01 . Overview
Who is Okapi Reusable?
OKAPI Reusable is a startup making sustainable impact by partnering with cafes nationwide to provide reusable to-go cups. Our clients wanted to transform their cups from mere beverage vessels into storytellers of sustainable impact.
The goal of the project is to raise interest and engagement with customers so they will come back again and again to choose the sustainable option of borrowing.
How might we increase participation, engagement, and retention among cafe-goers in borrowing reusable cups through Okapi Reusable?
02. user research
Uncover engagement drivers through user research
Based on prior studies conducted by our client, the primary users of the program are routine-driven cafe-goers. This group is typically male, aged 30-60, comfortable with technology, and not necessarily motivated by sustainability.
5 Interviews
50 survey responses
We used the result to uncover what aspects of a reusable cup program are the most compelling and what additional features would increase participation and engagement.
72% of respondents were interested in seeing their own sustainable impact.
84% of respondents were not interested in social based features (e.g. leaderboard with friends).
70% of respondents shared some level of concerns with hygiene for reusable cups.
Convenience and costs were important to 60% of respondents not currently using Okapi Reusable.
03. Design Solution
Align on design direction with client feedback
We discussed the research findings with our clients, and instead of exploring engagement features to attract new users, we decided to focus solely on increasing engagement and retention among existing users.
Visualizing individual's sustainable impact
I want to display each user’s contribution to sustainable impact using metrics. Feeling a sense of impact will motivate users to keep contributing and help them see the value of their efforts in a tangible way.
Engaging with every borrowed cup
To make each borrowed cup a unique experience, our client wants to highlight the cafe where the cup was borrowed, and the artist behind the cup’s design. This allows users to connect with partner cafes and artists.
To address concerns about cup hygiene from our research, I added an additional page where each cafe can outline their sanitation standard.
Showing sustainable stories
Okapi Reusable already sends out monthly newsletter through email to highlight unique sustainable stories from the community. I want to make these stories also accessible from the mobile app, making them easy to browse when users wait in line. Seeing community successes can help users feel a sense of contribution.
Updating home dashboard
To seamlessly integrate the new features, I want to update the landing page of the app, ensuring users can easily discover and access each new feature.
04. Prototyping
We used friendly visuals to create a sense of motivation and encouragement, and color palette from Okapi Reusable's website to create a cohesive look and feel.
For usability testing, I conducted 3 tests (both remote and in-person) using high-fidelity prototype. Major feedbacks were related to the clarity of navigation and interactive elements.
Due to time constraint, we were unable to incorporate all feedback into our final design as seen below.
key areas for future iterations
Clearer sign of interact-able elements
Emphasize core functionality of borrowing cups
05. final design
Individual Sustainable Impact
A Cup's Story
Community Newsletters
06. reflection
We showcased the final prototype to our clients, who expressed excitement about the result and shared plans to build it in the future!
This was my first UX design project. From knowing next to nothing about research, design, and Figma, I'm glad I took a leap of faith and took the challenge. I learned a lot from my teammates and clients in the short timeframe, and gained more appreciation for all the thought processes involved in creating a product!
