1

Designing an App step by step. A record of the

process and learning of creating the Scrunch

App for CarbonCulture.

Scrunch

Designed by Fee Schmidt-Soltau

2

CarbonCulture is a project by More Associates. It was piloted in the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) at the end of 2011 for a duration of 6 months.

Designing an App step by step. A record of the

process and learning of creating the Scrunch

App for CarbonCulture.

Scrunch

Designed by Fee Schmidt-Soltau

4 5

Scrunch is a CarbonCulture app which aims to save energy in workplaces through behavioural change. Scrunch is a comfortable evening workspace hosted on one floor of the office building. By en-couraging all employees who are working late to move to this one floor all other lights of other floors to be switched off allowing a 16% saving.

The app can be applied in workplaces with hot desking. The idea for Scrunch derived from a user centred design proc-ess with employees at DECC, the Depart-ment of Energy and Climate change, through numerous workshops and proto-types and user testing.

ScrunchYour comfortable evening workspace

Tonight’s Scrunchers

03:27

home prizes help feedback logout

1,5750ScrunchYour comfortable evening workspace

www.carbonculture.net/scrunch

How to Scrunch

Easy Laptop moving

Local printer details

Energy saving info

Scrunching with a team

Fixed desk?

Scrunch starts at 6:30pm in area 5BGo home on time or come along to Scrunch and we’ll reward you witn points. You don’t get points for staying at your desk late.

Jeanie Cruickshank is scrunching 2 days 21 hours ago

Ben Basson rated a Scrunch 3 days, 10 hours ago

CarbonCulture Team is scrunching 2 days 21 hours ago

Paul Van Heyningen went home 2 days, 21 hours ago

Maya Freedman thanked CarbonCulture Team for a lovely mug of tea 4 days, 6 hours ago

Mike Leonard went home 3 days, 20 hours ago

Maya Freedman is scrunching 4 days, 6 hours ago

Your September 2011 Scrunches

Rate your last Scrunch

Rate your Scrunch experience to earn some extra points.

Rating

Learn MoreLearn more about Scrunch

FeedbackGive feedback about Scrunch

CarbonCulture is a More Associates project

This app is provided by

06 08 09

12

20

26

21

29 30

22 23

14

07

01

1615

19

27 28

Head home Thank a ScruncherCheck in

Mo Tu We FrTh

13

You made someone happy at Scrunch

05

Rate

1

2

4

3

5

6 7

8

6 7

The AppFamiliar groundTop Nav / own overall stats / Home

What / Where / WhenInforms about Scrunch and gives

Scrunch specific informationlinks to useful Scrunch information like local printer details / How to move

Actions / ChoicesGo home on time or go to Scrunch

If Scrunching - Thank a Scruncher attempt to make Scrunch run without hosts, facilitated by Scruncher community themselves.

Calendar / Personal ProgressHelping to evaluate late night working

Social ProofWho is already there? What have other’s done and how have they earned their rewards/points?

Rate / FeedbackHelp improve the experience for all Scrunchers (this is a prototype).

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

8 9

Dialogue BoxesAll choices or extra information had a dialogue box with closing button or a simple form field.

Outside Scrunch timeSorry but Scrunch check in not open

Welcome to ScrunchConfirmation of points and savings

Going homeConfirmation of points and savings

Thanking Simple form with drop down of signed in Scrunchers and confirmation button

Extra informationPop up with information and close button

Feedback confirmationsThanks and point confirmation

Roll oversMeaning of calendar buttonsPop up with information and close button

9

1

2

3

4

5

6

67

10

TouchpointsFirst contactInvitation (1) / Announcement / Chat

Helpers / InfoInformative leaflets / Moving info (2)

Bribes (3)Cake / Coffee / Tea / Iced Lemonade/ Evidence of potential savings (4)

Recording/ EvidencingApp / Social Proof / Register (5)

FeedbackStats / Social Proof / Paper feedback (5)

Signage & Posters (6)Proposal & promise / Useful information

Cafe area (7)Setup / Choice / Information /

Scrunch areaEnsure comfort and promised lights

ChallengesMotivating people Some people were easier motivated, for them free-bees like ice cooled home made lemonade, biscuits or brownees were enough. Others were motivated by the potential saving Scrunch could achieve. Others were simply not up for it and got aggregated trying to involve them into a conversation about what would encour-age them or why they are not up for it. A common answer was: they did not want to be working late, so moving would make them even more late.

