SWAY
SUMMER 2018

tree canopy from a hammock vantage point

Behavior & Conservation

Ecosystem overview, leverage points, metric collection and places of opportunity to increase user investment in the environment.
 

Information Flows

One of the core design goals is to connect hammockers with the trees they enjoy.  Showing localized environmental data stirs curiosity and awareness, and trigger loops that get people invested in their impact. 

The focus for increasing ecological awareness is on information flows, as access to information can nudge behavior changes.

Changing the flow and transparency of ecological information, and providing data to the user can help monitor ecosystems at a hyper-local level. We can continue to understand the effects of ecological disruption and improve responses to global climate change — act by act, atom by atom.

"Missing information flows is one of the most common causes of system malfunction. Adding or restoring information can be a powerful intervention…It’s important that the missing feedback be restored to the right place and in compelling form.”

Donella Meadows
THINKING IN SYSTEMS

Carbon Capacity

Carbon is present in all living things, and cycles through all systems of life. When carbon is released into the atmosphere, it attaches to oxygen to create carbon dioxide, which trees and plants absorb to create food, and which traps heat in our atmosphere and keeps the planet warm.

Carbon is a primary player in the human impact on climate change, because we produce so much of it. And because it has to go somewhere, the carbon continues to be absorbed and cycled until there’s build-up and major disruption.

This is especially true in the fragile cycle of photosynthesis. When plants are overloaded with carbon dioxide, their ability to effectively process it is compromised.

"Key players in photosynthesis are the stomata, the holes in the leaf surface that allow the carbon dioxide to enter. Rising levels of carbon dioxide, and increasing photosynthesis, stimulate the stomata to close. This, of course, will slow the increase on photosynthesis. So whatever effect the increase in photosynthesis may have in reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide will be limited. At some point, metaphorically speaking, the trees will cry, “Enough!””

Colin Tudge
THE TREE

Environmental Metrics

There are services like iTree Tools and Global Forest Watch that collect and share environmental data specific to parks and forests.

iTree Tools is produced and maintained by the U.S. Forest Service, and among their collection is a service that calculates tree canopy information by analyzing points from an aerial view to determine size and type of canopy cover.

It calculates benefits of the trees based on the region and whether the selected area exists in an urban or rural setting.  For example, the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by my favorite grove in the center of Manhattan is going to be higher than the carbon dioxide absorbed by my old oak friend down in Texas [note]32.853770, -96.615801, so stubborn he won’t let any other trees grow near him[/note].

TREE BENEFIT ESTIMATES

Inputting the coordinates from the grove in Central Park produces a detailed breakdown of the grove’s annual benefits on the environment around it.

Changing the angle

Collecting Tree Data

Hammockers want to see hang spots and hazards, but the act of scanning a grove can also show users the direct impact of their trees and collect valuable environmental data. Both the user and the environment benefit from a scan for hammock spots.

The challenge for UX is to integrate any metrics gathering into the existing flow, and not overwhelm the user with information. For example, trunk measurement is a freebie we get with a hammock scan. Same for hazards.

Trunk circumference measurement for data collection has an industry standard height of 4.5 feet from the ground.  This is a consistent height separate from any measurements for a hammock hang point.

For each tree, two trunk circumference measurements would need to be gathered, one for the user’s hang point (variable), and another for the tree’s circumference (4.5 ft). Measuring tree circumference is useful in estimating age and showing tree growth over time.

An initial listing of metrics we can collect through the scanning of a grove:

• Tree circumference
• Forest hazards, downed trees, cracked branches
  

Hazard identification is a priority for hammockers and parks management, as it allows for tagging, monitoring and removal of hazards.

Calculating Tension

Collecting Canopy Data

With metrics that live in the canopy like oxygen and carbon dioxide, finding user-flow integration isn’t as easy.

For starters, scanning a tree canopy doesn’t have much to do with finding a hammock spot. However, staring up into the trees has everything to do with hammocking. When laying in a hammock, you can’t do much else.

• Give the user an incentive to scan the canopy once they are in their hammock.
• Keep with the feature design goals of being minimal, practical, and laid-back.

Calculating Variables

User Incentive

When a user scans the canopy above them, it serves as the act of “checking in” to their hammock spot, and provides them with an entry in the history log and a location on the map. This allows a user to see details about the places they’ve been and the surrounding ecological and spatial makeup of those areas.

This solves another problem for the user flow: creating a trip log for a hang session. Scanning a grove may produce many spots, but asking a user to log their spot before they've hung their hammock will result in a lot of incorrect logs as users re-adjust. 

Users should be able to check in to their hammock spot from within their hammock. In this case, by scanning up into the canopy.

FEATURE EXPLORATION

Canopy Scan

When a user is settled, they should be able to save their trip from their hammock.

Hang Range

Real-World Applications

Throughout the research and explorations, I have been deliberate in minimizing business objectives. A product needs to balance the business with the user needs in order to survive in today's market, but they are like peanut butter and jelly. Best served side by side, not emulsified. There's time within a project for exploring business goals and time for exploring user needs.

Here are a few places within the experience where we can successfully integrate monetization.

E-COMMERCE INTEGRATION

There are thousands of different type and styles of hammocks for sale, and being able to visualize those products 360º between two real trees is a nice addition to any outdoor company's customer acquistion plan.

Offering opportunities to purchase hammocks, accessories, and experiences within a hammock-related app seems a natural extension.

The design strategy advocates for no advertising while in a park or forest.

PARKS MANAGEMENT

There are opportunities within the app to take donations, fees, and fundraising campaigns for local and state-mananaged parks, as well as environmental and hazard data-sharing.

Data provided by users can also be aggregated to provide Parks Departments and management with information to show the best places within a city to plant new trees or create new parks.

Understanding carbon needs in an area of a city can support city planning.

User Model

Mapping grove

LAST

Participate

project recap and participant requests