Sustainable Solutions For Austin’s Natural Preservation
ATXplore APP Design
Timeline
My Role
Responsibilities
Tools
Feb. 2024 - May 2024
Product Designer / Adv Design Thinking Studio (IBM) class project collaborated with another UX designer
User Research, Solution Ideating, Wireframing, Prototyping, User Testing
Figma, FigJam
Project Introduction
Over a semester-long course—Adv Design Thinking Studio (IBM), I led the product design on
ATXplore, a mobile solution aimed at preserving and celebrating Austin’s unique cultural heritage.
ATXplore integrates sustainable practices into the experiences of event-goers, allowing them to engage with Austin’s culture while supporting environmental stewardship.
Key Solution 1
Event-based Environmental Challenges
Users can join environmental challenges tailored to the events they attend, providing them the opportunity to contribute to sustainability while enjoying themselves at events.
Key Solution 2
AR Educational Experiences
With AR-integrated maps and quizzes, users can discover more about Austin’s landscape, gaining knowledge while exploring event venues.
Key Solution 3
Rewards Partnering with Local Businesses
We partner with local businesses to offer merchandise discounts and food vouchers. It not only encourage users’ sustainable actions, but also support local community for mutual benefit.
Research
By diving deep into Austin’s cultural and environmental landscape, we discovered that Austin's appeal lies in its outdoor activities, its natural beauty, and its festivals — like ACL, SXSW, and Formula 1 — are major events that draw locals and tourists alike.
With over a million attendees annually, these events significantly contribute to Austin’s economic, boost its cultural reputation, and attract tourism.
However, these large events and gatherings also bring substantial environmental impact to the city
We Identified The Opportunity
How can we leverage the significant impact of these major events and incentive people to engage in actions that would help preserve the natural landscape of Austin and increase their awareness?
User Research
We first outlined the persona of our target audience as:
Then, we conducted 14 intercept interviews in the park and 5 in-depth interviews, using the insights to create an Empathy Map.
Key Insights
In addition to the user personas we originally outlined, we also discovered...
🍔
Food is an unavoidable expense when attending events
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They are unaware of the environmental impacts of events
We Refined Our Challenges
How might we integrate sustainable practices into cultural events, fostering environmental engagement while enhancing event-goers' enjoyment?
Solution Ideation
Event Challenges
We translated our insights into actionable features:
AR Map Integration
Social Feature
Reward Mechanism
How would our users interact with the App?
Our Unique Solution
ATXplore
An APP that creates a space where event-goers enjoy contributing to sustainability without being disrupted their experience during festivals.
Main Feature 1
Event-based Environmental Challenges
Main Feature 2
AR Educational Experience
Main Feature 3
Rewards Partnering with Local Businesses
User’s Feedback
“The incentive for food will definitely motivate me to complete the challenges.”
“I think being able to see the impact is my favorite part of the challenges.”
“The opportunity to contribute to Austin’s environment while enjoying myself at the festival seems appealing to me. ”
Takeaways
Leveraging Existing Strengths for Impactful Design
I learned the importance of identifying and utilizing existing advantages—such as the significance of large festivals and local partnerships—as a foundation for crafting impactful and relevant design solutions.
Enhancing User Awareness Through Data Visualization
Presenting the impact as data helps users understand their contributions and the broader impact of their actions.