Timeline: 5 weeks (Nov - Dec 2021)

UX/UI Design

2 BILLION TREES

2 Billion Trees is a mobile app that motivates individual donors to improve environmental awareness and make personal contributions continuously through gamification.

Introduction

2 Billion Trees is a mobile app that motivates individual donors to improve environmental awareness and make personal contributions continuously through gamification. It's a map with many burned forest areas waiting to be regenerated and protected by you. Your tree planting on this app provides 2 Billion Trees with your behaviour and financial supports, and users can even build their personalized forest.

2 Billion Trees is designed to remind users’ of concerns about the environment after the 2019 bushfire and improve their intention to donate and build their forest.

Problem Statement

People who care about the environment tend to do one-time donations due to the lack of motivation to contribute continuously and email subscription action exerts little impact on users’ mindsets.

In this case, WWF cannot obtain more long-term donations and the advocacy work fails at improving environmental awareness and encouraging sharing behaviours.

People who care about the environment tend to do one-time donations due to the lack of motivation to contribute continuously and email subscription action exerts little impact on users’ mindsets.

In this case, WWF cannot obtain more long-term donations and the advocacy work fails at improving environmental awareness and encouraging sharing behaviours.

Why 2 Billion Trees

2 Billion Trees provide a fun and engaging experience. Using games to stimulate users' voluntary initiative is more in line with the theme of charity.

The developed concept's flexibility allows it to be adjusted and applied to other environmental charity projects.

2 Billion Trees provide a fun and engaging experience. Using games to stimulate users' voluntary initiative is more in line with the theme of charity.

The developed concept's flexibility allows it to be adjusted and applied to other environmental charity projects.

2 Billion Trees provide a fun and engaging experience. Using games to stimulate users' voluntary initiative is more in line with the theme of charity.

The developed concept's flexibility allows it to be adjusted and applied to other environmental charity projects.

01 Understanding

We conducted background research to understand the goal and service scope of selected program (2 Billion Trees). Then, we deep dived into researches regarding challenges environmental charities face and donors’ mindsets.

Background - WWF

Goal

2 Billion Trees program is held by WWF (World Wide Fund for Natural) Regenerate Australia to defend against the loss of biodiversity after the bushfire in 2019. They aim to save and grow 2 billion trees in Australia by 2030 (including 780 million existing trees and 1.56 new trees) (WWF Regenerate Australia, n.d.). Innovative technologies, like drone seedling, are introduced to boost the reconstruction efficiency. In this case, they collaborate with organizations, businesses, and the government. However, this dream plan will not be completed without the general public’s help.

Goal

Target Audience

Every person who is willing to engage in charitable and social activities in Australia.

Target Audience

Every person who is willing to engage in charitable and social activities in Australia.

Scope

By informing the registered users, Regenerate Australia can expand their influence.

A donation channel is available on their official website.

Users can donate any amount of money, and the usage will be presented in the annual report.

A donation channel is available on their official website.

Users can donate any amount of money, and the usage will be presented in the annual report.

A donation channel is available on their official website.

Users can donate any amount of money, and the usage will be presented in the annual report.

Scholary Research

Donors’ Behaviour

Individuals tend to donate to only one organization. (AEGN, 2020)

Individuals tend to donate to organizations in other fields instead of the environment. (AEGN, 2020)

Wealthy donors are more likely to support environmental charity. (AEGN, 2020)

Religion and belief play an important role in donations (Muhammad at al., 2015).

Collectivist culture and individualistic culture influence people's donation intentions (Nan et al., 2015).

People with low social status are more concerned about donations whose results are beneficial to themselves and others immediately in the future, and people with high social status are more concerned about donations whose results are more beneficial to them now and in the future (Nan et al., 2015).

Individuals tend to donate to only one organization. (AEGN, 2020)

Individuals tend to donate to organizations in other fields instead of the environment. (AEGN, 2020)

Wealthy donors are more likely to support environmental charity. (AEGN, 2020)

Religion and belief play an important role in donations (Muhammad at al., 2015).

Collectivist culture and individualistic culture influence people's donation intentions (Nan et al., 2015).

Industry Insight

Donations from individuals are the main sources of environmental charity.(AEGN, 2020)

Large charities with marketing strategies are more likely to utilize individual donations effectively. (AEGN, 2020)

Compared with the customer-centric business model, the organization-centric business model hinders the development of the organization (Andreasen and Kotler, 2008).

Fierce competition and lack of credibility pose a threat to the development of the organization (Muhammad at al., 2015).

Donations from individuals are the main sources of environmental charity.(AEGN, 2020)

Large charities with marketing strategies are more likely to utilize individual donations effectively. (AEGN, 2020)

Compared with the customer-centric business model, the organization-centric business model hinders the development of the organization (Andreasen and Kotler, 2008).

Fierce competition and lack of credibility pose a threat to the development of the organization (Muhammad at al., 2015).

Primary Research

Interviews ( 5 Stories )

Objective: Figure out how non-profit organization strategies impact users’ donation behaviours.

Interviews ( 5 Stories )

Objective: Figure out how non-profit organization strategies impact users’ donation behaviours.

Key Questions:

Could you describe the most impressive voluntary activity you’ve experienced in your life?

What do you think about One-time Donation and Continuously Donation (For example: once per month)?

If let you join a voluntary activity, which category you would choose? Why?

Where do you usually obtain the information of voluntary activities?

Key Questions:

Could you describe the most impressive voluntary activity you’ve experienced in your life?

What do you think about One-time Donation and Continuously Donation (For example: once per month)?

If let you join a voluntary activity, which category you would choose? Why?

Where do you usually obtain the information of voluntary activities?

Insights:

Few people donate on their own initiative.

They pay little attention to environmental donations cause they can’t get relative information.

