H2O Amigo Final Report

Frauline Agarin, Cynthia Chong, and Yuchen Guo HCI 594 - Capstone

Contents 1.0

Abstract ............................................................................................................................................ 2

2.0

Project Goals .................................................................................................................................... 2

3.0

Project Methods ............................................................................................................................... 4

4.0 Diversity Documentation ....................................................................................................................... 8 5.0 Project Results ........................................................................................................................................ 9 5.1 Competitive Analysis .......................................................................................................................... 9 5.2 User Interviews .................................................................................................................................. 9 5.3 Survey/Questionnaire ...................................................................................................................... 10 5.4 Personas and Scenarios .................................................................................................................... 11 5.5 Closed Card Sort ............................................................................................................................... 11 5.6 Low-fi Prototype ............................................................................................................................... 12 5.7 Treejack Test .................................................................................................................................... 12 5.8 Mid-fi Prototype and User Test ........................................................................................................ 13 5.9 Hi-fi Prototype .................................................................................................................................. 14 6.0 Project Discussion ................................................................................................................................ 15 6.1 Goals................................................................................................................................................. 15 6.2 Interesting Findings .......................................................................................................................... 15 6.3 Limitations ........................................................................................................................................ 16 6.4 Future Work ..................................................................................................................................... 17 7.0 Project Conclusion................................................................................................................................ 17 8.0 Appendix .............................................................................................................................................. 19 Appendix A: Competitive Analysis Table ................................................................................................ 19 Appendix B: Interview Template ............................................................................................................ 20 Appendix C: Survey/Questionnaire ........................................................................................................ 21 Appendix D: Personas ............................................................................................................................ 24 Appendix E: User Flows .......................................................................................................................... 25 Appendix F: Closed Cart Sort .................................................................................................................. 28 Appendix G: Site Map (final) .................................................................................................................. 28 Appendix H: Low-fi Prototypes .............................................................................................................. 29 Appendix I: Treejack Test ....................................................................................................................... 36 Appendix J: Mid-fi Prototype and User Test .......................................................................................... 37 Appendix K: Hi-fi Prototype .................................................................................................................... 41

1.0 Abstract H2O Amigo is a mobile application developed to achieve the goals of helping people reach their daily minimum water intake and increase awareness of plastic waste through a fun, easy, and educational way. It aims to help people improve their water drinking habits and use less single-use plastics because water is essential to one’s health and many bodily functions, and plastic pollution is a growing problem that is negatively impacting the environment.

The process to develop and implement H2O Amigo first included a review of popular mobile applications that people use to track their water intake. Our project involves several methods to gain insights from users on their own water drinking habits and awareness of plastic waste in the environment through surveys and interviews. Based on the responses, two personas of potential users of our application were created, along with scenarios of how the application could help them. A closed card sort was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the labels and our application’s information architecture. We also drafted initial designs for our application and worked on the flow of its features with a set of low-fi prototypes. From the results of the closed card sort, a treejack test was conducted to ensure clarity of our application’s content labels and hierarchy. A mid-fi prototype was designed and used for usability testing to get feedback on our application’s design and more insights on the behaviors and thoughts of potential users. Finally, a hi-fi prototype was created based on the feedback we got from the user test with the mid-fi prototype.

In our methods, we included diverse participants so we can gather insights on their water drinking behavior (i.e., reaching their daily water intake), tracking of water intake, and use of single-use plastics. In our project, we learned from the closed card sort and treejack test that our participants were unsure and confused about some of the labels we created; this resulted in relabeling and rearranging a few features in our application. In our usability test with the mid-fi prototype, we found that the rearrangement and relabeling of content did not cause issues with the participants; however, they had concerns about the graphics presented to them. This allowed us to iterate and refine our design for the hi-fi prototype.

Our initial goals were not exactly met; however, we changed our expectations towards this project and managed to get people to think about improving their water drinking habits and become more aware of their plastic usage. Throughout this project, we saw some interesting outcomes from our methods, such as the significant count of female respondents compared to male respondents in the survey and common issues in the labeling of our application’s content that we and the participants had similar feelings about. We also identified a set of limitations, such as the omission of other methods in our design process. We hope that the results of our project can be a foundation to further test the hi-fi prototype and expand on additional features for the application.

2.0 Project Goals Goal: Help users to achieve their daily water intake goal

Measure: After user fills out their personal information (gender, height, weight, etc) and activity level, then the system will help them set up their daily water intake goal (plug in the Water Calculator). Users can rate how they feel at the end of the day or week; high ratings would indicate positive feelings if they reach their daily intake. Users can also rate how effective the application is in regards to tracking their water intake.

Revisions or adjustments: Didn’t have users rate how they feel about reaching their daily water intake and didn’t integrate the water calculator in our hi-fi prototype.

Explain changes: We used the concept of using a water calculator for our application (i.e., gathering the user’s weight, height, age, and gender to determine their daily water intake), but we didn’t integrate it in the hi-fi because that involves advanced coding and development skills that we do not have. Including a rating system for users to rate how they feel about reaching their daily water goal for the week seemed like something that would be observed after the development and production of the application, not during its design and production. Our survey and interview gave us insight on how people currently feel about their daily water intake, and we believed that information proved to be useful during this project. We also wanted to focus more on the competitive aspect of our application, which is supposed to motivate the user to drink water and earn goals for certain milestones.

Goal: Increase the awareness of plastic water bottle waste and straw waste of users by educating them in the application.

Measure: The user will be able to talk about the benefits and disadvantages of reusable and non-reusable water bottle/straw after using the application. Within the application, there will be a section to educate the users with facts about the consequences of the use of plastic water bottles and straws.

Revisions or adjustments: We did not reach this step.

Explain changes: Realistically, this goal would be more applicable after the application has been developed and produced instead of during the design process. Throughout our project, the methods we did encouraged potential users to think about their sustainable habits and plastic use, so in a way there was awareness of plastic waste. In our hi-fi prototype, we included a section for more educational resources related to sustainability and having a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle. In a future iteration of the application, it would be ideal to measure the users’ knowledge on plastic use and waste from when they started using the application to a certain period, such as after one month or three months of using the application.

Goal: The user has a positive response to the usability of the core features of the application.

Measure: The user will be observed responding positively to the application’s main features (tracking of daily water intake, water competition challenge with social circle, and educational facts). Reactions like “This is dumb” or “This is frustrating” will be considered negative. The System Usability Scale (SUS) can also help us determine its usability and effectiveness. Measuring the time it takes to complete the main tasks in the application and how many errors occur can also contribute to its efficiency.

