The document summarizes research conducted for the GreenFolio app, which aims to create an artist community focused on eco-friendly projects. Research included surveys, interviews, personas, and user testing of prototypes. Key findings were that users want to share projects anonymously without judgment, and are open to eco-friendly materials but need exposure. Features prioritized allowing anonymous posting of eco-friendly projects and finding inspiration. The prototype was iteratively tested and improved based on user feedback. Next steps include further iterations, testing, and potentially expanding the app.

1. GreenFolio
Stephanie Kaplan, Ji Eun Hong, Jonathan Fuhrken
November 16, 2015

2. GreenFolio
Table of Contents
App Objective……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..3
Research Report………………………………………………………………………………………………………….4
Research Objectives………………………………………………………………………………………………..…5
Research Summary……………………………………………………………………………………………………6
Brand Analysis……………………………………………………………………………………………………….7-8
Comparative Analysis……………………………………………………………………………………………..…..9
Survey & Interviews………………………………………………………………………………………….……10-11
Personas………………………………………………………………………………………………………..….12-13
Feature Prioritization…………………………………………………………………………………………..….14-15
Tech Research………………………………………………………………………………………………..…..16-18
User Testing……………………………………………………………………………………………………….19-23
Prototype…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………24
Next Steps…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……25
2

3. GreenFolio
Objective
To create a community for artists, to use on-the-go,
that not only encourages use of eco-friendly
materials in their projects, but also enables posting
and display of their project photos without judgment.
3

4. Research Report
GreenFolio
Stephanie Kaplan, Ji Eun Hong, Jonathan Fuhrken
4GreenFolio

5. GreenFolio
Research Objectives
1. Would users join a community to share
eco-friendly visual creations using their
smartphones?
2. Whether using eco-friendly materials
matters to users.
5

6. GreenFolio
Research Summary
• Documenting the artistic process is a chore for artists,
ranging from amateur to semi-professional.
• Current social media landscape is cluttered with too many
comments, likes, rankings, stars, and hash tags.
• Users feel apprehensive about expressing themselves in
the current social media landscape because they don’t
want to be rated by others.
• Users are open to creating eco-friendly projects but are
not exposed enough to the idea to consider eco-friendly
materials for their projects.
6

7. GreenFolio 7
HOME
IMPROVEMENTS
ARTWALL MURALS
D.I.Y
[DO IT YOURSELF]
REPURPOSING
CRAFT
WOOD WORK
AUTOMOTIVE
USAGE OF PLUTONIUM SPRAY PAINTUSAGE OF PLUTONIUM SPRAY PAINT

8. GreenFolio 8

9. GreenFolio 9
Comparative Feature Analysis

10. GreenFolio
Screening Survey Questions
10
Have you shared what you've made
using any of the following
smartphone apps?
Instagram
Behance
Pinterest
Facebook
Linked In
Other
I do not share what I've created
Have you worked on any of these projects
within the last year?
Painting
Murals
DIY (do it yourself)
Woodworking
Decorating
Crafts
Home Improvement
Other
I have not worked on any in the past year
Do you currently use a smartphone?
No
Yes
Age Group
18 – 25
26 – 30
31 – 35
36 - 40
41 – 45
46+

11. GreenFolio
User Research: Interview Questions
11
How many creative projects
have you worked on in the
past year?
In our survey, you mentioned working on a
variety of creative projects within the past year...
What kind of materials do
you use when you're
creating?
Can you tell us more about a project you worked on recently?
How (if at all) do you record your process?
How (if at all) do you share your project and/or your process?
How do you share
your projects?
If No, may I ask why you don't share these?
What do you use to
capture your project
and/or process?
Is there a particular app that you use?
Is there a particular
reason you share on
a certain platform?
What do you like about sharing on this platform?
Are there things that would make the process better?
If you share on more than one platform, may I ask why?
What are some
considerations when
beginning a project?
I've noticed you haven't mentioned the environment, may I ask why?

