EWG Redesign.
Instead of creating an entire application from scratch, I decided to find a current application that Procter and Gamble could partner with to improve consumer knowledge about sustainability. This would allow for P&G to tap into EWG large following and marketplace, as well as help get correct information about their products to their consumers.
I completed this project during my Co-Op at Procter and Gamble in the summer of 2019 to help educate P&G consumers on being sustainable.
Timeline
4 weeks
The Problem
When people hear eco-friendly they assume that products will be less effective, more expensive, and more work.
The Solution
An application that will improve consumer knowledge, help make his or her choice easier, and show that everyone can be sustainable.
What is EWG?
Environmental Working Group wants to empower people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. EWG educates consumers to make safer and more informed choices about the products that they are buying and the companies they support. Their mobile application allows people to search for products and gain more insight into what they are using.
Currently, EWG interface is:
Visually outdated
Contains complex terminology
Distracting color scheme
My Process
Due to only having a short amount of time to complete this project, my research was very brief and straight to the point. I began researching why people aren’t being sustainable and discovered a list of key pain points. I then moved forward to looking at what current applications are out there and how they are improving sustainability.
Why aren’t people being sustainable?
"When people hear eco-friendly they assume products will be less effective, more expensive, and more work.”
Sarah Paiji Yoo (CEO and co-founder of Blueland)
5 Key Pain Points
Competitive Analysis
Before I began designing the new EWG interface, I wanted to gain insights from current sustainability apps, to understand what they are doing and how their application is working. When gathering information about these apps, I noticed that they are always telling people how to be sustainable instead of providing them with alternative solutions.
From the insights gathered during my research phase, I discovered three essential pain points that I wanted to improve for consumers, which are: enhancing consumer knowledge, making their choice easier, and showing that everyone can be sustainable.
Future Interface
Homepage
EWG current homepage is pictured on the left and the future interface is on the right. When redesigning this application, my primary goal was to make sure that the UI remained consistent with EWG’s current aesthetic. The future interface encompasses elements that visually pleasing and is more engaging for the users.
Product Page
Another core screen that I wanted to rebrand was their product page. Currently, their interface just gives me a score and a list of ingredients. This is where I discovered a huge opportunity for P&G to improve their consumer knowledge by directly showing them whether or not a product is natural or recyclable. In addition, I implemented a “Buy Now” button allowing costumers to buy products directly off the application.
Be More Sustainable.
With the new features in place, It will make it easier for users to be more sustainable.
Enhance Consumer Knowledge
To improve consumer knowledge, I implemented a feature on the product page that will allow users to quickly see a percentage value of how sustainable or recyclable a product is. I did not want to scrap EWG entire interface and features, therefore, I choose to keep the list of ingredients as well as the chart showing the allergy, cancer, and developmental concern.
Make Their Choice Easier
Most people struggle with the idea of being more sustainable because they do not know how to and think that it will be too expensive. However, with the new feature, users will be able to find a product closely related to their current products and be able to select a price range of what they are willing to spend.
Show That Everyone Can Be Sustainable
In today’s society, being sustainable can be a struggle for most people because they are unaware of how to do so. In addition, some products are only recyclable in certain areas. With the new feature that I implemented, people will now be able to enter their zip code on the product page to see if it is recyclable in their area.
Impact
Educating and making consumers choices easier when it comes to being more sustainable.