Revisions or adjustments: We did not do the SUS. Explain changes: Instead of using the SUS, we did a user test with our mid-fi prototype followed by open-ended questions we asked our participants in our feedback session. We did this because we believed we would receive more valuable feedback from having a discussion and hearing their thoughts about their experience.

With qualitative data, we could identify common frustrations, themes, and thoughts among participants.

3.0 Project Methods Method: Competitive Analysis (hydration applications) Goal (contribution to project): Compare existing similar applications with their strengths and weaknesses in order to understand how to differentiate the user experience of our application from similar existing hydration applications.

Revisions or adjustments: N/A Explain changes: N/A Method: User interviews & Personas Goal (contribution to project): Get an overview of people’s current water drinking habits and awareness of plastic problems globally. We plan to interview at least six individuals through friends, families, and social networking sites. Interview responses will be recorded and analyzed qualitatively by transcribing and coding them with Atlas.ti Cloud (collaborative tool for teams) to gather people’s insights. Using interview responses, we’ll be able to create some personas that can represent our different user groups when we design the prototypes for the application and conduct user tests.

Revisions or adjustments: We also incorporated our survey/questionnaire results to create our personas.

Explain changes: Personas created from both interviews and survey results would give us a more accurate portrayal of our users and use cases than only using information from six interviewees.

Method: Survey/questionnaire Goal (contribution to project): Get an overview of people’s current water drinking habits and awareness of plastic problems globally. In addition to user interviews, survey results can act as a support to complement interview responses. The survey will be on Qualtrics and distributed via friends, family, coworkers, social networking sites, classmates, and the CDM Participant Pool.

Our survey asked participants about their current habits in drinking water and using reusables and plastics. We also wanted to know about their experience with health/fitness products (i.e., mobile applications, devices, etc.) that help them monitor health goals such as water intake, calories, and fitness activity. We also asked about how they would rate their awareness and knowledge of environmental issues and how they feel about the concept of our application. Our survey was mostly comprised of statements that participants rated themselves on using a 7-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 7 = strongly agree). We also had a few open-ended questions that were analyzed qualitatively.

Revisions or adjustments: N/A Explain changes: N/A Method: Modified Delphi Card Sort Goal (contribution to project): Determine the IA for the main features and functions of the application. Participants will work together towards a solution to minimize the collaboration bias. Card sorting will be done through Miro (Realtime Board). We will observe the participants’ interaction and behaviors during the activities. Ideally, a total of 10+ participants will be recruited. We plan to recruit individuals through friends, family, social networking sites, and the CDM Participant Pool.

Revisions or adjustments: We decided on doing a closed card sort on OptimalWorkshop instead of the Modified Delphi card sort.

Explain changes: Modified Delphi would take more time for us in terms of recruiting and scheduling participants. A closed card sort seemed to be the best method for us with respect to our timeline and personal schedules. The closed card sort would also provide easy access to include many participants (i.e., more than 10) by sharing the card sort link with our social networks and the CDM Participant Pool.

The closed card sort gave us useful data on the first iteration of how we would set up our navigation and organize our application’s content. It helped us determine what was fine and what issues there might be in the information architecture and labeling of our application.

Method: Low-fi prototyping Goal (contribution to project): Determine a foundation design for the application that can be tested. The low-fi prototype would be done on paper.

Revisions or adjustments: Prior to creating the low-fi prototype, we made a user workflow for the main actions in our application that would fit our personas.

Explain changes: The user workflow helped us understand how features for our application would be carried out before we started the low-fi prototype.

Method: Usability Testing and Treejack test with low-fi prototype Goal (contribution to project): Test if the user feels satisfied or comfortable with using the application’s features in its first iteration by assigning the user 3-4 tasks. The treejack test will determine if the results of the card sort are supported and validated by observing if users can locate where certain information and features are on the application. This will help us figure out if the labels and hierarchy structure of the application’s content is clear and effective to users. User feedback from both tests will help us develop the application better.

Revisions or adjustments: We did not do a user test with the low-fi prototype.

Explain changes: We felt that a user test with the low-fi prototype was not necessary because we wanted to focus on the information hierarchy and labels of our application’s content before testing with users. We were also still in the process of conceptualizing the various designs we had.

Method: Mid-fi prototyping Goal (contribution to project): Further develop and improve on the application’s design to be tested using feedback from the previous

test. This will have the important features developed, while parts of the application will still be in progress. The mid-fi prototype would be done on InVision.

Revisions or adjustments: The mid-fi prototype has developed screens in the visual sense, but very limited interactivity; we expected to have more interactions on our screens.

Explain changes: We uploaded the mid-fi prototype to InVision, but creating the screens for it was done on Sketch.

Interactions are limited to click-throughs only because currently, InVision doesn’t have a feature to include advanced interactions like typing into text fields and accessing dropdowns; ability to do those interactions would involve integrating front-end code to design components, which we all do not have the talent for.

Method: Usability Testing and Chalkmark test with mid-fi prototype Goal (contribution to project): Test if the user feels satisfied and comfortable with the application’s features in its second iteration.

There will be 3-4 tasks assigned. The chalkmark test will help validate our choices in the application’s information architecture and labels with the user’s first impression and clicks. User feedback from testing will help us figure out any pain points in the application and improve it.

Revisions or adjustments: No chalkmark test Explain changes: Due to the time crunch, we did not conduct the chalkmark test. Instead, our team just did the usability testing with seven participants for the mid-fi prototype; it would also have been repetitive to include a chalkmark test because our tasks covered most of the application’s features. The procedure for our user test contains observation and the think aloud protocol. During the feedback sessions, we learned what users think about our design and got valuable insights based on their comments and behaviors.

Method: Hi-fi prototyping Goal (contribution to project): Further develop and improve on the application’s design based on the user test with a mid-fi prototype.

This will have most of the important features developed. The hi-fi prototype would be done on InVision.

Revisions or adjustments: Hi-fi prototype created with Axure instead of InVision.

Explain changes: InVision prototypes currently only allow clicking through screens. With Axure, it’s easier for us to

collaborate as a team, as well as customize design components, add advanced interactions, and have a publicly accessible link to share via Axshare.

4.0 Diversity Documentation At the beginning of this project, we created a survey, which asked for the participants’ age, occupation, gender, and fitness/activity level. We recruited our participants not only from the CDM Participation Pool, but also through our personal networks in order to get valuable responses from people who are not familiar with HCI. We noticed that most of our survey responses were from female participants. In order to achieve the goal of diverse users, we attempted to recruit more male participants for our interviews. Our team recruited six participants (three females and three males) for our initial interviews. For our usability test with the mid-fi prototype, we recruited seven participants (three females and four males). All of the participants were either studying or working in different industries outside of HCI (e.g., financial, medical, etc.). Table 1 shows a breakdown of our participant diversity.

