Competitive Carbon Tracking
Our planet is dying, but it’s not too late to save it. Throughout history the Earth’s climate has always fluctuated, however the extreme change in climate is directly correlated to human activity. Most people are either unaware, or misinformed and continue to live their lives, oblivious to the fact that their actions contribute to climate change. Those who are aware and take action to reduce their carbon footprint, are often left unrecognized for their efforts. The world is in a crisis, and we must take immediate action, but how?
What are we currently doing about it?
There have been numerous mobile apps and websites that have tried to combat the effects of climate change through the use of personal carbon tracking. However many of these ideas fail to keep the user engaged. For example, Oroeco is mobile application that provides the user the ability to keep track of their carbon emissions and even rewards them cash for completed goals. The app also allows you to compare your stats with friends, however the app fails to provide global competition. Having your statistics compared to the rest of the world gives the user incentive to compete and keep playing. The challenge to be the best is what makes the game fun; gives the app an opportunity to become a world wide phenomenon.
What is the government doing?
Since Donald Trump has been inaugurated into the office the effects of climate change has rapidly increased. Polar ice caps are melting and sea levels are rising at an alarming rate. Trump has limited restrictions on fracking, cut funding for clean energy sources like wind and solar, and also allowed coal to be a major source of energy. These policies are driving climate change and we must spread global awareness before it is too late. Now is the time to implement this technology to help reverse the effects of climate change.
How does the people of San Francisco feel? — User Interviewing
I walked through the city of San Francisco asking people one simple question, What does climate change mean to you? After about 11 interviews, I came to the final conclusion that most people fall into 1 of 3 categories.
The first category consists of people that are aware of the issue and actively make major changes to their lifestyle to help reduce their carbon footprint. People in this category might also actively spread awareness to help influence others to make similar changes to their lifestyles. Despite having to make major sacrifices to their lifestyles their efforts often go unappreciated and unrecognized.
The second category consists of people who are aware of climate change and the danger it imposes on our future, however they do not choose to take action. people in this category may feel like their efforts will not contribute to the reversal of climate change effects. Therefore sacrificing some daily rituals might even be out of the question. The decision to take action may also be influenced by the idea that the dangers of climate change will not affect the individual in their lifetime, therefore there’s no need for them to change their habits and lifestyles.
The third category consists of people who are either unaware or ignorant to the fact that climate change exists. This is not to say that people in this category do not care for the well being of the general public, rather they are extremely misinformed on the matter. People in this category are under the impression that climate change is made up hoax to scare the public. This is partly due to the fact that climate change is not directly affecting their daily lives and science has yet to give concrete evidence that climate change is taking its course and poses a danger to the human race.
We must find a way to get the public all on the same page when it comes to this issue before it is too late.
How can we come together for the greater good?
Let’s make it fun! Imagine an interactive game that efficiently tracks each individual’s carbon footprint and allows users to play and compete against others. Each user will be given a rank based on how low their carbon footprint is; the players with the highest rankings will receive rewards for their efforts. Players are also encouraged to complete weekly goals, like carpooling to work, or having a vegetarian meals. These achievable goals, rewards, and friendly competition will give enough incentive to keep the user playing.
How would it work? —Product Design
Collecting and storing this data would be a difficult task to say the least, however it still can be done. The user’s transportation data would be tracked with smart-phones. Smart-phones can assess the speed in which a person has travelled through the use of a specific API; therefore we can determine the form of transportation and distanced travelled. Those key components will determine the level of carbon emission the user is producing. Combining this information with the total distance travelled would give a rough estimate of your carbon footprint. Smart sensors also would fill in the rest by tracking electricity being used, water consumption, waste, etc
How Do Folks Use It? — User Journeys
As a user of the competitive carbon tracking will first be required to make a user profile. After the user profile is created the user can complete tasks, or goals to earn: points, badges, and rewards. The user can keep track of their stats and also look at other users to see where they rank. Users also have the option to customize their user profile. Each user will have their own unique profile with the all of the customization tools.
How would it look? — Wire framing a Solution
The platform will contain 3 main pages which include: user profile, User statistics, and an explore page. The user profile will contain weekly goals and objective that the user can complete. The stats page will allow the user to view their progress through the use of graphs and badges. Lastly the explore page would allow users to see other profiles ranks and stats.
Let’s make this a personal experience. Every user would be able to create their own customizable user profile. The goal is to make each profile unique and functional. We can achieve this by allowing users to customize their homepage (background color, music, photos, etc.), layout theme, and in addition be able to earn exclusive badges for completed tasks. The user profile would be able to track and store information based on user activity or interaction. By default the user’s account will be public, however they have the option to make it private as well.
The main reason why we want to make each user profile public, is to allow users to scout the competition. We want the user to be able to have full access to any other user’s stats and awards. This allows the user to see their world’s statistics, and allow the user to see where they rank on the global scale. The global stats will be displayed in the explore page, along with the users friends and followers statistics. The explore page will display each user’s: name, picture, rank, badges, and a graph of the individuals overall user activity.
The stats page allows the user to view their progress. This is mainly done through the use of graphs and charts. The user will be able track their activity and be given suggestions to help improve their stats. The main purpose of the stats page is to encourage users to keep playing by allowing the user to see their own unique individual progress.
What if we upscaled this idea?
This application may also be used at the corporate level. Companies could compete to reduce their carbon emissions, in order to receive a higher rank. The top rank companies would be given a formidable award, like a tax break. The application would encourage companies to reduce their carbon emissions and entertain new ideas or technology that could help reduce carbon emission.
Change the world, one user at a time
Competitive carbon tracking has the potential to become a world wide phenomenon. The use of competition helps the user stay engaged, while the goal to reduce carbon emission to save the planet, gives the user a greater sense of purpose. This game will not only help save our planet, but also unite the community by focussing on one common goal. It is our responsibility to change our habits to combat the effects of climate change and help save our planet. Let’s come together on this gaming platform and change the world together, one user at a time.
It is our responsibility to change our habits to combat the effects of climate change and help save our planet.
