Overview
The Mamoru app is a sustainable living application primarily targeting students who are eager to explore more options for their daily sustainability needs. Developed by Mamoru (Gochiso Inc.), a social startup based in Japan, the project is driven by a diverse group of volunteers from around the world, all passionate about making sustainability accessible to a wider audience. When I joined, the Mamoru app project was already nearing its pre-launch date. I was fortunate to contribute to the project and witness its successful launch.
ROLE
Product Designer (primarily contributed to user research)
TEAM
Product designer in a design team comprising 10 members
PROCESS
Weekly product development team meetings and design feedback.
Monthly all department review sessions.
TIME
Volunteer remote work of 8-10 hours per week
Accomplishments
Launched Mamoru in store offers!
APRIL 2022
were used by members in the Mamoru app!
129 OFFERS
join the Mamoru app from Dec 2022
722 STUDENTS
Problem
Since Mamoru targets students, our goal was to understand their purchasing decisions and mindset. While sustainability is still emerging in parts of Asia, Japan has long embraced the concept of mottainai. With SDGs frequently discussed in junior and senior high schools, we wanted to see how this awareness translates into daily habits beyond the classroom.
User Research
We interviewed 163 users, mostly university and senior high school students. Given the limited data size, we also used Microsoft Clarity for deeper analysis. The interviews focused on students' gifting behavior and engagement with sustainability.
Research Findings:
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Sustainability Engagement
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Students primarily engage in small-scale sustainable actions like recycling and using eco bags, as these are more accessible.
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Few actively participate in larger efforts, such as volunteering or consistently buying sustainable goods, citing time and cost as barriers.
Sustainability Gifting Behavior
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Most students avoid purchasing sustainable products due to high prices but would consider them if they were more affordable.
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Some struggle to find sustainable products, noting a lack of transparency and promotion from businesses.
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So What Improved?
Using the results observed from the user interviews, we aimed to improve our designs in the following ways:
1
Shop Page with In store Offer Example
On the shop page, we enhanced offer visibility by stacking offer cards to accommodate more in-store deals. Users can now bookmark offers for later and view participating stores' sustainability initiatives.
In-store offers with bookmark option
2
Sustainable Initiative actioned by store
Our research revealed a lack of visibility around businesses' sustainability initiatives. To address this, we introduced a summarized display of ongoing efforts, allowing users to explore stores based on their sustainability interests. Users can expand titles for more details, fostering transparency and raising awareness of lesser-known initiatives.
Sustainable Initiative with drop downs for detailed descriptions
Some Design Tasks
I mainly worked on user interviews but also contributed to designing add-ons for the app’s near-final features. One idea we explored was integrating ordering options from online marketplaces like Amazon to offer users more variety and a faster purchasing process.
Amazon check out option designs
Next: 2024 goals
Although the app has been launched, we are continuously working to promote sustainability to both businesses and consumers. The following are our goals for 2024:
Increase student engagement from 20.9% to 40% or more
