Revolutionising Landowners' Access to Forest Carbon Insights
CHALLENGE
CHALLENGE
CHALLENGE
Our mission was to create a web application that accelerates decision-making for landowners seeking to participate in forest carbon markets. Leading the product design process, I took on the challenge of designing a dynamic dashboard that visualises critical insights landowners need to assess the feasibility of forest carbon projects.
With the core objective of providing actionable, user-friendly data outputs, I collaborated closely with industry experts and stakeholders to align the design with user needs and business goals. By working iteratively and bringing stakeholders into the process at regular intervals, we developed a compelling solution that transforms how landowners unlock the value of their land.
This was the challenge driving the business’s ambition to launch a new mobile app. The right approach wasn’t obvious: a quick browser-based solution or a native app with greater capabilities?
As the design lead, I guided cross-functional teams through workshops, user validation, and iterative design. What we created wasn’t just an app but a platform that empowered users to reclaim value from their personal data, putting Google at the centre of the experience.
DISCOVERY & RESEARCH
DISCOVERY & RESEARCH
Given the technical and domain-specific nature of this product, I focused my initial efforts on engaging directly with in-house experts. This allowed me to bypass traditional user research and tap into their deep understanding of landowners' needs and barriers.
From these discussions, I identified the key data outputs that landowners would prioritise:
Carbon Potential: A 50-year forecast of carbon capture potential for their land.
Revenue Estimates: Projected income from carbon credits and other ecosystem services.
Optimal Species Mix: Recommendations for tree species and planting configurations.
Cost Breakdown: Capital expenditures, workforce needs, and subsidies available.
These insights informed the structure and focus of the dashboard design, ensuring the most relevant and actionable data was prioritised.
The initial idea was simple: let users earn by browsing. But discovery workshops revealed this wouldn’t meet deeper user needs. Whilst familiar, browsing alone wasn’t inspiring or empowering.
Through stakeholder discussions, I proposed a bold pivot: allow users to earn directly from their Google data. Google, as a tech giant, has accumulated vast user data. Enabling people to reclaim value from it felt innovative and empowering. The challenge was to make this idea intuitive and seamless.
VISUALISING IMPACT
VISUALISING IMPACT
I crafted a clean, data-driven interface that prioritised clarity and usability:
Key Metrics at a Glance: Carbon potential, revenue forecasts, and costs displayed through intuitive graphs and bold KPIs.
Interactive Map Integration: Overlays for usable land, carbon density, and planting areas, seamlessly linked to key outputs.
Drill-Down Insights: Clickable metrics leading to detailed tabs on revenue breakdowns, species recommendations, and subsidy eligibility.
Focused Simplicity: Essential data surfaced upfront, with secondary insights in expandable sections for a clutter-free experience.
This design ensured landowners could quickly grasp their project’s feasibility while offering depth for further exploration.
Discovery uncovered key user needs: simplicity, transparency, and control. This shaped a vision for users to easily connect their Google accounts, track earnings, and feel empowered.
I prioritised concepts and developed wireframes focused on trust and ease of use. User testing refined the designs further, ensuring the process was intuitive at every step. The final experience made connecting accounts and earning from data seamless and rewarding.
OUTCOME
OUTCOME
By designing a dynamic dashboard that visualises complex data in a simple, actionable way, we delivered a tool that empowers landowners to assess forest carbon project feasibility with confidence.
This solution transformed a process that previously took months into a matter of minutes, unlocking opportunities for landowners to monetise their natural capital and accelerate access to carbon markets. The dashboard also established a strong foundation for future iterations, positioning the tool as a leader in accelerating nature-based solutions.
It empowered users whilst driving significant growth and strengthening brand trust.
By taking bold risks and listening to users, we created a product that gave them control over their data and set a new standard for digital empowerment. The project also set a scalable design framework for future digital products.