Galene

empowers scuba divers to collect deep sea water samples and contribute to microplastic research

Context 

Every second, 500 tonnes of plastic is being desposited in the ocean. Microplastics are less than 5 mm, this causes marine animals to often mistake them as food. Therefore, it is urgent to support marine scientists in monitoring the ocean. Project Galene is inspired to create a design solution to advance microplastic research with a citizen science approach that contributes to marine ecology. Our team consisted of 4 designers with background in psychology, project management, architecture, and engineering.

Q: What is galene?
A: Galene is the goddess of the sea in Greek mythology.

Timeline: 9 weeks

My role: UX Designer & Researcher. My roles were focused on digital design, user flows, ideation, and survey. My teammates also helped with these roles. 3D modeling and printing were designated to a teammate with architecture background.

Outcome Overview

Here is how scuba divers & marine scientist collaborate.

 The process

 01. Initial Research Question

 02. Expert Interview

We interviewed with Dr. Julie Masura in Geoscience department at UW Tacoma. Her research focuses on determining the concentrations of microplastic in the waters of the Pacific Northwest. Interviewing an expert allows us to have access to an unfamiliar research field.

We asked:

• What data is needed for the microplastic research?
• What is a valid water sample size?
• What are the current challenges?

 We learned…

03. Contextual Inquiry

We visited Diver Institute of Technology, and interviewed an instructor that trains professional divers.

 We learned…

04. Surveys & User Interviews

We received 120 survey responses and conducted 8 user interviews.

 We learned…

05. Iterated Design Question

Based on research insights, we refined our design question, scoped down on engaging scuba divers who possess the right skills, interest and capacity to access underwater deep sea samples.

06. Personas

Given a refined design question and the insights gleaned from our user research, user personas were created to represent the pain points and needs of our primary stakeholders.

07. Synthesizing Findings

 Design principles

08. Ideation Sketching

Based on the design requirements, there were 3 necessary components of our solution.

 We explored a variety of forms and materials through 20 sketches.

We evaluated based on the design principles and eventually down-selected to 2 concepts that combine S-biner with Foldable Bottle to suit all the requirements.

09. Physical Devices Prototyping

Our first physical prototype, S-biner and Galene Capsule were designed based on the finalized sketches.

The physical prototypes are modelled by Rhino and materialized with 3D printing. After printing, we assembled the printed prototype with a collapsible cup that was purchased in the market.

Galene Toolkit Prototyping Process

 Galene Toolkit Mid-Fidelity Prototype

10. Galene app Prototyping

The main purpose of the Galene App is to:

• Find microplastic research projects nearby
• Record and submit sample data

User flows

The user flows help us map out each step the user takes, from entry point to the final interaction.

11. Usability Testing

Products:
•Galene toolkit
•Galene app

Task:

 12. Iterating User Flows

Based on usability testing feedback, we iterated the user flow.

13. Galene App High-Fidelity Prototyping

 14. Galene Toolkit High-Fidelity Prototyping

15. Takeaways & Next Steps

What I learned…
Expert interview and usability tests have been the most helpful methods to understand the unfamiliar field, marine research and scuba diving. It helped us to figure out the requirements from the researchers and what are citizen scuba divers’ concerns in a short period of time. I also learned that true teamwork means being honest, asking for help, and providing assistance. Project Galene couldn’t have been finished in 9 weeks without such great teamwork.


Given more time…
1. We would talk to more researchers to provide us a better understanding of the different research needs. This would further establish validity to our solution. By doing so, the Galene toolkit could be used for different kinds of research as well.

2. We would test the prototype under constraints (e.g. underwater). Doing so could allows us to simulate similar environments that scuba divers would have.