Check out our White Papers
Learn how Indeemo can support your research projects and generate rich, contextual insights that help you better understand your target audience and build empathy across your entire organisation.
How a UX Diary Study Discovered Differences in Waste Disposal Behaviours : A Case Study on Sustainable Living
With continuous reports showing that consumers are becoming more conscious of their purchasing habits pertinent to healthier and sustainable lifestyles, the spotlight for many brands around the globe is on sustainability.
This is not withstanding that climate change and environmentally damaging production of consumer goods is of increasing concern to many.
During 2022, we saw an influx of clients focusing their research budgets on sustainability, and as we roll into 2023, it is continuing to be one of the most important research areas in customer experience and consumer behaviour research.
For this case study we present the results of a project that blends both user experience research and consumer behaviour. In the context of sustainable living, this study is of interest, primarily due to three overarching findings that resulted from the 4-week diary study.
Research Objective : understanding waste disposal behaviours and routines
For our client, it was imperative that they gain a greater understanding of two things. First, to understand their customers, their everyday lives, their community life, and the waste disposal habits of themselves and the people they live with.
Second, our client was keen to see how their respondents adjusted to a new mode of sustainable living. This involved the study being designed around introducing respondents to an alternative mode of waste disposal via the their user experience of a newly designed Mobile App.
Fieldwork Duration
This Diary Study was conducted over four consecutive weeks, with a total sample size of 30 participants recruited across four different communities in the region. 4 weeks was allocated to give the client a more longitudinal lens for the research to capture waste disposal behaviours and - if possible change in behaviours - over a sustained period of time.
30 Respondents
6 Tasks
4 Week
Strategy: Scheduled Tasking
Tasks
In total, there were six tasks incorporated into this study. The tasks were designed to be scheduled, meaning that each task was programmed to appear at a particular day and time during the fieldwork.
The tasks included selfie video tasks to understand the respondents attitudes to sustainability and waste disposal, a walk about safari style video showing the location of all waste disposal and recycling bins in and about their homes, a daily diary task where the respondents recorded what they disposed of and what they recycled and screen recording tasks focused on the respondents’ use of the new mobile app.
Benefits of the Methodology
1/ Distant Approach
No requirement for face-to-face investigation - Respondents can participate in the project from the comfort of their own location.
2/ Economically Viable
The elimination of travel expenses and reduction of inactive time result in a highly efficient approach for researchers to conduct qualitative studies on a broad scale.
3/ Yields In-Depth Understanding
Observing real behavior offers authentic insights in comparison to participants recalling past experiences, thereby eliminating concerns about recall accuracy and potential biases in focus group discussions.
4/ Flexible Methodology
The wide range of applications includes day-in-the-life mobile diary studies, UX research, testing of concepts and products, path to purchase studies, omnichannel shopper insights, and service design and patient journey research.
5/ Rich Capabilities
The Indeemo App, specifically created for online qualitative research, provides a superior alternative to Zoom Calls or WhatsApp research with its automated video transcription, push notifications, support for over 20 languages, moderator dashboard, and mobile screen recording features, enabling researchers to deliver insightful results for clients and stakeholders.
Results
With a large sample size for a diary study, the data obtained was wide and varied. Videos, photos with captions, screen recordings and notes were logged over the duration of this study. These rich, contextual uploads resulted in a wealth of insights for our client.
First, unknown to the researchers at the outset of the project, the diary study resulted in them capturing the entire waste disposal user journey. This commenced with the in-app user experience to the physical waste disposal behaviours that followed. The diary entries obtained enabled the team of researchers to create a visual representation of various waste disposal user journeys based on the diverse personas recruited for the study.
Second, our client also noted that with respect to different personas across all communities who took part in the study, differences in waste disposal behaviours highlighted areas for improvement and multiple initiatives to encourage more sustainable habits.
Lastly, due to the duration of the fieldwork, patterns of behaviour change began to emerge. At the outset, respondents showcased and described their waste disposal habits, which in fact was the first indication of varying behaviours across the cohort.
Towards the end of the fieldwork however, our client's team of researchers observed a gradual shift towards more sustainable waste disposal behaviours by the respondents as they became more conscious of their waste disposal practices.
Confidential, Safe and Secure
Confidential: Our 1-to-1 connection with research participants ensures maximum privacy and confidence.
Safe: Anonymous participant logins and separate recruiter accounts minimize Personal Health Information (PHI) exposure.
Secure: Our platform has undergone rigorous evaluation by top healthcare providers to guarantee security.
GDPR Compliant
ISO 27001 Certified
Enterprise Ready
HIPAA Compliant
