For the 2024 IDEO Designathon, my team and I worked on a sustainable solution, titled Verdante, that addressed the following prompt:
How might we bring the little joys of gentle and emerging tech to empower communities with sustainable living?
Our Team and Approach
Our team consisted of myself, Anika Edara, Madison Lee and Noah Araya. We began by dissecting the prompt, taking "gentle technology" to mean solutions that were approachable, intuitive, and impactful. Our goal was to create an accessible product that anyone, regardless of technical expertise, could use.
Research and Insights
To inform our design, we explored two key target groups:
Middle-Aged Adults (40-60 years old):
Often interested in gardening but lack environmental awareness.
Desire for community connection and meaningful activities.
Frequently live with dependents, such as children.
Low-Income Communities:
Limited access to affordable, healthy food options.
Scarcity of resources and support systems for sustainable living.
Higher risk of obesity and diet-related health issues.
Key Findings
Pain Point: Low-income communities face barriers to healthy food access and environmental engagement.
Opportunity: Middle-aged adults are under-engaged in sustainability efforts but could benefit from gardening and resource sharing.
User Personas
We developed two personas to center the project on real user needs:
Xavier (46 years old): A low-income father struggling with obesity and providing balanced meals for his family. He needs affordable, nutritious food options and simple ways to improve his family’s diet.
Janice (60 years old): A retiree looking for a new hobby and meaningful connections. She’s interested in contributing to her community and sharing meals but lacks a starting point for sustainable living.
Our Solution's Features
We designed a platform integrating gentle technology to promote sustainable living through gardening, community building, and healthy eating.
Personalised Gardening Recommendations: A machine learning algorithm analyzes air and soil
quality (via camera scans) and user preferences to suggest the best plants for a garden. Includes reminders for
plant care, watering schedules, and composting tips.
Sustainable Recipes & Meal Sharing: AI-generated recipe suggestions based on ingredients users
already have. Encourages users to share meals or excess produce with neighbors to reduce waste and foster
connections.
Community Marketplace: A geolocation-powered platform for crowdsourcing resources, such as
seeds, tools, and homegrown food. An algorithm prioritizes locally relevant items to ensure accessibility and
efficiency.
Interactive Map: GPS-enabled maps display nearby resources, community gardens, and
opportunities for meal-sharing or composting collaboration.
Health and Sustainability Education: Quick guides on sustainable practices like composting and
eco-friendly gardening. Tips for using gardening as a way to improve personal health and reduce costs.