To tap more into natural motivation, the app could have helped people to work better hours, supporting them in their own aim, and hence be designed for this particular use case. Scrunch your time at work. Do more after work and save carbon by not being in the office after 6:30pm.

Leadership. Don’t count on it and con-sider who is selected to lead / influence.

Keep to promisesShould be a given of course, but promis-ing a comfortable working zone with free coffee and lights on a longer timer is a basic requirement when the propsition/ invitations states as such. Is it truthful?

12

Designing inclusivelyDuring the research phase we engaged with people who had special needs. However, the apps or activities were not designed inclusively. During the process there was a lot of PM lialising with un-ions and interest groups who argued the process was neglecting or disadvantaging certain interest groups.

Testing ideasAs Scrunch’s most important element was the experience whilst Scrunching it could have been tested without developing the app, testing whether the group dynamics would work and keeping development to a minimum. A lot of design thoughts and developer time was not used efficiently.

Agile is hard work!It’s easily said and it makes a lot of sense to keep time spend on a minimum before testing something. However the decision what and what does not need to be in-teractive and could be simply tested with paper prototypes needs to be considered.

LearningSmall conceptDesigning a beast without a sanity check.Details for badges which unlock rewards, ratings and messanger feedback system, floor by floor competitions... all was thrown in the bin.

Achievable aimsScrunch would only be effective if taken up by the entire community. Set achiev-able objectives: Reduce number of late night workers.

No assumptionsDon’t assume anything! Scrunch assumed people would be interested enough in their co-colleages to host a Scrunch from time to time for networking reasons. No. Even trying to encourage them to make tea for someone else (someone they barely knew) was too much asked when people were working late and feeling stressed.

Opinions don’t matterOnly the ones of users. Whether boss, another team member or a very designy front end developer’s opinion should never count more than the of users.

14

Don’t ask for too muchDon’t stretch first adopters’ good will and not too many new activities in a row.

Test colours and brandingWhat might look slick on the screen may not get any attention when in the space labelling the Scrunch area.

Web is different than print designDetailing in Indesign is only allowed if pixel perfection isn’t needed or the front end developer has design sense for spac-ing etc.

Ideas come in three when testingWhen testing, have alternatives prepared to get feedback there and then and un-derstand differences.

Scoping processEngagement activitiesPostcards / arrows to scope for what mat-ters to employees at DECC to save energy

OpportunitiesGroup and narrow the ideas down into opportunity clusters and rephrase for workshop use for ideas generation

Ideas WorkshopPlan / Facilitate brainstorming and detailing ideas.

PrototypingTry out some ideas and gain feedback

Feasibility and sanity checkWhat’s the potential outcome and success based on engagement and actualy savings

Feedback workshop / ideas run throughShare findings with user groups and get their input.

First detailsApp, service, proposition etc.

16

Design processUse Cases / PersonasWho and their attitudes (senior / junior)

User Scenario / PropositionsStory boards and scripts. Proposition detailing and getting feedback

Game Aspects / MotivationWorking with game designers to detail the game feeling and gamification

User flowsUseful for flows as reference

WireframesGood way to get structure and copy refined

Branding and detail/ copyMood boards and editing copy

TestingFeedback and adjustments

Implementation / IterationFeedback, ideas and notes for iterations

Keep it simple. Sometimes already existing elements are best, the wheel doesn’t need to be reinvented and bright colourful peeps might just simply work and be consistent with the overall brand.