They pay attention to people in need in their community

The influence scope will impact their participant

Prefer one-time to save the cost

They want to know people who share the same value through voluntary activities

Insights:

Few people donate on their own initiative.

They pay little attention to environmental donations cause they can’t get relative information.

They pay attention to people in need in their community

The influence scope will impact their participant

Prefer one-time to save the cost

They want to know people who share the same value through voluntary activities

Research Data Analysis

We used Affinity Diagram to analyse the secondary and primary data

Then we applied How Might We to expand the design opportunities

Group Insights: Intensions, Agent, Feedback

Design direction

We focused on

Donation Feedback 🎁

Because The 2 Billion Tress program held by WWF already has marketing strategies for improving users’ donation intention and providing instant feedback to donors at their website. However, they don’t have a customer-centric marketing strategies for encouraging donors to keep long-term donations.

Target Audience

Age: 18-40

Who has average income and are willing to contribute their efforts to environmental charity

“I understand the environmental issues need individuals’ effort, while it cannot be addressed overnight. Continuously donation would cost a lot.” Male, 26

Problem Statement

People who care about the environment tend to do one-time donations due to the lack of motivation to contribute continuously and email subscription action exerts little impact on users’ mindsets.

In this case, WWF cannot obtain more long-term donations and the advocacy work fails at improving environmental awareness and encouraging sharing behaviours.

People who care about the environment tend to do one-time donations due to the lack of motivation to contribute continuously and email subscription action exerts little impact on users’ mindsets.

In this case, WWF cannot obtain more long-term donations and the advocacy work fails at improving environmental awareness and encouraging sharing behaviours.

Expected Outcome

We want to encourage users to keep long-term donation behaviour by showing their donation giving back benefits to themselves at instant and future and improve their awareness of environmental problems.

Mindset

After the interview, we noticed that when donation decisions are mainly driven by 2 types of mindsets.

Mindset

After the interview, we noticed that when donation decisions are mainly driven by 2 types of mindsets.

Prudent Mind

Acting with or showing care and thought for the future.

Prudent Mind

Acting with or showing care and thought for the future.

Trust
Consequentialism
Egoism

Emotional Mind

Having feelings that are easily excited and openly displayed.

Emotional Mind

Having feelings that are easily excited and openly displayed.

Emotional Mind

Having feelings that are easily excited and openly displayed.

Sympathy
Conformity
Instant gratification

Competitor Analysis

Before diving into further analysis, we analyse the feedback system of several competitors regarding two dimensions, namely impact time and degree.

Trillion Tree Campaign

Trillion Tree aiming at providing an ease-for-use platform to connect individual donors with worldwide tree-planting organizations and reduce deforestation caused by man-made CO2 emissions.

Orangutan

Their tree planting program provides a donation platform aimed to help forest regeneration and expand orangutan habitat areas.

02 Ideate

Defined Solution

We intend to create an interactive tree-planting community in which individual donors can increase environmental awareness, inspire each other and construct greener Australia continuously.

Crazy Eights

We have generated as many ideas as possible in a short period of time through Crazy Eights, focusing on the quantity ideas rather than the quality. After the exercise, we had many different ideas. In all of these, some are not working, some are repetitive, but in the end we all agree and choose to gamify the tree planting process.

User Journey Map

The Prudent

The Emotional

Information Architecture

Initial State: Information architecture is developed based on the features: planting system, achievement system, leaderboard, and update.

03 Prototype

04 Test

User Test Goal

🎯

To know if this app is easy and fun to use

To know the most frustrated part users experienced

To know if this app motivate users to donate to our project

Follow-up Interview

🎙 What’s the most impressive/frustrated part?

🎙 Will you keep playing/recommend your friends? Why?️

🎙️ What’s your visual expectation for the final product?

🎙️ Do you have any other suggestions?

Insights

Sense of Participants

Disconnect with Reality

Users fail to identify if the planting and watering actions are real or just in the game
Users did not understand the background story and how to position themselves in this campaign
Users don't have the sense of participating in current affairs and communities
Users want to see the activity update without effort

Lack of Motivation

Users don’t have the sense of achievement

Intensify the Certificate part

They may only use it once and would not to open this app everyday

Lack motivation of watering and sharing
Users don’t want to share at the first time they use this app.

Users don’t have the sense of achievement

Intensify the Certificate part

They may only use it once and would not to open this app everyday

Lack motivation of watering and sharing
Users don’t want to share at the first time they use this app.

Inefficient Communication

Users feel frastrated to understand the share feature regarding where to access and what would be shared
Users always misunderstand the meaning of colours
Heavy text and lack of images
Users fail to recognize if the map is personal map or all users’ map
Users confused about why personal progress and settings are on the same page
The progress bar is hard to understand

Iterate

Based on the feedback, we brainstorming 3 game modes to increase the retention rate

1

Live Streaming

Borrowing idea from short-video apps. Continuously update of users’ actions will stimulate users to take part in.

2

Dialogue

Borrowing idea from RPG games. Use non-player characters' talking to increase engagement.

3

Storybook

Borrowing idea from mobile MOBA games. Use heros’ stories as the reward for meeting certain conditions.

We combine all of them and generate a new game.

All players’ actions will be displayed here to tell them that “You are not alone! “

Combine with the parks' sightseeing spots, when players meet certain conditions, the spot would be unlocked and the mascot will tell the spot's story.

Each area will have one unique mascot to give instructions, talk with and encourage players.

Updated-Information Architecture

Information Architecture

05 Deliver

Design System

Primary Colors

Our colour systems were developed based on the WWF colour system. Consistent with the WWF brand and logo, we choose black and white as our primary colours, and to fit with our design concept, we also select a primarily green colour.

Gray-10

#000000

Gray-1

#FFFFFF

Green-6

#74C050