Kolektivo: A climate regeneration app

* Jaap van der Voort, Raz Pulurian, Miho Soon, Guilherme Mauele, Enrique Badaracco, and others designed this project's branding, UI design components, and mock-ups.

Introduction

In this project brief, I will explore my contribution and learnings as a UX researcher to the web3 startup Kolektivo. Which launched at the start of 2022 I was excited to work with a team of around six skilled UI/UX designers. The main solution Kolektivo pioneered was allowing local communities to create regenerative economies to incentivize more climate action ecological systems on which they depend. Due to this ambitious vision, it was a complex project involving multiple stakeholders, which had to be considered when designing a platform for launching a regenerative economy.

Kolektivo's approach

Kolektivo's approach to enabling communities to establish a regenerative economy involves integrating Web3 technology, including digital assets like ERC-20 tokens and NFTs, with real-world ecological systems.

Kolektivo would allow communities to tokenize the ecological systems they rely on—such as forests, reefs, rivers, and lakes—and issue a digital currency backed by the health and sustainability of these ecosystems.

UX Research objectives

Our objectives to create a simple and seamless user experience were;

• Create a human-centered UI design that includes key features yet reduces complexity
• Understand the local cultural context of Curaçao for Kolektivo's Pilot product.
• Discover what a positive impact is on a local's day-to-day life.
• Highlight the key stakeholders of the regenerative economy platform. e.g. food Farmers, Coral farmers, Bankers, and Social workers.
• Explore the key stakeholders' general understanding when using a platform that leverages web3/crypto technology by presenting our V1 mock-up.

Step-by-step process

To achieve our UX objectives for this project a two-week trip to the Caribbean island of Curaçao was planned in Q1 of 2022 for additional fieldwork. Being a local, I guided the research team through the cultural nuances while designing and conducting interviews and usability tests to reach our UX objectives.

Some important steps when conducting UX field research for a foreign company or organization:

• Educate the team on the historical and cultural reality of the country/society.
• Set up clear goals for your UX field research.
• Set clear ethical boundaries for the research team and review them.
• Conduct interviews with two or three people to ensure these ethical rules are respected.
• With novel or foreign tech like web3 or AI provide a mock-up or prototype to help the user understand it faster.
• Major advice: If it's not your culture, include a local UX/UI researcher to help achieve trust among the individuals you interview or test.

Findings and Insight

Our research revealed that many locals involved in environmental regeneration were not enthusiastic about using a digital platform daily. This prompted the UI/UX design team to revisit their approach.

It became clear that offering simpler services, such as facilitating online purchases or connecting volunteers and workers for regeneration projects, was more essential.

Conclusion

To conclude, this experience was an incredible learning curve for the team, me, and my people of Curaçao. Conducting UX field research is essential when your product is destined for a specific social environment. Go with a plan, be kind to the people, and most importantly have fun while you gather the information to craft a smooth user experience!

All love for my Kolektivo fam.