What is CleanTrails?
Clean trails is an incentivized recycling app that crowd sources hikers and nature lovers to earn rewards by collecting and properly disposing of trash that is left behind on nature trails.
Client
Case Study
Sprint Duration
2 days (8 hours)
Scope
Designing a mobile app prototype to allow users to search for a trail, scan waste, and acquire points.
Team
Designer - Lawrence
Tools
Figma
The Problem
“Leave it as you found it” is a common saying and unfortunately, too often do we find trails littered with trash from our human footprint; whether it be by mistake or lack of care.
Additionally, there is a lack of understanding of what materials are recyclable and how to properly recycle.
Initial Thinking
I wanted to design an app that leverages the support of park visitors whom of which would help clean trash left behind. The app would pair with a recycling bin unit that is located at designated areas. With a connection between the app user and the bin, we can track who, what type, and how much waste is disposed of from the user. Every piece of trash will earn the user reward points.
My intentional design values consist of accessibility for handicap personnel to be involved by also including handicap accessible trail suggestions. I also wanted to make sure it was simple enough for less tech savvy users.
Lastly, since change begins with education.. there will be educational tips to allow users to learn about different material types, all things nature, and sustainability methods.
Project Goals
To design an app for users to help do their part in keeping trails clean.
To design an experience that incentivizes hikers which doubles as a positive health influence by getting them active.
To include an educational aspect to the app; expanding efforts to inform others on how to live sustainably.
Research
Similarly to how people use an app to capture photos of their receipts, with CleanTrails, users will have the ability to scan items that are automatically identified by material, size, and count. Once scanned, users can bring the collected trash to their designated bin for us to handle the rest.
Collecting the Trash
THE DESIGN
Trail Finder
Rewards
AI Scanner
Recycling Locations
Note: I hope to continue flushing this out further to include a more thorough showcase of how users would collect waste to exchange for points. Additionally, I will design the container hardware that will check collected waste with a variety of data points. Stay tuned as environmental sustainability solutions excite me!