We continued to recruit participants by utilizing the CDM Participant Pool, social media, and our personal networks by posting and sharing the activity links for most of our other methods. Diversity of participants from the survey and interviews helped us understand the potential user behaviors and preferences with their different backgrounds and lifestyles. For example, we learned about our participants’ water drinking habits and awareness of the negative impacts of plastic on the environment.

Diversity of participants in usability testing with the mid-fi prototype allowed us to gather feedback from different potential users to learn what they think of our application’s concept, design, flow, and content. We wanted to ensure that our application would be suitable for all users and that it satisfied their needs. Expanding the diversity of our participants helped expand the user feedback and insights for our project, and this is important because our application aims to appeal to anyone of any background (e.g., users who are young or old, male or female, educated or uneducated, etc.).

Survey

Interview

Usability testing with Mid-fi Prototype

Age Range

19-42

22-36

21-29

Gender

Female: 66% Male: 34%

Female: 50% Male: 50%

Female: 43% Male: 57%

Occupation

N/A

Student Accountant Nurse Software developer

Nurse Student Accountant Financial Analyst Risk Assurance

Fitness/Activity Level

Moderate: 46% Sedentary: 27%

N/A

Moderate: 42% Sedentary: 42%

High: 27%

High: 16%

Education Level

Bachelors: 46% Masters: 37% Other: 17%

Bachelors: 67% Masters: 33%

Bachelors: 57% Masters: 43%

Ethnicity/Race

Asian: 76% White/Caucasian: 20% Hispanic/Latinx: 4%

N/A

N/A

Table 1: Diversity Documentation

5.0 Project Results 5.1 Competitive Analysis (See Appendix A) We completed a competitive analysis with six competitors: Drink Water Reminder, WaterMinder, Daily Water Tracker Reminder, Aqualert, Plant Nanny, and iHydrate. We found that although there are many applications that track and monitor an individual’s water intake, those applications do not encourage users to be more sustainable and lead a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle (i.e., track usage of reusable water bottles and single-use plastics). Existing water intake applications are similar in design patterns and features; they send an alert to the user to drink water, give the user the ability to input their water intake every time they consume water, and view data on their water intake. An overall view of our competitors can be seen in Table 2 (see full table under Appendix A).

Our application will do roughly the same as these competitors; however, in addition to tracking water intake, one of the goals of our application is to raise awareness of plastic use and its effects on the environment, and we implemented that by including a feature that tracks the user’s usage of single-use plastics. We hope that this would encourage people to use reusables and learn about its benefits.

Another feature that makes our application different from other water intake applications is that it includes a gamification and social feature where the user can earn points for using reusables, lose points for using single-use plastics, earn badges for their achievements, and view their points ranking among added friends.

5.2 User Interviews (See Appendix B) Our interview questions were divided into five sections: warm-up questions, technology questions, environment questions, wrap-up questions, and demographics. The following are the interview results we organized in different themes: a. Analysis Method Our interviews were transcribed and coded on Atlas.ti Cloud with 29 codes. We further analyzed and organized those codes into common themes.

b. Water Drinking Habits and Environmental Awareness Everyone we interviewed were aware of the importance of drinking water and could easily notice when they weren’t drinking enough water; they were also aware of the negative effects that plastic use has on the environment. Almost all of our interviewees said they use their own reusable bottles and do not use reusable straws. c. Application/Tools The majority of our interviewees said that they currently don’t use any applications to monitor their water intake, citing individual differences in personal motivation. However, most of them expressed that an application to track water intake and show their use of plastics and reusables would be helpful as long as the tool is easy to use. d. Motivations Regarding competition within a social circle, most also felt that having some competition is a positive thing that would keep them motivated to drink more water; however, some felt that the aspect of competition in a water drinking application is not necessary for them to be motivated.

5.3 Survey/Questionnaire (See Appendix C) Our survey questions were divided into four sections: warm-up, technology, environment, and demographics. Out of the 30 respondents, two-thirds identified as female, and the average age of survey takers was around 26-27 years old. The following are the survey results we organized in different themes: a. Analysis Method Our survey was organized and analyzed on Google Sheets. We looked at the average mean scores, median, scores, and the lowest and highest value of the Likert scale statements. b. Water Drinking Habits and Environmental Awareness On average, our respondents felt indifferent about whether or not they drink enough water. Most respondents said that the current state of the environment affects how they take and drink their water, and they also mentioned that they are currently taking small steps to live a more sustainable and ecofriendly lifestyle. On the contrary, the majority of participants reported they have never used a reusable straw; only one said they use one almost daily. In addition, most respondents do not know how long it takes for plastics to decompose in landfills. Our survey takers also believed that their environmentallyfriendly behaviors are not making a big impact at all, although they do think that using reusables have a positive impact on the environment by reducing single-use plastics and other products. Most of them also don’t feel like there is enough education and resources regarding the effects of plastic waste on the environment. c. Application/Tools The majority of respondents said they don’t have a method of tracking their water intake nor use any products/applications to monitor water intake. Of those who said they used an application, MyFitnessPal was the most common one, followed by Fitbit. We discovered that most of the respondents do not drink from single-use plastic bottled water; they tend to drink water in a reusable from the tap/faucet or using a water filter.

d. Motivations On the idea of having a tool that would encourage the use of reusables and reaching one’s daily water intake, some respondents felt indifferent about integrating environmental messaging (i.e., tracking their use of plastics vs reusables) with a health application. However, some expressed interest in the concept of being able to see how their habits impact the environment.

5.4 Personas and Scenarios (See Appendix D) From the results of the survey and user interviews, we created two personas who could fit our user base and benefit from our application with two given scenarios. The first persona (Appendix D.1) is a user who feels dehydrated on most days, has a problem of not drinking enough water, and uses singleuse plastics out of convenience (e.g., single-use water bottles). The second persona (Appendix D.2) is a user who feels like they drink enough water, uses reusables (e.g., reusable water bottles), and wants a way to track their water intake. Both personas are aware of some of the impacts of plastic use on the environment but would like more information about it. Our scenarios described how these personas would sign up for the application and use its features for their needs. Using this information, we then created user flows (See Appendix E) for how our personas would use the application with the given scenarios.

