OSMaaS
Overview
OSMaaS (Open and Self-Organizing Mechanisms for Sustainable Mobility as a Service) is a forward-thinking research collaboration with Halmstad University. Our mission was to chart new horizons for human mobility and transportation within a Scandinavian context, through creative design fiction. Our journey unfolded in Sharetopia, an imaginary world set in 2040.
Role: Team Lead
Duration: 4 Weeks
Team: 5 Members
Field: UX/UI & Design Fiction
Method: Agile & Double Diamond
The Sharetopia Vision:
Sharetopia, once devastated by environmental crises, has blossomed into a model of sustainability. Embracing a circular economy, it levies higher taxes on materials and reduces labor. Sharing services and subscriptions now dominate multiple industries.
Carbon Credits (CC):
At the core of Sharetopia's sustainable ecosystem are Carbon Credits (CC). These credits are earned by actions that reduce carbon emissions. Every Sharetopian has their CC balance, which fluctuates based on their choices. Taking public transport or carpooling costs CC, while eco-friendly choices like biking earn CC rewards. Even shopping requires CC.
Our Role:
Our mission was to design a digital CC management system tailored to Sharetopia's unique landscape. We focused on travel bookings, payments, and CC tracking, all while embracing the circular economy's principles.
Navigating the Future:
Our creative challenge was envisioning technology in 2040. Rather than guessing, we took a pragmatic approach. We conceptualized our CC system as if it operated on a contemporary smartphone, making it relatable for user testing with our target audience, ensuring real-world feedback guided our solution.
1. Discover: Understanding the Landscape
In the first phase of our agile design process, we embarked on a journey of discovery. This began with an extensive literature study, allowing us to explore various trends associated with future mobility. Key themes emerged, including car-sharing, electric vehicles, and autonomy. This research also delved into the workings of a circular economy, the contemporary applications of Carbon Credits (CC), and their societal implications. Complementing this research, we engaged in active communication with our client to gain a comprehensive understanding of their needs and objectives. This collaborative effort helped us identify distinct target audience segments. Recognizing the diverse landscape, we collaboratively decided to focus our efforts on a specific audience.
2. Define: Shaping the Problem Space
With a particular target audience in mind, we moved into the Define phase. Here, we conducted semi-structured interviews with our chosen audience, delving deep into their perspectives on climate, the future, Carbon Credits, the circular economy, and mobility-sharing services. These interviews generated rich insights and data. Following the interviews, we conducted a thematic analysis using a bottom-up approach. This allowed us to extract meaningful codes from the interview transcriptions, group them into related categories, and create clusters to synthesize common thoughts and reflections. With this data we could create a persona to represent our target users within different scenarios.
3. Develop: Ideating and Prototyping
In the Develop phase, our agile approach emphasized rapid ideation and prototyping. Using the insights from our research and the data from interviews, we transitioned to creating tangible solutions. We began with individual sketches, contributed by each team member. These sketches were then collectively reviewd and synthesized into a unified wireframe. Throughout this phase, our focus remained on key features identified as critical, including travel booking, payment processing, and balance tracking. Additionally, we prioritized enhancing user understanding of Carbon Credits and the circular economy, as these elements played a pivotal role in our concept. Leveraging Figma, we iteratively transformed wireframes into a more functional prototype.
4. Deliver: Testing and Implementing
In the Deliver phase, our agile methodology placed a strong emphasis on testing and implementing. We initiated the evaluation process with an initial heuristic evaluation, a rapid and efficient approach to identifying usability issues in the prototype. Drawing from Nielsen's 10 heuristics, this step yielded a comprehensive prototype suitable for user evaluations. Subsequently, we conducted two distinct user tests, each with a different focus. The first test centered on usability and the user experience, while the second prioritized users' comprehension of Carbon Credits usage. Both evaluations underwent two iterations, with the prototype being updated iteratively. Prior to each evaluation, pilot tests were carried out, and post-evaluation, we iterated the prototype. Each test involved six participants from our target audience.
5. Test and Iterate: Continuous Refinement
Within our design procewss, the testing and iteration process was ongoing. Feedback from user tests was consistently integrated into the design, leading to continuous refinement of our solution. Our final deliverable was a mobile app designed to handle transportation bookings, payments, and product deliveries. Throughout the app, we employed visualizations to convey the functionality and purpose of the currency, ensuring user education and facilitating their transition. Notably, these visualizations gradually reduced as users became more proficient with the system, aligning with our agile principles of adaptability and continuous improvement. This agile design process allowed us to respond dynamically to user feedback, resulting in a user-centric and effective solution.
Insights
As the team lead in this project, I gained valuable insights into leadership and teamwork. One of the key lessons I learned was the importance of effective communication. Clear and honest communication within the team is essential for addressing issues and ensuring everyone is on the same page.
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Handling conflicts also became a significant part of my role. I discovered that resolving team conflicts requires a delicate balance of forgiveness and determination. It's crucial to address problems professionally and positively to maintain a healthy team dynamic.
Accountability was another vital aspect of leadership that I encountered. Holding team members responsible for their work is essential to keep the project on track and maintain team motivation. Addressing issues promptly and constructively helped ensure our project's success.
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Also, regular checks and interventions are important to maintain a positive team environment and address any issues that may appear but mainly to ensure everyone is up to date and on board with what we're doing. It's easy to miss something and it may be hard to show vulnerability and therefor it's important to handle it without accusing or putting blame on someone. There has to be a healthy work environment where you are allowed to be wrong, do mistakes or be distracted. That's only human.
In summary, my role as a team lead provided me with insights into effective communication, conflict resolution, accountability and the importance of continuous monitoring. These lessons have not only helped me grow as a leader but have also equipped me with valuable skills for future projects and leadership roles.
