PLASTIC
PARE DOWN
Moving beyond the myth of recycling
Project brief:
This project explores consumer attitudes toward refillable products and proposes a sustainable, cost-efficient home delivery and collection service design for everyday use products to reduce single-use plastic waste in the UK.
My role:
UX Researcher
Duration:
3 months
Location:
London
Team:
Gemma Hall
Mayank Agarwal
Madhuri Soni
Feiming Liu
Background:
For decades, the plastic industry has promoted the misconception that plastics are recyclable. In reality, most plastics are not, and no amount of investment in recycling programs or so-called “advanced recycling” technologies will change that (Blair, 2024).
Given the current economic climate, adopting an eco-friendly lifestyle, such as purchasing products without plastic packaging, can be costly and inconvenient. This project explores how we might encourage sustainable lifestyle changes that reduce ecological footprints while considering the challenges posed by the rising cost of living.
Primary User:
Methodology
20-45 year olds UK residents
Literature Review
State of the Art
Survey
Interviews
Auto-Ethnography
PROCESS
Understanding the big picture
A literature review was conducted to assess the validity of the problem and gain a deeper understanding of plastic waste management. The research focused on the following key questions:
- Does the problem truly exist?
- What happens to plastic waste if it is not recycled?
- Why is plastic waste not being recycled?
- Where does the problem truly lie?
- How is plastic waste currently being managed?
- What are the possible solutions to plastic waste management?
Key Insights
- We need to move away from Linear economy to a Circular Economy.
- Focus on reducing the production of plastic over recycling or reusing it.
- People have become more conscious about sustainability and their carbon footprint over the last two decades
- Alternate packaging to plastic is more expensive and less durable.
- Policies can bring behavioral shift in consumers.
- Refilling is a good alternative to any disposable packaging.
Focus
A refillable solution!
Exploring the nuances
A literature review was conducted to assess the validity of the problem and gain a deeper understanding of plastic waste management. The research focused on the following key questions:
SURVEY
I designed and distributed a survey to primarily determine the quantitative aspects of the refillables landscape in the UK. It also gave us an understanding certain ‘whys’ of the landscape, which we further delved into through interviews.
The survey gave us an insight into questions like- How many people refill? How many people are aware of the refilling options available in the market? Why do they refill? Why do they not refill? What problems do they face? We received over 56 responses.
INTERVIEWS
To increase the research efficacy, interviews were conducted with the following category of people:
1. People who refill :
To understand different ways of refilling infrastructures in place and what kind of problems do they face during the process.
2. People who don’t refill :
To understand the whys and to ask what can be a motivating factor to get them started
3. Eco-business (refill-oriented) owners or management
To understand user behaviors, pain points, and buying habits along with pricing and business model validation.
AUTO-ETHNOGRAPHY
To cultivate more nuanced insights, a member of the research team who had never explored the concept of refilling, completed a three-week diary study, choosing to shop at refillable options stores in their local area of North
London, UK.
Throughout the process of completing the study, the researcher made
observations and recorded the insights into a weekly diary study, detailing personal views,
frustrations, and weekly spend. This strategy proved to be a complementary method for
also generating insights from an ethnographic approach
What did we find?
PROPOSED SOLUTION
Key Features
Brand
Partnerships
In-store Refilling
Stations
Custom
Quantities
Doorstep
Convenience
Supermarket
Partnerships
Bottle-Return
Incentives
Aesthetic
Appeal
Sense of
achievement
STAKEHOLDER MAP
BUSINESS MODEL CANVAS
USER PERSONA
User: Emily Green
Age: 32
Occupation: Marketing Manager
Location: London
Background:
Emily is a busy professional who values convenience and sustainability. She is environmentally conscious and tries to minimize her ecological footprint in her daily life. Emily enjoys exploring new products and brands that align with her values of sustainability and quality. As a marketing manager, she has a busy schedule and often works long hours, leaving her with limited time for errands and household chores.
Goals:
Convenience: Emily is looking for convenient solutions that fit into her busy lifestyle, saving her time and effort.
Variety and quality: Emily likes testing various products for cleaning, but she’s picky about what she puts on her body. She values high quality and sustainability in her personal care items like shampoo, conditioner, and body wash
Cost efficient: Emily is looking for a pocket friendly refilling service.
Challenges:
Limited time: Emily’s busy schedule leaves her with little time for errands, including shopping for household essentials.
Sustainable options: Emily finds it challenging to find sustainable alternatives to everyday products, especially with her limited time for research and shopping.
Balancing cost and quality: While Emily values sustainability, she also considers the cost of products and seeks options that offer good value for money without compromising on quality.
USER JOURNEY MAP
PROTOTYPING
EVALUATION PLAN
- Pilot Testing
Pilot testing will be conducted with a group of real customers (refillers and non-refillers) to monitor their interactions and overall experience. Participants chosen for this trial will engage with the service model from beginning to end. For more immersive observations, the participants will be requested to log short diary studies for ethnographic purposes. Any operational challenges or logistical issues that arise during this phase of testing will be recorded to further improve design and functionality.
- Usability Testing
To ensure the prototyped service meets user expectations, usability testing will be conducted to complete observation studies on how users interact with the application’s interface; this will provide analysis on task completion efficiency and design. Feedback on navigation, layout, and design will be gathered to pinpoint areas for improvement in usability and user interface design.
- Customer Feedback
Customer feedback will be gathered throughout the entire evaluation process, encompassing both the prototype testing and the service trials. To achieve this, a variety of collection methods will be utilised, including surveys, interviews, pre-pilot, and post-pilot interviews, and focus groups.
- Performance Metrics
Performance metrics will be utilised to measure the effectiveness of the prototype. Key metrics to consider include customer acquisition and retention rates, order accuracy and fulfilment rates, customer satisfaction ratings, and delivery and pick-up efficiency. Analysis of these metrics will aid in assessing the prototype’s performance and identifying areas for optimisation, thereby ensuring a successful launch.
- FUTURE PLAN
Performance metrics will be utilised to measure the effectiveness of the prototype. Key metrics to consider include customer acquisition and retention rates, order accuracy and fulfilment rates, customer satisfaction ratings, and delivery and pick-up efficiency. Analysis of these metrics will aid in assessing the prototype’s performance and identifying areas for optimisation, thereby ensuring a successful launch.