Community Carbon
Community Carbon an innovative platform designed to foster community-driven environmental action. Unlike traditional social media apps that rely on passive content, this app introduces an interactive, node-based web that visually maps connections between individuals, groups, events, and opportunities. The app empowers users to discover, collaborate, and track their environmental impact through gamified challenges, educational resources, and real-world engagement.
Project Overview
Concept
Our platform serves to empower users to discover, collaborate, and track their environmental impact through gamified challenges, educational resources, and real-world engagement.
🌎 Core Mission & Vision
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Mission: Empower individuals and communities to take meaningful, measurable action toward environmental sustainability by providing engaging, accessible, and data-driven tools.
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Vision: Build a global network of environmentally conscious users who collectively contribute to a healthier planet by turning digital connections into real-world impact
Target Audience
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Individuals looking to engage in local sustainability events.
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Community leaders and organizers seeking tools for volunteer coordination and community impact tracking.
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Educational institutions incorporating environmental action into their curriculum.
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Municipalities and businesses aiming to foster green initiatives through community collaboration.
The Problem We Solve
The world faces a growing gap between climate action awareness and participation. Despite increased awareness, many individuals feel disconnected from tangible actions they can take within their communities. Existing platforms often fragment the sustainability experience, requiring users to juggle multiple apps for event discovery, resource sharing, and impact tracking.
We Bridge The Gap
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One unified platform for sustainability events, discussions, and challenges.
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A platform tailored to provide experiences to incentivize participation and measure community impact.
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Interactive tools that turn awareness into action by connecting people with local groups and impactful initiatives.
Together, we aim to empower communities, track collective impact, and inspire lasting environmental change. 🌱🌏
Research Phase
The research phase was critical in shaping the direction of the platform, need, and audience. It involved understanding market trends, analyzing competitors, defining target personas, and gathering insights from stakeholders. The following steps break down our process in identifying a product gap and how we chose to break into our niche.
Market Analysis
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Conducted AI-assisted market research to identify trends in environmental technology and community engagement.
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Analyzed reports from sustainability organizations and social engagement apps.
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Gathered first-hand insights from our target audience through survey and interview process.
Competitor Insights
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Olio: Effective in peer-to-peer food sharing but lacks broader sustainability features.
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JouleBug: Strong in corporate sustainability challenges but weak in local community involvement.
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AWorld: Provides carbon tracking tools but lacks collaborative community functionality.
User Personas & Pain Points
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Developed detailed personas representing eco-conscious individuals, community organizers, and municipal partners based on our market research findings.
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Key pain points identified: fragmented tools, lack of visibility on personal impact, and difficulty organizing community events.
Community & Stakeholder Interviews
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Conducted interviews with 20+ users and 5 community leaders to understand needs and expectations.
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Common themes: desire for local event discovery, simplified impact tracking, and meaningful rewards.
Key Takeaways
The demand for real-world environmental impact tools is growing, specifically in the need for community formation and organization. Our research and touch-points throughout the target communities showed that users prefer collaborative experiences and progress tracking over passive content consumption. Privacy concerns are paramount, especially with data analytics for municipalities.
Ideation & Concept Development
During the ideation phase, we explored various approaches to engage users and facilitate meaningful environmental action.
Node-Based Connection Web
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We wanted to introduced an interactive, map-based interface for users to visually navigate community networks. This was a response to replace traditional infinite scroll features with dynamic relationship nodes representing people, groups, events, and initiatives.
Key Innovative Features
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Gamified Action Tracking: Users earn badges, complete eco-quests, and join group challenges.
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Impact Dashboards: Personalized and community-wide sustainability metrics.
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AI-Driven Event Recommendations: Suggests relevant activities based on user behavior and location.
Design & Prototyping
The design phase focused on translating ideas into tangible, testable prototypes.
Design Thinking Process
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Empathized with users, defined challenges, ideated solutions, prototyped interfaces, and tested designs.
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Prioritized accessibility and simplicity to engage a broad audience.
Wireframe Development
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Created low-fidelity wireframes to test layout and navigation concepts.
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Developed high-fidelity prototypes using Figma, incorporating branding elements and interactive components.
User Journey Walkthrough
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Illustrated key pathways like event discovery, impact tracking, and group collaboration.
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Simulated user interactions to refine usability.
Business Strategy & Monetization
Business Model
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Freemium Structure: Basic app features are free, with premium subscriptions unlocking advanced tools.
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Partnership-Based Initiatives: Collaborations with eco-conscious brands and municipal sustainability departments.
Revenue Streams
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Premium Subscriptions:
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Monthly fee: $6.99 for features like personalized dashboards and goal tracking.
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In-App Purchases:
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Virtual badges, avatars, and customization options.
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Corporate Partnerships:
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Custom sustainability challenges for businesses to engage employees.
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Municipal Analytics Services:
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Data-driven insights on community engagement and environmental impact.
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Marketing Approach
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Launch in partnership with brand recognized organizations, companies, and NGOs in networks of our target audience
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Host platform sponsored community challenges with tangible environmental goals and community rewards.
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Collaborate with educational institutions to integrate app tools into curricula, offer additional educational resources, and build integrations with other commonly used apps in the space.
Current Stage and Next Steps
As of February 20, 2025, the "Carbon" app is in the prototype development phase, focusing on the "Log Activity" feature. This feature enables users to record their participation in sustainability events, with AI-driven analytics calculating metrics such as "CO₂ Saved," "Total Hours," "Trees Planted," and "Money Raised." The development team is actively refining the user interface to ensure a seamless and intuitive user experience.
Development Timeline
Year 1
Beta Launch and User Feedback
Year 2
Official Launch and Market Expansion
Year 3
Feature Enhancement and Monetization
Year 4
Data Analytics and Business Services
Year 5
Global Expansion and Continuous Improvement
Q1-Q2: Finalize prototype development and initiate a closed beta with select users to gather feedback.
Q3-Q4: Analyze beta feedback to identify and implement necessary improvements. Expand beta testing to a broader audience.
Q1: Officially launch the "Carbon" app across major app stores.
Q2-Q4: Implement marketing strategies to increase user acquisition. Establish partnerships with environmental organizations and municipal bodies to enhance app content and reach.
Q1-Q2: Introduce new features such as gamification elements, personalized recommendations, and social sharing capabilities.
Q3-Q4: Explore monetization avenues, including premium subscriptions, in-app purchases, and corporate sponsorships.
Q1-Q2: Develop advanced analytics tools for users and partners to assess environmental impact.
Q3-Q4: Offer data-driven insights and services to businesses and municipalities to aid in sustainability planning and reporting.
Q1-Q2: Expand the app's reach to international markets, adapting to local languages and sustainability practices.
Q3-Q4: Continuously update the app based on user feedback and emerging sustainability trends to maintain relevance and user engagement.