Recycling with Ridwell made easy
Context
I teamed up with Ridwell, a fast-growing sustainability startup, to design their first iOS app. Working closely with a researcher, I moved beyond just building a pickup tool—I focused on creating better ways for Ridwell’s community to stay connected to their mission. To help the company scale nationwide, I balanced shipping essential features today with a long-term strategy for the future.
Problem
The web experience was limiting
Needing to login every time, clunky UX and navigation, and a generally dated experience
Confusing pickup flow and details
The pickup flow desperately needed a refresh, along with clarity on what could be picked up and when
Value beyond convenience was unclear
The Ridwell customer base was fiercely engaged – the company wanted to showcase the community they built and the impact they were having
Before: a difficult web experience
Process
We started with a fast-paced discovery phase to uncover key questions early and understand their user and their offering. Starting lean helped me quickly build two different approaches into interactive prototypes for testing. Working alongside a researcher, we found exactly where the current service was frustrating users and shifted our focus to the features that mattered most.
As the design lead across both UX and UI, I translated these validated insights into a high-fidelity, production-ready MVP. This involved crafting a sophisticated visual language that maintained Ridwell's brand integrity while ensuring a seamless handoff to their engineering team for launch.
Testing prototype
Challenges
Assets of garbage are a unique challenge
Including visuals was an important aspect of clearly communicating what could be picked up. Knowing that a large portion of these were plastic bags, styrofoam, takeout boxes, etc. made it an interesting challenge to create clear but still visually consistent and on brand.
Early concepts
Results
The new mobile app makes recycling with Ridwell easier than ever. By showing members the collective impact of their waste-saving efforts, we’ve turned a simple chore into a community mission. It’s built to scale, ensuring Ridwell can keep growing alongside its members.
Future thinking: impact and community concept
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