An educational, data-driven game experience designed to inform users on the environmental impact of what they choose to put on their plate.
PROBLEM SPACE —
How might we educate people on their carbon footprint?
A lot of our carbon emissions comes from our food consumption choices. However, there is a lot of data out there surrounding this issue for people to digest, which can discourage people from learning or making any changes.
SOLUTION —
Gamifying the Experience
The gamification of this experience engages users and allows them to digest complex data in a fun and intuitive way, giving them a non-intimidating space to learn more about their environmental habits.
Introducing
Carbon Food-Print
Users are introduced to the game and guided through rules, with the goal being keeping a low food-print score.
Build Each Course
Users are guided through 3 courses where they can leverage their food choices to build a meal, trying to keep their score under 10.
Receive a Score
At the end users are given the total amount of carbon emissions from their entire meal. They are then prompted to either try again or guided towards more resources.
Food Index
In the index, users can view each food item and read about its environmental impact.
Find More Resources
Users can read information about the effects of food on carbon emissions,
the scale we created for our game,
and more resources for reducing their
carbon footprint.
DESIGN PROCESS —
User Research
Through surveys, interviews, and further user research, we figured what the most common food items are that people eat on a daily basis that could be part of a larger meal. From there we created a library of food items that we could split into 3 courses.
Compiling Data
From there we needed to figure out a way to translate the carbon emissions from a specific food into a numerical value that would be easier to understand in a game format. We created a
"food-print scale", giving each food item a score from 0-10, from low to high carbon emissions.
Creating User Flow
My main job was to created the user experience of the game, working with UI designers to create the visual interaction elements. We needed to make sure the user stayed engaged and informed of their decisions throughout the game. We iterated several times, eliminating pain points and sources of confusion throughout the experience.
VISUAL GUIDELINES —
TAKEAWAYS —
Making Data Accessible
When trying to translate such complex information and confusing numbers into a learning experience, it was important to make sure our user experience was intuitive as possible. The design system needed to be strong enough to communicate this data while also being engaging. We found this balance through refining the user experience, constant communication amongst our team members, and iterating the user flows.