Catfish public

In the course Design Studio Sustainability, my fellow student Henrik and I collaborated on a project with the research project Catfish. The goal of the course was to find our own clients to design for. Our project aimed to enhance the existing interface of Catfish, with the objective of streamlining the research project's operations and engaging the general public.

Client

Catfish

Year

2023

Keywords

Co-design

graphic Design

Children teeth care

Background

The Catfish project was initiated in 2019 with the aim of utilizing advanced technologies such as AI and drone technology to create an innovative method for water monitoring. The project compiles real-time data from water bodies to assist authorities in achieving environmental standards in Sweden and raising public awareness.Traditionally, water quality has been measured through manual sampling and laboratory analysis, which is time-consuming and costly. Catfish has developed a drone to address these challenges by collecting real-time data, providing a more detailed and rapid overview of water quality in the Nissan river. To make the data more comprehensible for the general public and enhance knowledge about water quality, the Catfish interface needs

The challenge

Enhance the current Catfish interface to convey data in a clear manner and explain concepts and parameters that may be unclear to the general public. By providing explanations and visualizations regarding the levels of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and other chemical substances in the water, the project can increase public awareness of water pollution and contribute to a better understanding of water quality.

view result directly

The process

Demarcations

Since the project is being carried out within the framework of a course, the design team has chosen to focus on important aspects such as social sustainability and ecological sustainability to expand on the current interface and engage the public. Therefore, the group has chosen to prioritize values and how they can be clarified, which is why we have not developed the administrative functions present in the existing interface. Based on Catfish's preference, the artifact was limited to a mobile application, due to its portable nature.Due to the lack of permanent employees on the project, coordination and knowledge have been divided within the project. This has resulted in a greater challenge in identifying areas of improvement within the interface. The group selected individuals within the project who had some connection to the interface, which limited the group's ability to gain a holistic perspective on the interface from the entire project.

Planning

The design team had a meeting with the client to clarify the project and create a preliminary work plan. To manage the design process in an agile manner, they used Trello's planning tools. By having a schedule and estimating the time required for each activity, the team could streamline their work within the project's constraints. The design team used Miro, a digital whiteboard platform, to organize and visualize materials discussed and generated during the process.

Research

The design team conducted research to gain a deeper understanding of the problem area, focusing on values such as Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Dissolved Oxygen, TOC, Temperature, pH, Alkanite, Turbidity, and Oil in water. They analyzed the existing interface to understand the project's work processes and the organization's functioning. They also examined the current methods of measuring water quality through various websites provided by Halmstad Municipality. Additionally, they read relevant articles on social and ecological sustainability, speculative design, civic engagement, and eco-feedback as part of the course requirements.

Expert Evaluation

Since there was an existing interface for CatFish, the team chose to conduct an expert evaluation using Nielsen Norman Group's 10 Heuristics. The entire group performed the evaluation using all ten heuristics, and the results were compiled into an average score for each heuristic. The evaluation provided the group with an overview of how the existing interface functions, identifying several areas for improvement. The information provided was unclear, the information structure did not convey what represents what, and the interface does not follow a logical structure across common functions.

Survey

The design team conducted a survey to explore the public's attitudes and awareness regarding the Nissan river and water quality. Before the survey was distributed, pilot studies were conducted to identify areas for improvement and clarify any necessary adjustments. Despite a relatively low response rate, the design team was able to identify common and important insights:

1
The public perceives Nissan as dirty.
2
The majority would not report if they witnessed pollution.
3
The majority does not understand the significance of the measured values for water quality.
4
The public would like to know more about these values and their impact.

Interviews

Interviews were conducted with four individuals within the organization to investigate challenges with the existing interface. Again, pilot interviews were conducted to minimize dropouts and clarify the questions. Some questions were reformulated due to incorrect interpretations, while others were added to ensure a broader coverage. The results showed that the level of knowledge about the different values varied within the organization, indicating the need for improved communication and education. This variation needs to be considered in the development of the interface to ensure usability and understanding for all users.

The concept

Based on the insights gained during the research phase, the design team developed a concept aimed at educating both CatFish employees and the general public about the meaning of the values measured by the drone. The concept involved evolving the existing interface into a mobile application. This choice was made to make the interface more portable when CatFish is using the drone in the field. Additionally, a mobile application makes the solution more accessible to the public compared to a website. The goal of the concept is to educate, streamline CatFish's work processes, and provide a way for the general public to engage with the solution.

Sketches and wireframes

To specify the group's vision, sketches and wireframes were used to visualize the ideas for an application. The sketches were based on collected data and utilized existing mobile interfaces as a reference. The purpose was to create a prototype that balances user-friendliness with the challenges identified during the research phase.Following the sketches, the design team proceeded to create wireframes to explore the structure of the artifact. Features were prioritized based on the collected data in order to develop a user-friendly interface.

