AWorld + Cosmico 🍃

The AWorld mobile app suggests a weekly theme, daily tips, news, and a list of actions that anyone can implement to adopt a sustainable lifestyle. In addition, it keeps track of behaviors and habits and, through gamification, awards points to users. The services dedicated to companies include prize games, educational pathways composed of bite-size information and challenges, and other content that encourages company employees to learn about and adopt sustainable actions. At the beginning of 2023, AWorld decided to make the app more intuitive and turned to Cosmico for redesigning the content and user experience. With our talent matching service, we selected a Product Designer with expertise in UX/UI and experience in mobile apps to support the internal team in improving flows, enhancing interfaces, developing new features, and overall helping AWorld define a structured approach and design system.

Her contribution to the project was fundamental: studying the target audiences through interviews and usability tests to understand how to truly empathize with users and actively engage them in using the app not only when a reward is involved but also when there isn’t a prize at stake. To start, Cosmico's talent supported the product team in interviewing independent users, that is, the consumers who download the app to become more sustainable. Then, she focused on the other segment, i.e., company employees. These two targets use the app for completely different reasons, so it was necessary to understand how to provide an experience that would work for both of them.

Cosmico supported AWorld in structuring a design thinking approach in order to accelerate the iterative process of investigating problems, creating solutions, and implementing the improvements. This way, it’ll be possible to test data-driven ideas faster and more efficiently in the future.

Furthermore, the collaboration with Cosmico involved restructuring the section dedicated to actions: some of them were rewritten and new ones were added. We also gave support by suggesting actions and outlining guidelines to make them more actionable for the user. With a bird's-eye view of the product, the talent from Cosmico seamlessly integrated into AWorld's internal team, even if she was working remotely. She was trusted and given the freedom to maneuver. This not only enriched the project but also fostered professional growth.

Reducing the human impact on the planet, day by day

The core business focuses on education, action, and challenges for companies. The "Journeys" section consists of a series of stories for microlearning that aims to educate and improve behaviors to make them more sustainable. The “Actions” section, on the other hand, follows the United Nations “Act Now” principle and shows all the sustainable variations of an action, including "choose to buy locally sourced produce," "always bring a reusable water bottle with you to work," and “avoid buying fruit wrapped in plastic.” This section offers a collection of best practices related to work, home, waste, shopping, water, transportation, and energy. There are different categories, each with its own set of actions, that allow users to create their own routines, decide which actions they want to track daily, and keep a record of.

In the “Challenges” section, companies can create collective challenges that last from one to six months and give away both individual and collective prizes. Some of these prizes could be winning a sustainable experience, planting trees, or supporting bee protection. As employees read more content and log more actions, they move up in the rankings among their colleagues and get closer to receiving a reward.

Furthermore, there are challenges that are open to all users. In fact, there’s a part of the community that’s been formed around initiatives of associations.

How many tons of CO2 does each of us emit through our daily activities? AWorld offers a questionnaire to calculate one’s annual footprint, divided into four areas: Home, Food, Shopping, and Transportation. Knowing which area has the most significant impact helps users understand where they need to focus their efforts.

Why we like AWorld

Like Cosmico, AWorld seeks to drive a cultural change. After all, the app was created to inspire people to adopt tangible and daily actions with measurable results. In the fight against climate change, AWorld helps companies and individuals take steps towards achieving the goals necessary to reduce our impact on the planet.