PaperLab

💢 Problem

With tutors constantly printing our study material for their classes and design students printing out folio work, there is a clear environmental impact in relation to paper waste at Swinburne University. The amount of unnecessary paper that is being used on a daily basis makes it harder for the university to become more sustainable.

💡 Solution

Our team decided to tackle this issue by creating a platform called PaperLab that aims to spread awareness on paper waste and encourage students and staff to take initiative by contributing to paper reduction inititatives available on our website.

📋 Primary Research

Surveys

We created a survey using Google Forms and sent this to our classmates and several clubs at Swinburne. The survey had 20 questions that were divided into four categories: demographic, paper usage, internet usage and environmental awareness. The questions were mostly closed responses. 

When we analyzed the data, we discovered that:

• Students mainly used the internet on their phones for browsing the internet and entertainment purposes.
• Laptops were mainly used to do work-related activities.
• Majority of students found themselves using paper due to assignments, note-taking and folio work. 
• Many have suggested that donating books and reusing paper for different purposes is a good method to being sustainable. 

Interviews

In addition to surveys, we also conducted interviews with four individuals who were mainly students from Swinburne University. We asked each individual a set of ten questions in regards to their paper usage and tips on recycling paper. 

From the response we received, we understood that: 

• Majority of them had already started going digital by using their electronic devices to do note-taking and purchasing e-books. 
• They were supportive of the idea of universities going digital, but believed that it would be a hard transition for those who are undertaking a creative unit. 
• Having more paper recycling bins in populated areas on campus or donation systems could help Swinburne University become more sustainable.

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�🧾 Affinity Mapping

After collecting data from our interviews and surveys, we mapped out our findings through Miro and grouped them based off common themes.

Findings

To summarise the data that we gathered through user research methods we discovered that:

Demographic

• Majority of participants were students aged between 18 to 25 years old (82%) with the gender distribution being nearly equal.
• The four most popular fields of study were design, business, engiineering and arts.

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Paper Usage Behaviours

• Majority still relied on paper to print out homework, assignments, learning materials, forms and documentation.
• 50% of participants answered that they donate their textbooks.
• Participants usually recycle their unused papers or find different purposes for it

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Internet Usage Behaviours

• Majoirty of participants use the internet on a daily basis
• Two most used devices: mobile and laptops
• Main activies on the internet: study purposes, social media, entertainment and browsing information

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Environmental Consciousness

• 70% of participants are fully aware of the impacts that paper waste has on the ecosystem and put effort into separating their rubbish
• 60-70% have shown interest in buying recycled paper goods and would go digital

🔎 Competitive Analysis

To find out what designs were trending and ways to make information cohesive, we looked into other existing sustainability websites based in Australia. When looking at our competitors, we analyzed each website based on simplicity, readability, ease of use and content information.

👤 User Persona

Based on responses, I have created a persona that highlights the intended user's goals, frustrations and their views on sustainability.

📈 User Journey Map

📺 Storyboard

✏ Sketching

During this stage, we did 2 pages each individually and I was assigned the information and donation page. Down below are the sketches I did for the inital interation where I have noted down the types of user interactions.

Wireframing

These were the wireframes I initially designed for the information and donation page.

Initial Designs

This was the initial design of our finished product and we used Axure 9 to design our website.

📝 Re-design Wireframes

After revisiting this project, I decided to redesign the entire website, but I wanted to transfer everything to Figma to make it look more modernized and incorporate common design trends seen in current UI designs.