5.5 Closed Card Sort (See Appendix F) We created 7 categories and 11 cards for our closed card sort. Our card sort helped us clarify and improve the site map for our application (See Appendix G). a. Analysis Method We created a closed card sort on Optimal Workshop, sent the link out via our social networks and the CDM Participant Pool, and analyzed our results in a shared Google document and spreadsheet. b. Participants We had 37 participants complete the closed card sort, and the average time taken to complete it was 2 minutes and 50 seconds. The shortest time was 59 seconds, and the longest time was 11 minutes and 8 seconds. c. Results Out of 11 cards, most participants were unsure where to put the cards Points, Resources, and Personal Impact. We resolved the issue by rethinking our labels and hierarchy and rewording the most problematic ones. d. Modifications Based on the results from the closed card sort (Table 3), we reworded 4 cards and 1 category that had less than 50% sorting success rate to reduce confusion in users: • Personal Impact reworded to Personal Eco-Impact (card) • Resources reworded to Eco-Resources (card) • View Ranking reworded to View Friends’ Ranking (card) • Points reworded to Points History (card) • Badges reworded to Awards (category)

Table 3: Placements Matrix of Closed Card Sort

5.6 Low-fi Prototype (See Appendix H) We created different designs of how we wanted our application to look based on our goals and needs of potential users. Using the user flow and sitemap we made, we sketched the screens of our application on paper. As a team, we used the two personas and scenarios we created to visualize how potential users would go through our application. We then identified aspects and features of the application that were useful and aligned with our goals for users. Although each of us had our own initial designs for the application, we had similar visuals and representations of the application’s content and UI. The mid-fi was created with the combination of designs from our low-fi prototypes.

5.7 Treejack Test (See Appendix I) We created seven tasks for our treejack test. We assigned scenarios and tasks that would cover the main features and content of our application. At the end of the activity, we asked participants where they expected to see the user’s earned points. a. Analysis Method We created a Treejack Test on Optimal Workshop, sent the link out via our social networks and the CDM Participant Pool, and analyzed our results in a shared Google document and spreadsheet. b. Participants We had 30 participants complete the Treejack Test, and the average time taken to complete it was 5 minutes and 17 seconds. The shortest time was 2 minutes, and the longest time was 19 minutes and 10 seconds. c. Results We wanted to know if the changes we made from the closed card sort results were effective, especially in determining where “Points” can be found on the application. The majority of our participants said “Points” should be found on the dashboard and awards pages. Our labels “Eco-resource” and “Ecofriendly” also seemed to be confusing for participants. Similar to the closed card sort, we redid the labels and organization of the content that had the most reported issues. We reworded “Points” to “My

Points” and reconstructed our “Eco-” content. We renamed “Eco-friendly” to “My Eco-Impact” and moved it to the home/dashboard page, and we made “Eco-Resources” as its own page. d. Modifications Based on the analyzed result from Treejack test, we made the following changes: • Points → renamed to My Points and placed on dashboard & awards pages • Eco-friendly → renamed to My Eco-Impact and placed on dashboard, with Eco-Resources as its own page

Table 4: Participant Destinations of Treejack Test

5.8 Mid-fi Prototype and User Test (See Appendix J) Our user test was divided into three parts: background questions, four tasks based on scenarios, and post-test questions. We gave each participant a scenario where we had them imagine that they were a dehydrated person using the application and another scenario where they were a hydrated person using the application. The dehydrated scenario had one task, covering onboarding in the application; the hydrated scenario had three tasks, covering the main features of the application. a. Analysis Method We analyzed the results from our user test and the feedback we received from our participants and listed changes we should make for the hi-fi prototype in a shared Google document. b. Participants

We had seven participants (4 males and 3 females) with diverse cultural backgrounds for the user test with our mid-fi prototype. Before conducting the user test, we asked our participants a few background questions regarding their habits in water intake and making eco-friendly lifestyle choices. Most of our participants for the user test reported having used a health/fitness application to track water intake, calories, and activity level; most of them described their fitness and activity level as sedentary or moderate. The majority also feel like they have good water drinking habits and drink enough daily. Some said they have a way (e.g., applications or their water bottle) to track water intake, while others said they don’t use anything to track their water intake. All participants expressed that they are attempting to be more sustainable with their habits. c. Results Based on design feedback from the usability test, some aspects of our design were problematic or could be further improved. Three participants failed to complete the last task because they didn’t know there was a second graph on the screen that they could scroll down to. Some also expressed confusion on the graph displaying the user’s count of plastics vs reusables; however, most found that piece of information valuable and suggested ways to display it better. d. Modifications From the sessions, our main design changes include: adding an option to login and connect the application with a social media account, converting dropdown options to a type-in field, fixing the setup of notifications for drinking water, making the application more engaging with visuals instead of graphs only, and rearranging the location of buttons and links (e.g., record water intake and “add friends”) for easier access. Despite some issues, participants expressed positive feedback for the application’s concept and potential design.

5.9 Hi-fi Prototype (See Appendix K) We created a hi-fi prototype to finalized product conceptualizing our design process and thinking towards our project goals.

a. Design Method We created the hi-fi prototype with Axure since it has a collaborative team feature that we are familiar with, and we were able to include advanced interactions. b. Design Style The color theme of our application reflects how we would view the application in comparison to other water intake applications. Our main colors used are white, sea blue, sky blue, and dark blue. We aimed to provide a friendly environment to the users with a minimal and clean design. We made sure to keep our design patterns consistent throughout the entire application. c. In-application Features There is a total of seven main pages with subpages to highlight the features of our application. These include: 1. Landing/Login page - login for existing user and account/profile creation for new user 2. Home - My Eco-Impact, logging water intake, and user’s points 3. My Profile - User’s earned badges and data graphs for water intake and plastic use 4. Friends - ranked leaderboard and management of friends (i.e., searching and adding friends)

5. Awards - display of badges earned and badges not earned 6. EcoResources - external resources related to improving one’s lifestyle to be more eco-friendly 7. Settings - edit personal information and customized notification

6.0 Project Discussion 6.1 Goals For this project, our goals were not exactly met. Some of the goals and measures we planned in the beginning were changed depending on how we applied the method and the outcomes of our activities. For example, the chalkmark test was omitted for our mid-fi prototype usability test because the tasks we assigned participants would have been repetitive with chalkmark testing since we asked users to do something related to almost all the main functions and sections in our application. We realized that a few goals were not as realistic as we thought; for example, we wanted to users to achieve their daily water intake and measure this with a rating system in our application as well as incorporating a water calculator to determine users’ daily intake, but we later figured that this goal would be best applied to the final and developed a version of our application. The rating system for users to rate how they feel about reaching their daily water goal seemed like something that would be best observed after the development and production of the application, not during its design and production.

