have conducted an extensive search of existing products on the market and found that most of them have the same functionality and many similarities in their problems, so we have selected two representative examples for detailed analysis. We find two currently competitive apps in the app store which are Rubbish Sorting Steward and Waste Separator, and conduct a heuristic analysis. Both apps are simple and easy to use, with relatively similar functionality. However, they also have some serious problems, such as too many advertisements in the app interface, inaccurate recognition, and some redundant functions. Therefore, they are not very useful, which gives the opportunity to develop our app and product.It is essential for our project to carry out a competitor analysis, it gives us new ideas. By comparing our products with our competitors, we can think about what makes us different, enables us to position ourselves strategically in the market and reflects our strengths. For example, we noticed that there are currently no waste separation apps on the market that are connected to physical products.
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Background Research Insight
➢ The problem of climate change is very serious, and waste pollution is increasing water pollution and air pollution, which can be mitigated to some extent by waste separation.
➢ There are many waste separation apps on the market, but they all have more or less the same problems, such as poor recognition rate, too many ads, no interaction with the user, cluttered interfaces etc.
➢ Most of the existing apps are isolated and lack a deep connection between the platform and the physical product.
➢ Products with a clear, functional and interactive interface will have great market potential.
➢ Helping students to develop the habit of correct waste separation is extremely helpful to the environment.
➢ The Chinese government is currently promoting the implementation of waste separation.
Generative Research
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Survey
At first, our target users of the project include pupils, junior and senior high school students, university students and staff in the schools. To make a successful product, it is necessary to understand the general needs of the users firstly in order to design the product according to their needs. Survey can be used to investigate the general situation regarding waste separation. We created the survey for target users and sent it to different users to participate. The minors were asked to fill in the survey with their guardians. From the results of the survey, we got a lot of insights that we used in the subsequent product design.
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Semi-structure Interview
Although we had already obtained some information about the user's needs through the survey, quantitative analysis was not enough. We were unable to obtain detailed or targeted information in the survey and a semi-structured interview is required. The combination of quantitative and qualitative method is necessary for analyzing the users’ need comprehensively. In the process, we followed up on the user's answers to obtain deeper information about their needs, such as the reasons behind their choices, so that we could design products to meet their needs at a fundamental level.
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Generative Research Insights
➢ 50% schools in the generative research have promoted waste-separation.
➢ Students in schools that has promoted waste-separation have known a lot about waste-separation knowledge. However, other students still lack knowledge without practice, although there have been some activities in the school.
➢ The schools that have promoted waste-separation use mostly “residual waste, household waste, recyclable waste, hazardous waste” as waste-separation method.
➢ Most students are satisfied with the waste-separation situation in their schools, but some complaints still exist.
➢ Most people have not used waste-separation App before, and they are most interested in its effectiveness in helping to separate waste correctly.
➢ Most pupils, junior and senior high school students are not allowed to use mobile phones in school.
➢ Reward: Most people agree that reward system can contribute to the promotion of waste separation. Pupils, junior and senior high school students prefer group rewards, but university students and staff in the schools prefer individual rewards.
