A conservation awareness app to help save the endangered Orangutan
Role
Duration
Lead UX Designer
September - October, 2023
Project Overview
Forest Friend, an Orangutan Preservation & Education App, aims to address several critical issues related to orangutan conservation, and its importance lies in the preservation of these endangered primates and their habitats.
The Problem
There are several issues this application is trying to solve.
Habitat Destruction: Orangutans primarily inhabit the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra, which are under constant threat from deforestation, illegal logging, and palm oil plantations. The app can raise awareness about these threats and support initiatives to combat habitat destruction.
Illegal Wildlife Trade: Orangutans are often targeted for the illegal pet trade, and their young are frequently poached and sold as pets. The app can help educate users about the consequences of wildlife trafficking and report illegal activities.
Human-Orangutan Conflict: As their habitat shrinks, orangutans sometimes come into conflict with local communities, which can lead to harm to both humans and orangutans. The app can provide information on coexistence strategies and help mitigate such conflicts.
Conservation Funding: Funding is crucial for orangutan conservation efforts, including the establishment of protected areas, rehabilitation centers, and research projects. The app can facilitate donations and fundraising campaigns to support these initiatives.
Awareness and Education: Many people are unaware of the critical situation orangutans face. The app can serve as an educational tool, providing information about orangutans, their ecological importance, and the threats they face.
Research and Monitoring: The app can support research efforts by allowing users to report orangutan sightings, which can help conservationists track their populations and movements.
Advocacy and Policy Change: By mobilizing a community of users who are passionate about orangutan conservation, the app can be a platform for advocating for policy changes and stricter enforcement of laws protecting orangutans and their habitats.The importance of the Orangutan Preservation App lies in its potential to engage a global audience in the conservation of these critically endangered species. Orangutans are not only iconic creatures but also play a vital role in maintaining the health and biodiversity of their ecosystems. Protecting orangutans also involves safeguarding their habitats, which are crucial for mitigating climate change and ensuring the well-being of other species that share their environment. By addressing these issues, the app contributes to the broader goal of biodiversity conservation and sustainable environmental practices.
Habitat Destruction: Orangutans primarily inhabit the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra, which are under constant threat from deforestation, illegal logging, and palm oil plantations. The app can raise awareness about these threats and support initiatives to combat habitat destruction.
Illegal Wildlife Trade: Orangutans are often targeted for the illegal pet trade, and their young are frequently poached and sold as pets. The app can help educate users about the consequences of wildlife trafficking and report illegal activities.
Human-Orangutan Conflict: As their habitat shrinks, orangutans sometimes come into conflict with local communities, which can lead to harm to both humans and orangutans. The app can provide information on coexistence strategies and help mitigate such conflicts.
Conservation Funding: Funding is crucial for orangutan conservation efforts, including the establishment of protected areas, rehabilitation centers, and research projects. The app can facilitate donations and fundraising campaigns to support these initiatives.
Awareness and Education: Many people are unaware of the critical situation orangutans face. The app can serve as an educational tool, providing information about orangutans, their ecological importance, and the threats they face.
Research and Monitoring: The app can support research efforts by allowing users to report orangutan sightings, which can help conservationists track their populations and movements.
Advocacy and Policy Change: By mobilizing a community of users who are passionate about orangutan conservation, the app can be a platform for advocating for policy changes and stricter enforcement of laws protecting orangutans and their habitats.The importance of the Orangutan Preservation App lies in its potential to engage a global audience in the conservation of these critically endangered species. Orangutans are not only iconic creatures but also play a vital role in maintaining the health and biodiversity of their ecosystems. Protecting orangutans also involves safeguarding their habitats, which are crucial for mitigating climate change and ensuring the well-being of other species that share their environment. By addressing these issues, the app contributes to the broader goal of biodiversity conservation and sustainable environmental practices.
RESEARCH
Understanding the user
The user research conducted for the Forest Friend app encompassed interviews, surveys, and feedback collection from a diverse set of participants. This research aimed to understand user motivations, needs, preferences, and pain points related to orangutan conservation and the app's features.
In order to be more organized throughout the ressearch process, I created a detailed research plan which you may read below :
In order to be more organized throughout the ressearch process, I created a detailed research plan which you may read below :
Analyze Competitors
A major criteria for the research phase was to analyze all the competitors of the proposed application I wanted to build. Part of that was to see what kinds of websites and applications were already out there in regards to both nature conservation and, specifically, organgutan conservation. Through my research, I found many competitors but narrowed the list down to three main ones. My chart below analyzes them concisely and in doing so I attempted to show where there are gaps that I can fill with my own application.
EMPATHISE
User Interviews
I selected five individuals to interview for a usability study of my Forest Friend application. The indiviuals were selected based upon specific criteria: They had to be interested in animal conservation,
Affinity Map
Once the interviews and surveys were completed, I arranged all the information into appropriate categories and wrote everything onto sticky notes. The sticky notes were then further separated into the themes Iconography, Accessibility, Social Media, Search, Layout, and Customization.
Personas
User Flow
After defining who would be a potential user for the application, I created an Experience Map. This experience map follows the user experience of a potential user named Moira. She's a university student and wants to use the Surreal Space application for her art history project. This user is completing a project regarding the history of surrealism. After getting a recommendation from a friend, she downloads the app and navigates it in order to gain information about surrealism.
IDEATE
Paper Wireframes
After doing the Crazy Eights design exercise, I completed some screen designs on paper. The motive for this was to brainstorm and get initial thoughts down quickly before going to Figma for digital concepts.
Low Fidelity Wireframes
The following is an image, from the program Figma, of the final rendition of the inital low fidelity wireframes that I designed. They were somewhat based upon the paper wireframes but then I refined them further with the user interviews in mind.
PROTOTYPE
High Fidelity Wireframes
The following is an image, from the program Figma, of the high fidelity wireframes that I designed. I made several changes to the flow and the layouts of the screens.
Desktop Mockups
Designs Before and After Usability Studies
Prototype Link
Next Steps