However, we understood our potential users’ behavior, preferences, and knowledge level throughout different methods in this project. We believe that being able to understand our users’ needs was valuable for this project because we got a chance to know what would and wouldn’t work for our application. Through the methods we conducted, we managed to raise awareness of plastic use impacting the environment negatively and encourage potential users to think about being more ecofriendly and use less single-use plastics. We also encouraged people to think more about their water drinking habits. With the concept of our application, we received positive feedback overall on its potential. People wanted to improve their lifestyle with respect to the environment and drink more water; a rewards system with points and a ranked leaderboard for users would motivate them with competition among their friends.

6.2 Interesting Findings During our initial interviews, all six interviewees were aware of the importance of drinking water and intended to drink more water, but only three of them believed they drank enough water. They cited that being too occupied with work and academics (e.g., work overload) is one of the major reasons they forget to drink water.

A lot of our respondents in the survey were female. We found this interesting because despite the efforts we made to gather data from all kinds of individuals through recruiting via the CDM Participant Pool, social media, and our personal networks, the ratio of the number of female respondents were twice as many as male respondents. Another interesting finding about the survey is that most of the respondents who reported using a product to track water intake mentioned the health application, MyFitnessPal, as their tool; only one respondent said they used an application that is exclusively meant to track water intake.

In the treejack test, participants weren’t sure where to put points or the “Eco-” content. We found this interesting because were also not fully sure about where to place those items and how to better organize them; that is why we chose to ask participants about where they would expect to find them in the post-test questions.

In the user test with the mid-fi prototype, one participant thought that having competition between friends would not be as effective. The participant suggested to include a co-op feature because that would make everyone collectively work together towards a singular goal, such as being in a team that is aiming to have the least amount of single-use plastics used in their region, similar to the concept of in-game teams in a game application called PokemonGo. We thought that this was interesting because none of the other participants have mentioned the idea of co-op; they all agreed that individual competition among friends was enough.

6.3 Limitations Throughout the project, we identified our limitations into four themes, including time and schedule, sample size is not large enough, team collaborations with alternative resources, and team skills. a. Time and Schedule Due to our schedule and time limitations, we had to give up additional aspects in our methods and made changes slight changes to them. For example, we did not do a user test with the low-fi prototype and did not include the chalkmark test in order to achieve our final goal on time. These usability testing methods could further provide us more details and insights on the usability and designs of our application. Most of the design feedback is only from the user test with the mid-fi prototype, even though we received several ideas and suggestions for our application design from user interview before started prototyping. What we would do differently next time is reconsider our scheduling of methods and include more ways throughout the process to gather design feedback from potential users and iterate those designs. We would also try to include a user test of a hi-fi prototype to see if the changes from mid-fi were effective. b. Sample Size is Not Large Enough We felt that our sample size was not large enough throughout the methods we used, especially in the user interviews and usability testing with the mid-fi prototype. We recruited six users for interviews in order to understand their behaviors and experience better, but six is not enough because it can’t represent a diverse population. Also, we only had seven participants for the user test with the mid-fi prototype followed by a post-debrief interview. We feared that our results might involve biased feedback. With our experience, what we would do differently next time is to branch out our links for the project activities (e.g., survey, card sort, and treejack) and try to recruit more for our user tests to get more participant data, insights, and feedback. c. Team Collaboration with Alternative Resources Our group faced the shortage of collaboration resources. We had a hard time finding a free tool to collaborate as a team to create the mid-fi prototype. We chose Invision first, but we found that it wasn’t very team friendly for us (i.e., not free for team collaboration). It was our first time using it, and we found that it was hard to include the interactions we wanted for our prototype. Because of this, we instructed our participants to talk us through what they would do before letting them click on the prototype to access the next screen. With our experience with InVision, we decided to make the hi-fi

prototype in Axure instead since we all used it before and knew how to include advanced interactions (e.g., typing in a text field, interactive radio buttons, accessible dropdowns, etc). What we would do differently next time is use one program to create our wireframes and prototypes so we can transfer our work easily and stay consistent with the interactions. It would also be more convenient and take less work for us to make a copy of the mid-fi and apply hi-fi changes to it rather than “recreating” the hi-fi from a blank slate, which is what we ended up doing. d. Team Skills We felt that we could have done better in distributing and incorporating our team’s skills in different aspects such as user research, analysis, writing, visualizing, wireframing, and prototyping. Since we have different strengths and weaknesses, we would divide the work better based on our comfort level with our respective skills to produce better deliverables.

6.4 Future Work Based on our limitations, we recommended two suggestions for future implantations. a. User Test with Hi-fi Prototype In the future, we would like to conduct a user test with our hi-fi prototype to see if the changes we made based on the mid-fi prototype user test were effective. This would also include further expanding the application’s content and interactions; for example, more features, such as the co-op concept that a participant suggested, could be tested. Our designs and visual aspects of the application could also be further iterated on. b. Larger Sample Size For future work, recruiting more participants for interviews and user testing with prototypes would be ideal. With a larger sample size, the results of the user tests will be more accurate and more representative of all types of audiences. Having a larger sample size would also yield more differences of participants’ background and demographics (e.g., age range, occupations, ethnicities, education level, etc.).

7.0 Project Conclusion For this project, we aimed to design and develop a mobile application that motivates people to reach their daily minimum water intake while educating them to increase their environmental awareness in plastic usage. Based on the ultimate goal, we applied seven different research methods with diverse documentation to deliver our final product: 1) competitive analysis, 2) user interviews, 3) survey/questionnaire, 4) personas and scenarios, 5) closed card sort, 6) treejack test, and 7) usability testing with the mid-fi prototype.

Most of our research methods went very well, but we found very useful feedback and insights from the closed card sort, treejack test, and usability test. We found that most of our participants were confused about the labels that we created and made suggestions for the design of application. We then iterated our design and changed the most problematic labels to avoid ambiguity and give users clarity on the content.

At the end of this project, we discussed the goals, interesting findings, limitations, and future work. We completed most of our planned work and met most of our expectations towards this project.

We also discovered several interesting findings from the results of several of our methods. Lastly, we also discussed the main limitations and difficulties we faced throughout the design process, and what we hope the project could hold in the future.

