Compass:
Sustainable Futures
A recycling system, Compass for Patagonia users that provides points for every fabric recycled.
Made for
Patagonia
Year
2019
Role
Designer & Strategist
My Role
As this was a project from a competition, I played multiple roles to drive quick product development. Areas where I spearheaded for this project were user research, competitor research, feature development, design & business system.
Initial Problem statement from Patagonia:
"How might Patagonia encourage people to make environmentally-responsible decisions and buy only what they truly need?"
Our Starting Point: Worn Wear by Patagonia
Opportunity in Scenario
Patagonia has been around for 47 years and has a loyal customer base. This allegiance comes from both the durability of the products as well as the ever lasting relationship Patagonia has strived to maintain with its customers. This project seeks to leverage this existing relationship and Patagonia’s unique position to create a Positive Feedback Loop to guide the consumers towards responsible consumption behavior.
Make repair & reuse easy & cool
Chain reaction & positive feedback loop
The 7th gen principle
Rewarding sustainable habits
Create a Positive Feedback Loop to guide the consumers towards responsible consumption behavior
Goal
In the short run, we want the system to nudge emerging consumer behavior toward more sustainable ones, especially in purchasing. While in the long run, we aim to cultivate the majority amount of consumers to achieve an intermediate level of sustainable behavior and form the cradle to cradle habit of repairing and returning.
Target Audience
Traits
Traits
Meet Anna
25 years old
Patagonia consumer, Athletic
Suburbs of Colorado
“More than sustainability, I’ve seen Patagonia as a community of early adopters and athletic individuals and people who want to be part of that community, want to also be associated with the brand”
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Has a disposable Income
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Patagonia is a family brand, parents were early adopters in 80’s
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Maintains an active lifestyle
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Enjoys nature and being outdoors
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Values quality products
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Values sustainability and the environment
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Conscious buyer
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Buys basic essentials every 1-2 years
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Uses Worn Wear services, was exposed to it at a Worn Wear pop-up in Colorado
Worn Wear use case example
Process 1/2: Research Insights
Field
Research
"Communication was the key"
We visited the Patagonia store to understand how they have established a sustainable culture within their retail offerings.
We found out that Patagonia's recycling program, Worn Wear, while marketed heavily online, was tugged into a small corner at the store.
Secondary
Research
65% of consumers want to buy purpose-driven brands that advocate sustainability, yet only about 26% actually do so
Telling online shoppers that other people were buying eco-friendly products led to a 65% increase in making at least one sustainable purchase.
Giving an experience makes both giver and receiver happier, leads to stronger personal connections, and cultivates more positive memories
Social influence can be turbocharged by introducing healthy competition among different groups of people
Re-purchasing a shirt that someone discarded serves as a lesson about our relationship with our possessions.
Process 2/2: Identifying the Opportunity Area
Stakeholder analysis
Evaluating & Defining Product Concept
Factors considered to reduce Textile Waste
Community Bonding
Textile waste reduction
Retail Experience
Increase Lifespan
Bespoke
Sentiment Value
Circular Model
Through Subscription & Customization
Solution: Compass Club Membership
We envision a method to encourage Sustainable Behavioral Change through designing the customer journey in the COMPASS system to enhance the positive feedback loop in 5 aspects:
1. Personal Investment
Give club members a sense of identity
Barrier to entry is low i.e. $20 for lifetime membership
Achieve higher ranks in the club membership for maintaining sustainable consumer habits
2. Enthusiasm for buying "Better Than New" clothing
High quality products with deep discounts
A lot more points awarded for purchase of used items
1. Encourage customers to rethink the value of used clothing
2. Accelerate their member ranking
3. Reward long-term ownership
3. Rewards repair and returning items for resale 4. Demand for Zero-waste products
Promote well-executed repairs to create a vintage appeal & more meaningful relationship between customers and their products
1. Patagonia "Zero Waste" series of products made exclusively for club members.
2. Fueled by revenue generated from club membership fees and purchases
3. This series will provide members the value of owning something unique without compromising on quality.
5. Sense of progress towards sustainable consumption
1. Ability to track the progress towards more sustainable consumer habits through the point system would generate sense of progress and make the process more exciting.
2. This process will continue to motivate individuals to practice sustainability.
Behavior Change
1. Raise sustainable awareness
2. Encourage behavior change
3. Create active impact
Our Team
