Cities aim to become climate-proof through various urban interventions, many of which require citizen support and participation. However, citizens do not understand climate risks or do not know how to take proper action. Digital climate action platforms have the potential to reach larger numbers of citizens, but they are ineffective and underutilised. This project developed a tool to increase awareness about climate change, and motivate and empower citizens to take climate action. My role focused on shaping the user experience: from defining user needs through research, to designing and testing interaction flows and delivering a Figma prototype.

Problem definition

Lack of clarity: Digital climate action platforms provide technical, unclear, and overwhelming information that scares away users.

Lack of guidance: Digital climate action platforms do not guide users in taking action in the real world, so citizens do not translate knowledge into action.

Lack of engagement: Digital climate action platforms are not engaging, visually appealing, or intuitive, so citizens quickly drop out when using them.

Design goal

Design a digital platform that motivates and empowers citizens to take climate action in real life.

Research

I conducted a comparative analysis of 13 existing digital platforms for public participation and climate action. I then identified the most common design elements employed across these platforms and analyzed their intended purposes, such as fostering engagement, informing users, or guiding their actions.

Design guidelines

Based on my research findings combined with the ones of other team members, we developed a 6-point rubric, a set of actionable design guidelines for creating effective digital climate action platforms.

Informing citizens and valuing their knowledge

Balancing negative and positive communication

Providing personally relevant perspectives

Providing individual and collective action tools

Providing clear, reliable, and open scientific data

Including appealing and engaging elements

Design iterations

Building on the research findings, we explored solutions through three prototyping and testing iterations, evolving from low-fidelity paper sketches to a refined high-fidelity prototype in Figma. The iterations allowed us to explore clear data visualization strategies, motivating tone of voice, intuitive and accessible user flow.

First user test with lo-fi paper prototypes

Screens from the first digital prototype

Concept

Personalization and storytelling: Users navigate through the platform following the story of a persona they relate to the most. Additionally, at multiple times during the experience, they get to personalize the content based on their input.

Clear and local climate data:
Through the everyday experiences of the persona, users discover and understand climate change data and local climate risks. The data is communicated through relatable stories and familiar visuals.

Sharing opinions and contacts with the community:
Users are invited to share with other users and with the municipality their opinions and perceptions about the city, climate change, and climate adaptation. They can also see the opinions and perceptions of fellow citizens, creating a sense of community.

Using AI to visualize the future:
Through the life journey of the persona, users explore both dramatic and optimistic future (AI-generated) scenarios of the city with respect to climate change. This helps them to visualize the negative impact of climate change and the positive impact of climate action and climate adaptation.

Call to action and possible ideas:
Users are informed and connected to a range of local individual and collective initiatives for climate action that are tailored to the users' profile. This gives them the necessary tools and knowledge to take climate action in real life.

User interface

The interface was designed in alignment with Citizen Voice’s branding to ensure coherence and recognition, while the friendly and colorful style was chosen to make the platform approachable for non-expert users. Visuals make use of familiar data visualization strategies and inclusive representation.

Final evaluation

The final testing phase showed promising results, validating the concept and its potential impact. With more time and resources, I see exciting opportunities to further refine the tool, particularly by polishing interactive elements, enhancing UI details, elevating the visual design, and optimizing mobile responsiveness.

Media and events

During this one year long project, we had the chance to present the concept at the AMS institute Scientific Conference, at the Climate Action Festival organised by the Delft University of Technology and at the Out-Mathenesse Lentefeest in Rotterdam. Furthermore, Citizens meet Climate was selected by 4TU.Federation as part of the 2024 portfolio of design projects that explore how design can drive change.

Read the 4TU.Federation article

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