Bryanna Benicia Projects

Context
As a part of Design Stratgy class at Northwestern we imagined the future of Allbirds and wellbeing.(Exploratory project only was not in partnership with Allbirds)

Areas
Design Strategy,Design Research , Brand

Skills & Tools
DScout , Figma , Buisness Model Canvas

Allbirds Mission

To serve as a driving force in a new age of sustainable manufacturing, Allbirds crafts products that people feel good in, and good about, using premium natural materials.

Allbirds Vision

To prove that comfort, good design, and sustainability don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

Allbirds Design Principles

Project Goal

How might we help Allbirds to create a future where wellbeing communities can feel more connected to one another?

Research

Methodologies

Landscape Takeaways

1. Companies are creating digital communities
2. Allbirds is expanding beyond footwear
3. Increasing consumer focus on sustainability

Primary Takeaways

Internal Wellbeing is Linked to External Action
1. Desire for minimalsim amidst pressures
2. Social Connection around shared interests
3. Mental and Physical wellbeing are interconnected
4. Difficulty to take time for yourself

Themes & Insights

Wellbeing

Wellbeing is internal, but is the result of external factors – action in the external world is how people pursue internal wellbeing.

Minimalism

People feel minimalism is important to wellbeing, but incorporating it can feel overwhelming in a society that pushes people to maximize their lives.

Sustainability

People trust companies with an authentic focus on sustainability that do more good for the world to also contribute to their individual benefit and wellbeing.

Accountability

Connecting with peers who share interests and values can contribute positively to wellbeing and motivate people to prioritize what matters to them.

Archetypes

Overwhelmed Hustler

Pressured by a maximalist society

Finds it difficult to prioritize personal wellbeing

Minimalism feels intimidating and inaccessible to embrace

Anxious Environmentalist

Wants to live a sustainable lifestyle

Feels good about doing “good for the world”

Notices tradeoffs between personal wellness and sustainability goals

Leads them to feeling anxious

Design Solution

Allbirds Nest

An ecosystem of digital, physical, and financial offerings that empower people to take a sustainable and minimalistic approach to personal wellbeing

Bird Tracks

Partnership with Apple Watch that tracks your movement and activity and encourages your holistic wellness goals through community motivation and social connection

Features & Benefits

Sustainable Apple Watch Band - The Feather Band is an ultra-comfortable sweat resistant band. The feather band priortizes all natural sustainable materials and reflects Allbird’s minimal design philopshophy. Provides a band design that users feel good about purchasing because it is sustainable.

Wellness Walks - Get notifications when someone in your bird track community has created a break event such as a wellness walk, to which users can join by taking a break and going out for a walk in their area. This provides a motivating opportunity for users to engage in wellness by doing things together without being physically together.

Wellness Activity Goals - See progress on your physical movement, time away from technology, and participation in collective wellness break activities. This provides users the ability of going beyond fitness goals to encapsulate holistic wellness goals

Feather Rewards

Participation across offerings within The Nest earns rewards called Feathers which can be used for discounts on Allbirds and other sustainable brands through partnerships

Features & Benefits

Exists across The Nest ecosystem - Users can earn rewards, called Feathers, for any activity within the system. This provides a cohesiveness across offerings and incentive for engaging in multiple offerings

Sustainable rewards - Users can redeem their feathers for discounts on Allbirds products as well as other sustainable brands through partnerships. This provides tangible value for engaging in the offerings and encourages sustainable engagement beyond just the Allbirds brand

Shoe design - Along with product discounts, top Feather earners per year can help design a special edition Allbirds shoe. This can allow people to truly feel like part of the Allbirds sustainable community through their actions.

Nature Passport

Curated journey of local nature spots paired with minimalistic wellbeing activities

Features & Benefits

Paired activities - Wellbeing activities paired with locations, accessed through the app (a guided meditation session, podcast, journal prompt etc). This provides the opportunity to actively engage in minimalistic personal wellbeing activities

Location-based - Locations included are specific to a user’s geographic area. This provides accessibility & personalization to the experience

Social - See who else has visited the place and completed the activity, while sharing your own. This provides a social component that motivates and encourges the practice

MetaNest

Minimalism is challenging, the MetaiNest is your Digital home twin that faciltitates users minimal lifestyle goals by allowing you to offload to your DigiNest.

Features & Benefits

DigiNest Catalog - Decluttering can be an overwhelming and emotional process for users trying to engage in minmalism. By scanning your items into your digital nest, users can still view their cherished items in their digital nest and when they are ready they can delete or archive them at any time.

Try out new items - Allows users to drag, drop, and rearrange potential new items into thier digital nest home. This provides users opportunities to see and try out new items digitally so they can be certain and consciousness about your future purchasing.

Gamification - Use your designated gaming system along with your switch controllers, VR controllers, or other gaming consoles controllers to interact with some of your objects if applicable such as excersize equipment. Provides a gamification element that is engaging for users and allows for personalization. Connect with your network’s DigiNest.

SoulBirds

Users can be connected with a long-term accountability partner to help them reach their goals

Features & Benefits

Soulbird matching - Get matched with with a soulbird who shares a similar aspirational or life goal. This provides a sense of connection with the partner that can provide long-lasting accountability

Monthly checkins - Formatted monthly checkins are designed to provide a regular source of encouragement throughout one’s journey. Pairings should not consume an exorbitant amount of time, but interaction should be consistent.

Share progress - Outside of the regular monthly checkins, soulbirds can share progress spontaneously with each other through pictures or text updates. This provides the opportunity to communite organically and develop a friendship with your soulbird partner.

Carbon Party

A gameified carbon footprint calculator that uses leaderboards, rewards, and friendly competition to encourage sustainable practices.

Features & Benefits

Calculator - Users can calculate the carbon emissions from their daily activities and see how much CO2 they have reduced compared to the local average emissions by person. This provides a way to compare oneself which can be motivating for people.

Transport tracking - Transportation is one of the largest sources of carbon emissions. Input your carpools, bus rides, bike rides, and compare to your friends. This provides a sense of friendly competition in the area of sustainability.

Link your card - Ability to link Allgreen card to have purchases imported directly to the game, with the ability to earn points (Feathers) on these transactions.

Allgreen Card

The AllGreen Mastercard encourages sustainable purchases by offering rewards points for taking public transporation and shopping at green businesses

Features & Benefits

Green rewards - Rewards (in cash back or Feathers) for public transportation and shopping with green businesses. This provides monetary value to uers.

Green index - A list of certified green and sustainable businesses that qualify for points on the system. This provides users with the knowledge of what to expect and how they can benefit from certain choices.

Green data - Ability to see one’s spending trends over time and the porportion of green to non-green spending, encourging users to make fewer unnecessary or unsustainable purchases. This provides users with visualized feedback that they can use to understand and improve their decisions.

Green giving - Allows users to donate rewards points (Feathers) to charitites and nonprofits (NGOs) This provides the opportunity to contribute to other good causes.

Value Proposition

The Nest empowers people to live the sustainable and minimalistic life they seek through products that offer connection and accountability around shared values.

Users Value

Fosters values-based connections

Creates accessible tools that extend internal and external minimalism

Incorporates holistic wellbeing into any busy schedule

Effortlessly incorporates sustainability into everyday life

Removes worry about greenwashing

Promotes self care & sustainability that isn’t mutually exclusive

Allbirds Value

Thought leader in a sustainable & minimal lifestyle for consumers

Increased customer base beyond apparel, into digital and social lifestyles

The keystone and connector for sustainable businesses