8.0 Appendix Appendix A: Competitive Analysis Table Drink Water WaterMind Reminder er

Daily Water Tracker Reminder

Aqualert: Water Tracker Daily

Plant Nanny iHydrate

Overview

Detailoriented, different beverage options for users to choose from

Has a rewards system to motivate users to stick with their goals and offers free resources on the benefits of water

Limited customizatio n to track water intake, no motivational support

Uses the individual's activity level to calculate their daily water requirements

Uses gamification and a metaphorical representatio n to track the user’s water intake

Tracks water intake, including how much water users consume from other drinks

Features

Customized g oal, water log, intake, calculator, notifications, history, achievement

Customized goal, water log, intake calculator, notifications, history, achievement

Customized goal, water log, intake calculator, notifications, history, achievement

Health App integration (iOS), bedtime mode, water log, intake calculator, history

Water log, achievement sharing, customized pet plant

Sync data to Fitbit and Apple Health App, customized goal, water log, intake calculator, notifications, history, achievement

UI Design

Minimal, blue and white

Animated; blue, white, black, and grey

Minimal, blue

Turquoise blue, data viz

Lively, colorful, cute

Serene, subtle blue

Operating System

iOS

iOS

iOS

iOS, Android

iOS, Android

iOS

App Store Rating

4.5 / 5.0

4.8 / 5.0

4.7 / 5.0

4.4 / 5.0 (iPhone)

4.6 / 5.0 (iPhone)

4.6 / 5.0 (Android)

4.5 / 5.0 (Android)

4.4 / 5.0

Appendix B: Interview Template Screener Questions - Ask before scheduling the interview: • Are you interested in leading a healthy lifestyle? Y/N • Are you interested in meeting your required daily water intake? Y/N • Are you at least 18 years old or older? Y/N Introduction Hello. My name is <name>. Thank you for taking the time to meet with me. I am a graduate student at DePaul University, and I am working on a group project for a class to develop a tool that will improve people’s hydration habits and educate them about it. In this interview, we want to better understand your views on hydrating yourself on a daily basis, specifically with water intake.

This interview with take approximately 30 minutes, less than an hour.

During this interview, there are no right or wrong answers, and your answers will be kept confidential.

Please read and sign the informed consent form. *give consent form to participant* Great, thank you!

Before we begin, do you have any questions or concerns?

Warm Up Questions: • Do you think you drink enough water per day? o If Yes, how do you know/how do you monitor your hydration intake?

• Are you aware of the importance of drinking water? What do you think are the benefits?

• How would you describe your water drinking habits? Do you feel like you are getting enough water?

• What can you tell us about your experience when you drink water? What kind of impact does it have on you and do you notice them easily?

Technology Questions: 1.

Have you ever used any products to monitor your hydration intake?

• If Yes, please name the products • What’s your favorite feature of it?

• Other than monitoring water intake, what other reasons do you use it for? How often do you use it? Do you like it, why or why not?

• If No, do you want to try or use an application to monitor your hydration intake?

2.

What do you think of mobile applications that help people track their water intake so that they are hydrated?

• What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages?

3.

Have you ever used any products to compete with your social circle (friends, family, etc)?

• Yes (Name the products_______________) o How would you define competition? o How do you feel about competition within your inner circle?

Environment Questions: 1.

Do you typically drink plastic bottled water to drink water?

• If so, do you use reusable plastic or plastic water bottles from stores?

• Do you use reusable straws when drinking, why or why not? o Do you use your own straw or the one from the restaurant?

2.

What do you know about the impacts that plastic use has on the environment?

What are your thoughts regarding plastics filling up our landfills that lead to environmental pollution like in our oceans?

3.

Wrap Up Questions: • Is there anything else you want to discuss what we didn’t cover in the previous questions? o What should I have asked that I didn’t?

• Do you have any recommendations or ideas for a mobile app that can help you with water intake and education on the impacts of one’s water drinking habits?

Demographics: • What is your age?

• What gender do you identify with?

• What is your ethnicity?

Appendix C: Survey/Questionnaire (Created in Qualtrics) Intro We are asking you to be in a research study because we want to gain insight on your thoughts regarding water drinking habits, use of plastic products, and environmental concern so we can develop a tool that will help people stay hydrated while educating them on the environmental effects of their water consumption habits. This study is being conducted by Frauline Agarin, Cynthia Chong, and Yuchen Guo, who are graduate students at DePaul University. This is for the capstone class instructed by Hank Streeter.

All your responses will be anonymous, and no personal information will be collected that can identify you. Participation in this survey is voluntary. You may discontinue the survey at any time by closing your browser.

If you have any questions, please contact:

Frauline Agarin: frauline.agarin@gmail.com Cynthia Chong: cynthiacchong@gmail.com Yuchen Guo: guoyuchen723@gmail.com You can also contact the course instructor: Hank Streeter: hstreete@depaul.edu Warm Up Questions 1.

How motivated are you to drink water? (rate from 1 very unmotivated to 10 very motivated) 2.

To what extent do you disagree or agree with the following statement? (1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = somewhat disagree, 4 = neither agree nor disagree, 5 = somewhat agree, 6 = agree, 7 =strongly agree) • I know how much water I should drink per day • I feel like I drink enough water • I usually track my water intake in some way (mental note, through an app, notebook, etc).

• I prefer drinking from bottled water (store bought/single-use) than tap water from a faucet or using a water filter • I bring/use my own straw when I am drinking out in public or somewhere not at home • I am aware of the environmental issues caused by plastic products (water bottles, straws, etc) 3.

• • •

How would you describe you activity exercise level? (radio button selection) Sedentary (1 hour or less per week) Moderate (l2-4 hours per week) High (5+ hours per week)

Technology Questions 1.

Have you ever used any products (website, app, smartwatch, etc) to monitor your hydration intake?

• Yes (Name the product_______________) • No 2.

Have you ever used any kind of application to compete with your friends, families, etc. (e.g., game apps, health apps, social networking, etc.)?

• Yes (Name the application_______________) • No • If “Yes”, how do those applications motivate you to complete with your friends, families, etc?

3.

How do you feel about an application that could motivate and help you to drink water, as well as learn about environmental impacts of your habits?

Environmental Questions: 1. How do you usually consume water? (e.g., plastic bottled water from the store, reusable water bottle, filter, from tap/faucet, etc) 2. Does the current state of our environment affect how you take and drink your water?

• If yes, How does environmental impact affect you?

• No 3. In the past 30 days, how often did you use a reusable water bottle?

• Never • A few days (1-2 times per week) • Some days (3-4 times per week) • Every day or most days (5+ times per week) • I have, but not in the past 30 days 4. In the past 30 days, how often did you use a reusable straw?

