Helping commuters build lasting sustainable travel habits
This conceptual project was completed as part of the Google User Experience Design Certificate, centered on designing an app for social good.
Overview
Many commuters want to reduce their environmental footprint but struggle to understand whether their everyday choices truly matter. Offering clear feedback and meaningful rewards encourages users to adopt greener habits and recognize the real impact of their actions.
Problem
Users struggle to maintain sustainable habits because they’re unsure whether their actions make a real difference. When feedback is unclear or missing, even motivated individuals revert to familiar routines, leading to inconsistent engagement with eco-friendly behaviors.
Process
User Research
To understand which social issues people care about most, seven qualitative interviews were conducted. The research focused on what participants felt motivated to improve in their lives and communities, along with the obstacles that made taking action difficult.
Research Goals:
• Identify the social and personal issues participants feel most motivated to address.
• Explore the motivations and barriers behind acting on values-driven goals.
• Understand how people attempt to maintain habits connected to causes they care about.
Research Findings
Environmental concern emerged as a recurring priority across interviews. Participants wanted their daily choices to reflect their values but were often unsure whether their efforts made a meaningful impact, leading many to rely on familiar routines instead.
Insight:
When people can’t see the results of their actions, it becomes difficult to stay committed to environmentally minded choices.
“I want to do the right thing, but I’m not always sure what that looks like day-to-day.”
“When life gets busy, I end up doing whatever’s easiest.”
“There are so many ways to ‘make a difference’ that I don’t know where to start.”
Persona
Emily wants to act on her environmental values but often struggles to understand whether her daily choices make a difference. She juggles various responsibilities while balancing sustainable habits. When her impact isn’t clear, she tends to fall back on familiar routines.
Insight:
Emily represents an eco-conscious user whose behavior depends on feedback. Without evidence of impact, even motivated users are likely to revert to habit rather than intention.
Problem and How Might We Statements
Many users want to act sustainably but struggle to understand the impact of their daily choices. When the results aren’t clear, even motivated individuals tend to fall back on familiar routines instead of maintaining eco-friendly habits.
Competitor Analysis
A review of Ciclogreen, Miles, and Pave Commute revealed how tracking visibility, rewards, and habit feedback influence engagement with sustainable commuting. These factors shape how confidently users make eco-friendly choices and maintain long-term habits.
Insight:
Many competing platforms offer partial tracking or reward cues, but few make the eco-impact of user actions clear or consistent enough to motivate ongoing behavior.
Sketching
Early sketches explored how feedback, habit cues, and rewards could be integrated into trip planning and tracking screens without overwhelming users. This process helped identify where visible, actionable feedback would best support sustainable commuting.
Prototype
User Flows
User flows mapped decision points where uncertainty about impact could either break engagement or reinforce habits. This clarified where feedback, reminders, and rewards were most critical, guiding the placement of cues within daily routines.
Wireframes
The interactive prototype brought these concepts to life through layout, copy, and interactions. Feedback, habit cues, and rewards were designed for quick scanning, providing clear reinforcement of eco-friendly behaviors.
Test
User Testing
Six moderated sessions evaluated how users interacted with the prototype and completed key tasks. The study aimed to identify which elements supported engagement, caused confusion, and influenced participants’ understanding of their progress.
Test Findings
Patterns in participant behavior revealed moments where confidence and engagement were either strengthened or undermined, highlighting opportunities to clarify progress and better support sustainable actions.
Design Improvements
Insights from usability testing guided several targeted refinements, improving how the platform aligns with user needs while strengthening its capacity to effectively support sustainable commuting behaviors.
Progress Tracking
A clear progress indicator shows how close users are to earning rewards, reinforcing motivation.
Simplified Access
Streamlined access to both reward locations and directions makes redeeming rewards easier.
Enhanced Context
A redesigned dashboard clarifies the StrideScore, helping users quickly understand their eco-impact.
Solution
Integrate Sustainable Travel
Flexible Routes: Travel anywhere with eco-friendly choices that reduce your carbon footprint without limiting flexibility.
Smart Comparisons: Compare routes by time, CO₂ savings, rewards, and impact to balance speed and sustainability.
Instant Feedback: See emissions saved and rewards earned on the go to stay motivated and build lasting green habits.
Tailored Rewards: Find prizes that match your lifestyle with smart filters or browse featured offers for extra savings.
Store Pages: Explore eco-conscious brands with exclusive deals, key details, and built-in directions for quick access.
Smart Management: Save, track, and redeem rewards effortlessly, so sustainable choices always pay off.
See Environmental Impact
StrideScore: A single score reflects overall progress, with insights to help improve your sustainability efforts.
Progress Snapshots: Get real-time updates on your eco-friendly goals in an easy-to-read format.
Green Insights: View long-term trends in your travel habits to see the true impact of your sustainable choices.
Product
Welcome to GreenStride
Sign up or log in with your preferred method to begin earning rewards for sustainable choices.
Sign Up
Create your account in a few taps with a quick sign-up process to get started.
Onboarding
Home and Notifications
Trips
Travel freely and track your journeys, earning rewards for every sustainable choice you make.
Destinations
Directions
Choose the greenest route, get real-time updates, and track your progress to reach your destination sustainably.
Trip Summaries
Redeem Rewards
Use points to unlock rewards and activate them anytime to enjoy benefits in-store.
Profile
View and update your details, track progress, and manage goals to stay on track with your eco-friendly journey.
Impact
Track your environmental impact, monitor progress, and stay motivated with real-time insights into your sustainable choices.