Sitemap

Based on the data collection and the users' needs, goals and frustrations, a sitemap was created that visualizes the concept's functions in a clear way.

First protoypes

An evaluation of a water quality application in the Nissan river was conducted using usability testing. Test participants were given specific tasks to evaluate the map functionality, values, and reporting process. The results showed that there was too much information on the home screen, the map was too large and provided insufficient feedback, the colors for temperature and pH value were unclear, the reporting button needed clarification, and there was a need for a reference point for normal values. The feedback from the evaluation lead us to the final prototype.

Evaluation

1
There was too much information on the home screen
2
The map was too large and provided insufficient feedback
3
The colors for temperature and pH value were unclear
4
The reporting button needed clarification
5
There was a need for a reference point for normal values

The result

The design team has introduced a water monitoring application aimed at providing information on the condition of the water in the Nissan river to both the Catfish team and the general public. By developing and implementing this water monitoring application, the design team can promote improved water management and increase awareness of the health status of the Nissan river among both Catfish and the public.

The prototype is based on Catfish's current web interface, which has been converted and adapted for mobile devices. The main focus of the prototype lies in the functions of pollution reporting and the significance of water values. The primary emphasis has been on social and ecological sustainability. By providing the public with an opportunity to engage, the project works towards social sustainability while supporting efforts to improve ecological sustainability.

The artifact consists of three central functions: Map, Values and report.

Map

The map displayed on the homepage aims to show users the location of the drone but also allows them to check water values at specific locations. This is beneficial for users who, for example, are planning to fish or swim in the Nissan river.

Values

To enhance understanding of the water values, the application provides clear definitions and examples. This solution makes the values more comprehensible and their function clearer to the users. To further increase awareness, clear illustrations are displayed at the bottom of the screen. When the values are good, a picture of a healthy aquatic life is shown, but when the values are less favorable, a more threatening picture is displayed. In the case of extremely endangered values, we used speculative design to visualize how Nissan's water life could look in the future if the values persist.

Report

The application also includes a feature that allows the general public to report pollution, aiming to engage them more in the health of the Nissan river and promote a better relationship between the public and the authorities. The reporting process is designed to be simple and convenient, encouraging the public to actually report. This enables the public to feel more involved in improving the condition of the Nissan river.

Value of the concept

To meet the requirements of the course, the concept encompasses both social and ecological sustainability. As the application is open to the general public and can be used for engagement and change, it creates a community that is linked to social sustainability.This artifact provides several values to both individuals and the Catfish organization.

Values for the Catfish

- Clearer information structure
- Understanding of the values and their consequences
- Ability to share data with the public
- More portable interface
- Foundation for further development of administrative functions

Values for the public

- A way to engage
- A way to contribute
- Better understanding of the Nissan river and water quality
- Faster information

Further development

First and foremost, the prototype needs to be completed to be fully interactive. In close contact with Catfish, there was also a desire for a page for the organization to control the drone. Due to time constraints in meeting the requirements, the current prototype does not include this feature, but it provides a strong foundation for implementing an admin page for Catfish with additional functionalities.

Feedback

Albert and Henrik did an excellent job with CatFish, where they created a concept app to inform the public about the data collected by the research drone and its significance for the aquatic environment.The app presented the information in an easily accessible and clear manner, demonstrating the meaning of the data and allowing for easy interaction. The prototype provided the CatFish project with a proposed interface and a graphical profile that we can further develop for our media and future applications. Albert and Henrik demonstrated structure, commitment, and flexibility throughout the project, as they had to modify the app plan due to the course objectives. Nonetheless, they made their maximum effort to ensure that CatFish would derive maximum value from what they created, offering possibilities and ideas for our future direction. Albert and Henrik had the ability to generate new insights into our project's needs and also highlighted deficiencies in our current system. I am very pleased with what Albert and Henrik have created, as well as the work they have put into it, and I look forward to continuing to develop their concept, which will contribute to the advancement of the CatFish research project.

Sam

Project Manager for the CatFish research project

Lessons learned

New design methods and tools

Within the project, the design team tested many new design methods, including daily scrum and co-design. These methods facilitated the work towards the final product. I also got to try and learn new programs like ClickUp and Balsamic during the design process.

Value of research and analysis

An important lesson was the importance of doing a rich research and analysis before starting the sketching phase. By basing design choices on rich research, the design team could avoid including their own ideas that were not data-driven.

Responsibility

I took responsibility for the role as visual designer and contributed to creating clear instructions to streamline the design process. The use of tools like Balsamiq and Figma facilitated prototype creation and saved time.

Albert tholin