• Never • A few days (1-2 times per week) • Some days (3-4 times per week) • Every day or most days (5+ times per week) • I have, but not in the past 30 days 5. To what extent do you disagree or agree with the following statement? (1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = somewhat disagree, 4 = neither agree nor disagree, 5 = somewhat agree, 6 = agree, 7 =strongly agree) • I know how long it takes for plastics to decompose in landfills • I always recycle plastic products • I think reusable bottles and reusable straws are effective products that can positively impact the environment • I don’t feel like my environmental-friendly behaviors are making a positive impact at all • I am aware of how the use of plastic products affect the environment negatively • I think there is enough education and resources regarding the effects of plastic waste on the environment • Demographics 1. What is your age? (fill in) 2. What gender do you identify as? (Male, Female, Other, Prefer not to say) 3. What is your ethnicity? (White or Caucasian, Black or African American, Asian, Other Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latinx, Other, Prefer not to say)

4. What is the highest grade or year of school you completed? (less than high school degree, high school degree or equivalent, some college but no degree, associate degree, bachelors degree, masters degree, doctorate degree, other, prefer not to say

Appendix D: Personas D.1 Dehydrated Persona (large version: https://imgur.com/dFJfIMu)

D.2 Hydrated Persona (large version: https://imgur.com/5TyfKzl)

Appendix E: User Flows E.1 Dehydrated Persona (version 1); large version https://imgur.com/1mQQBfC

E.2 Hydrated Persona (version 1); large version https://imgur.com/9j9vSKn

Appendix F: Closed Cart Sort https://www.optimalworkshop.com/optimalsort/meliador/2621rl7f/sharedresults/xxc1d3a5362y27foew87qa1qt3eri884 Categories: 1. Dashboard 2. Friends 3. Badges 4. Eco-Friendly 5. Settings 6. Uncertain/Unknown Cards: 1. View Water Status 2. Record Water Intake 3. View Ranking 4. Manage Friends 5. Medals 6. Points 7. Resources 8. Personal Impact 9. Manage Account 10. Manage Health Data 11. Manage Notifications 12.

Appendix G: Site Map (final)

Appendix H: Low-fi Prototypes Sketches Set 1:

Dehydrated_01

Dehydrated_02

Dehydrated_03 Sketches Set 2:

Hydrated_01

Hydrated_02

Hydrated_03

Sketches Set 3:

Sketches Set 4: https://wireframepro.mockflow.com/view/M0f039eb87ea7c4d412fc20143de2a4c31572207126147

Appendix I: Treejack Test https://www.optimalworkshop.com/treejack/meliador/l3c8760l/sharedresults/x3a33oj2i14u2f2w0x4re1dhvlbhxb0h Tasks: 1. You want to see if you have more points than your best friend and how they’re doing with their water intake. Where would you likely go to?

Friends > View Friends’ Ranking 2. You are interested in wanting to know more about how to conserve water and use less plastic in your daily life, where would you go to?

Eco-Friendly > Eco-Resource 3. If you want to see how much plastic bottles you are saving from the environment by using a reusable bottle, where would you go?

Eco-Friendly > Personal Eco-Impact 4. You’ve been using the app for three months now, and you want to check how you’ve earned the points you have thus far (e.g., when you gained points for using reusables).

Where would you look?

Awards > Points History 5. For the past week you’ve been reminded to drink water every 40 minutes, but now you want the app to alert you to drink every hour instead. Where will you go to change this?

Setting > Manage Notifications 6. Your cousin tells you that she also uses the app. You want to see if you have a higher rank than her, but she’s not on your list of friends. Where would you go if you want to add her as a friend?

Friends > Manage Friends > Add Friends 7. You just finished running on the treadmill and are very thirsty. You want to adjust the amount of water you are going to drink, where will you go?

Dashboard > Record Water Intake Post-test Questions: 1. In our app, users earn points for drinking their daily amount of water and using reusables (e.g., reusable drink bottle, reusable straws, glass/cup, etc); they lose points for using single-use plastic bottles and plastic straws. Based on this context, where on

the app would you expect to see your points and why?

2. What other feedback do you have? (if any)

Appendix J: Mid-fi Prototype and User Test Invision link: https://frauline119828.invisionapp.com/public/share/5SWU2VAVK Moderator Guide

Purpose: Gather feedback and critique from users regarding our potential design and flow for H2O Amigo. The app is for monitoring one’s water intake and educating users about their environmental impact while encouraging the use of reusables. It features tracking of water intake, in-app achievements, a leaderboard with friends, and additional resources on how to help save the environment.

Script: Thank you for agreeing to take part in this feedback session for our app’s mid-fi prototype. My name is _______. Before we get started, I would like for you to read and sign this consent form. Then, we will go over a few background questions and then start the activities. ***Give consent form to participant*** During this session, I’ll be working from a script to ensure that the instructions to everyone who participates in this study are the same.

I’m here to learn about the usability and design of our mobile application called H2O Amigo. The app is for monitoring one’s water intake and educating users about their environmental impact while encouraging the use of reusables. It features tracking of water intake, in-app achievements, a leaderboard with friends, and additional resources on how to help save the environment.

During the session, I will ask you to do a variety of tasks with our mid-fi prototype. As you do these things, please try to do whatever you would naturally do. Please note, a mid-fi prototype means that it is not complete nor the final product because not all the features and interactions will be available; it is a rough design of where we plan to put our content and determine if our designs and arrangements are effective. We welcome any feedback or suggestions you have.

Please try to think out loud while you’re going through the prototype. Just tell me whatever is going through your mind. Please know that we’re testing the prototype, not you, so you cannot do anything wrong. Allowing us to observe you helps us understand what works or doesn’t work about the usability and design of our potential app.

Before we continue, let’s practice think-aloud. I will first demonstrate think-aloud with an example of setting an alarm clock with my phone. Afterwards, let me know if you have any questions before you try it for yourself. ***Practice think-aloud. Demonstrate first and then have the participant do it.***

Again, please be honest in your feedback – I need to know exactly what you think, not what you think I want to hear.

This session will take about 30-45 minutes, depending on how long it takes for you to go through them.

We encourage you to think aloud as you are completing the tasks.

Remember, you are welcome to discontinue your participation in this session at any time.

Do you have any questions before we begin?

Background Questionnaire: 1. Do you use any health or fitness apps on your phone? If so, which ones and why?

2. How would you describe your activity/fitness level? (sedentary, moderate, high) 3. How do you feel about your current water drinking habits?

4. Have you ever used anything to track your water intake? (e.g., app, diary, excel, etc). If so, what do you use and why?

