Neighbourhood waste segregation guide

01 / Define

The problem to explore

A fictional residents' association wants better waste segregation, but people are unsure which bin items go into and collection times keep changing. Explore a simple guide and reminder experience for residents and staff.

This is an original UXCharan practice scenario, not a commissioned client project or a validated research finding. Treat the problem as a hypothesis. Adapt it when your research points elsewhere.

Who to learn from

Apartment residents and housekeeping staff responsible for segregating waste. Recruit consenting adults with relevant experience where possible; document recruitment limits and avoid claiming your sample represents everyone.

02 / Discover

Research before choosing a solution

Questions to investigate

How do residents decide which bin to use today?
What would motivate consistent segregation?

Start with a small set of interviews or contextual walkthroughs that fits your access and consent arrangements. Compare two existing approaches to the same task. Separate direct observations, participant statements and your own assumptions. If primary research is not possible, clearly label desk research and list what remains untested.

Map the experience

Trace the task from its trigger through completion and follow-up. Identify where information, responsibility or confidence is missing. Choose one opportunity you can justify with evidence.

03 / Design

A manageable project scope

Search how to dispose of an item
see collection schedule
report a missed pickup

Choose one primary device and a realistic context of use. Explore at least two approaches before refining a flow. Build only the screens and states needed to demonstrate the selected task; a complete production system is outside this brief.

Include the difficult moments

Item not in the list
schedule changed for a festival
staff member does not read English

Document loading, empty, error and success states where relevant. Consider keyboard order, text enlargement, contrast, meaningful labels and alternatives to colour-only status. Use synthetic data and a fictional brand; do not collect real medical records, credentials or payment information.

Project-specific artefact

A visual item search with pictures and local-language labels.

04 / Test & improve

What would make the design work?

Can residents correctly classify common household items after using the guide?

Turn this question into realistic prototype tasks. Record whether participants complete each task, where they hesitate, what they misunderstand and how much help they need. Choose success criteria before testing; report observed counts with sample size, rather than claiming statistically proven improvements.

Prioritise findings by impact on the task. Revise the flow and retest the most consequential change where possible. If you cannot retest, explain that limitation.

05 / Tell the story

Your submission checklist

Problem framing, intended users, scope and your role.
Research approach, anonymised evidence and assumptions that changed.
Journey or flow, alternatives explored and reasons for your decisions.
A visual item search with pictures and local-language labels.
Viewable Figma prototype or a shareable document, including key edge cases.
Usability findings, before-and-after revisions and remaining limitations.
A concise portfolio narrative that labels this as a self-initiated concept.

Show what you learned and changed. Do not invent testimonials, interview quotes, launch metrics, employment relationships or business outcomes. Disclose material AI assistance and verify generated content.

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Useful methods for this project

These sources inform the learning process; they do not validate the fictional scenario or endorse UXCharan. Explore more tools in the resource library.