12. GreenFolio
Persona 1: Eco-Friendly Hobbiest
12
Nala Painter
Nala has a crate of apples at home, and she
doesn’t want to just throw away the crate. Instead,
she wants to start a new DIY project. She decides
to repurpose her apple crate into a shelf. She
takes the crate into her backyard to give it a fresh
coat of paint. Once her shelf is hanging on the
wall, she wants to share her final creation.
• Female
• 28 years old (26-30)
• Art is a hobby
Needs
• To be anonymous
• To encourage others to be eco-friendly
• An ability to share projects
Context of Use
• Variety of spaces at home
Pain Points
• Feels her creation isn’t worth sharing
• Documenting the process is annoying
• Shallow rating and commenting
• Eco-friendly materials are hard to find

13. GreenFolio
Persona 2: Semi-Pro Artist
13
Veronica is taking a break from a project in her
studio. She decides to take a walk through the
Union Square farmers market. She checks her
phone for further inspiration for her project and
needs a new place to find ideas that are not
subject to social media popularity contests.
• Female
• 32 years old
• Semi-professional artist
Needs
• To be anonymous
• A place to find inspiration on the go
• An ability to share projects
Context of Use
• Studio work space
• On the go
Pain Points
• Documenting the process is annoying
• Shallow rating and commenting
• Current social media landscape
Veronica Miller

14. GreenFolio 14
Feature Prioritization
…users SHOULD be able to…
Choose to post anonymously
Post a photo of the finished project
Indicate the completion progress of the project reflected in the photo
Find inspiration and ideas for eco-friendly projects and media
…users COULD be able to…
Post more than 1 photo with a project
Write Description, their reflections on the project, materials, advice, etc.
Receive incentives from Plutonium Paint for creative, eco-friendly project post
…users WON’T be able to…
Share to each other within the app
Comment on others’ project posts
Contact the posting artist to follow up
Rank each others’ work
Edit photos with editing tools within the app
Take photos within the app
eature Prioritization: The MoSCoW Method
…users SHOULD be able to…
Choose to post anonymously
Post a photo of the finished project
Indicate the completion progress of the project reflected in the photo
Find inspiration and ideas for eco-friendly projects and media
…users COULD be able to…
Post more than 1 photo with a project
Write Description, their reflections on the project, materials, advice, etc.
Receive incentives from Plutonium Paint for creative, eco-friendly project post
…users MUST be able to…
Post Photos of their eco-friendly projects
Label the Characteristics of the project (usage categories)
Upload photos from Albums on mobile device
Indicate Plutonium Paint usage in project
Access easily your inspirational Favorites
Report Inappropriate or offensive project posts (explicit)

15. GreenFolio
User Research: Eco-Friendly Artist Community
15

16. GreenFolio
Tech Research: Anonymity
16

17. GreenFolio
Tech Research: Temporary Storage
17

18. GreenFolio
Tech Research: Account Types & Storage
18

19. GreenFolio
User Testing: Creating a New Post
19
Move the + button to the tool bar a the
top of the screen
Tone down the font treatment of the
“Categories” label
Redesign the look and feel of the
category buttons
Users clicked on the Category to
create a new post because
⁃ they did not see the +
button on the bottom tool
bar
⁃ the categories looked like
the most actionable part
of the screen
Problem
Solution

20. GreenFolio
User Testing: Progress Bar
20
Problem
• Users thought the progress
bar referred to the finished
status of the post
Solution
• Change the wording in the
progress bar

21. GreenFolio
User Research: Home Screen Category Card Sorting
21
Card sorting was used to
validate the category order
on the home screen
Card Sorting
Participants were asked to
place the cards in the order
of “most likely” to “least
likely” to get inspiration for an
art project
During the process, several
of the categories changed
Ex: Repurpose -> Upcycling
Wall Paintings -> Murals
DIY -> DIY [Do it yourself]

22. GreenFolio
User Testing: Home Screens
22
2. We tested several alternates of our
main screen for usability & interest
1. We received feedback during testing
that our main screen of categories was
the dullest
3. After several rounds of testing we
landed on this final variation for our
main screen of categories

23. GreenFolio
User Testing: Home Screen Tool Bar
23
• Users did not understand
different bottom tool bar icons
in various iterations
• After multiple rounds of
testing, the MY icon that was
used in the first iteration
replaced the iOS profile
symbol
• The leaf replaced the light
bulb as an icon for more
information about eco-friendly
materials including Plutonium
Paint
Problem
Solution
MY
MY
MY

24. GreenFolio
Prototype

25. GreenFolio
Next Steps
• Further iterations and prototyping.
• Further user testing.
• Expansion of app to include other creative
additions to the GreenFolio such as creative
writing.