5. How do you feel about being more sustainable with your habits? (e.g., recycling, using a car less, using reusable grocery bags, practicing environmentally-friendly habits, etc) 6. How old are you?

7. What is your gender?

8. What is your occupation?

9. What is your education level?

Scenario Part 1 (dehydrated) Imagine you are someone who has a bad habit of staying hydrated. You have a busy work life and usually buy single-use plastic bottled water when convenient. You know single-use plastics impact the environment negatively, but you can’t help the convenience of buying water on the go. You know you’re dehydrated on most days due to the color of your urine and condition of your skin and lips (i.e., they are often dry). You want to have better habits become more motivated to drink enough water daily, so you download an app that reminds you to drink water, monitor your water intake, and become more aware of your plastic bottle use. ***Use InVision prototype Scenario 1 Task 1*** Tasks 1. As a new user of the app, create an account and complete your water profile.

Questions: "How would you prefer to add friends?" (e.g. Based on location/contact) Scenario Part 2 (hydrated) Fast-forward to several months later, your water drinking habits have improved: you’re losing weight, your skin and lips are not as dry as before, and you’ve started using a reusable plastic water bottle. One day, after a yoga session with Jane, a new coworker, you get a notification to drink 8 ounces of water.

You access the app and decide you want to drink 10 ounces instead of 8. Your coworker sees what you’re doing and asks if you can add her as a friend.

Tasks 1. ***Use InVision prototype Scenario 2 Task 1*** Change the amount of water you are consuming after receiving the notification.

2. ***Use InVision prototype Scenario 2 Task 2*** Add the new coworker, Jane, as a friend.

3. ***Use InVision prototype Scenario 2 Task 3*** View Jane’s water profile and find her stats on her plastic use.

Post-Test Questions: 1. How does the app make you feel?

2. What was your favorite thing about the app?

3. What was your least favorite thing about the app?

4. Did you encounter any difficulties during the tasks? How did you figure it out?

5. Is there anything you found particularly valuable about the app or the information it presented you? What seemed to be effective and not effective for you?

6. Was there anything missing? Was there any additional information or functionality you would have liked to have while completing these tasks?

7. Would you use this app if it was in the app store today? Why or why not?

INFORMATION SHEET FOR PARTICIPATION IN RESEARCH STUDY H2O Amigo Mid-fi Prototype Usability Test Principal Investigator: Frauline Agarin (graduate student), Cynthia Chong (graduate student), and Yuchen Guo (graduate student) from the College of Computing and Digital Media at DePaul University Institution: DePaul University, USA Faculty Advisor: Hank Streeter (College of Computing and Digital Media) What is the purpose of this research?

We are conducting a research study because we are trying to learn more about the usability and design of a mid-fi prototype for a potential mobile application called H2O Amigo. This study is being conducted

by Frauline Agarin, Cynthia Chong, and Yuchen Guo, graduate students at DePaul University, as a requirement to obtain their Master’s degree. This research is being supervised by their faculty advisor, Hank Streeter.

We aim to gain feedback from 6 participants.

Why have I been asked to participate in this project?

We are asking you to be in the research because you are at least 18 years old and have experience with mobile applications.

What role do I play in the study?

If you agree to be in this study, you will be asked to complete a set of tasks with the prototype provided.

After you complete the tasks, the session will conclude and you will be asked a few debriefing questions.

This session will take a total of about 30-45 minutes of your time.

Are there any risks involved in participating in this study?

Being in this study does not involve any risks other than what you would encounter in daily life.

You may feel uncomfortable or embarrassed about answering certain questions. You do not have to answer any questions you do not want to.

Are there any benefits to participating in this study?

No, you will not personally benefit from being in this study.

Can you decide not to participate?

Your participation is voluntary, which means you can choose not to participate. There will be no negative consequences, penalties, or loss of benefits if you decide not to participate or change your mind later and withdraw from the research after you begin participating.

Who will see my study information and how will the confidentiality of the information collected for the research be protected?

Your information will be combined with information from other people taking part in the study. When we write about the study to share in class, we will write about the combined information we have gathered.

All research data collected from you will be stored safely on external and cloud drives. To the extent possible, your personal identifying information will be removed and your data will be made confidential.

We will make every effort to prevent anyone who is not on the research team from knowing that you gave us information, or what that information is. However, some people (e.g., the DePaul University Institutional Review Board) might review or copy our records that may identify you in order to make sure we are following the required rules, laws, and regulations. If the DePaul IRB looks at our records, they will keep your information confidential.

Who should be contacted for more information about the research?

Before you decide whether to accept this invitation to take part in the study, please ask any questions that might come to mind now. If you have questions, suggestions, concerns, or complaints about the study later on, or you want to get additional information or provide input about this research, you can contact the researchers: Frauline Agarin fagarin@mail.depaul.edu 757-648-0947 Cynthia Chong cynthiacchong@gmail.com 408-650-2459 Yuchen Guo

guoyuchen723@gmail.com 785-727-3502 You can also contact the faculty advisor: Hank Streeter hstreeter@cdm.depaul.edu You may also contact DePaul’s Office of Research Services if: • Your questions, concerns, or complaints are not being answered by the research team.

• You cannot reach the research team.

• You want to talk to someone besides the research team.

You may request a copy of this information for your records.

By signing below, I indicate my consent to be part of the research study.

Signature: ________________________________________________________ Printed Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: ____________________________________________________________

Appendix K: Hi-fi Prototype Axshare link: https://iwcvdx.axshare.com/ List of features within each page of the app: 1. Home • Progress bar to keep track of user’s daily water intake goal • Pop-up dialog to record the user’s water intake and the points calculated based on whether they used a reusable or non-reusable water bottle and whether they used a reusable or non-reusable (plastic) straw • Access to user’s stats regarding usage of single-use plastics (My Eco-Impact) • Logo navigation back to home page • Bottom navigations to Home, Friends, Awards, Eco-Resources, and Settings pages 2. My Profile • Display of badges/achievements earned • A graph displaying water drank from reusables and non-reusables (in liters) and can be filtered by day, week, month, and year 3. Friends • Connect and add friends using social media • Search and add friends by name, email, or mobile number • View ranking of friends on the leaderboard; user can sort friends by number of points or alphabetically 4. Achievements • View and share earned badges/achievements via text, email, or social media

5. EcoResources â&#x20AC;˘ Educational and informational articles that aims to help users understand the benefits of drinking water, lead a more eco-friendly lifestyle, and become more aware of the state of our environment (e.g., types of pollution). It would also contain other environmental or lifestyle news.

6. Settings â&#x20AC;˘ Manage and edit personal information and customize notification alerts to drink water