Enviromate

AI-Assisted Research Tool for Environmentalists | 2023
Project Overview
EnviroMate is an AI-assisted tool designed to support environmental researchers by automating the writing and communication process of their findings. The project was born from a desire to explore how AI could help researchers save time and communicate their research more effectively. Initially, we assumed that researchers would need assistance with data visualization, but our research revealed that their greatest challenge lay in translating their raw research into structured reports and papers.

EnviroMate addresses this need by providing an intuitive solution that integrates into researchers' workflows, allowing them to generate structured documents from their notes and findings while integrating seamlessly with popular tools like Word, PowerPoint, and Zotero
My Contributions
I was deeply involved in both the discovery and design phases, ensuring that the user needs were well-understood and translated into a functional and efficient tool.
  • User Research: I led the interview processes, setting up multiple sessions with our users to discover and test the solution.
  • Ideation & Design:  Collaborate in the development of wireframes, user flows, and the prototyping process, iterating on designs based on user feedback.
  • Testing & Iteration: Collaborate in setting up the testing environment and scheduling test sessions with our expert users.
A mockup of the platform in web and mobile app versions.
01- Discovery
We began with a detailed research phase, conducting surveys and interviews with researchers from organizations like SESAM at Polimi and CAR Cundinamarca. Initially, our assumption was that researchers needed help visualizing their data, as we expected their technical focus to be centered on data analysis. However, our user research revealed something surprising: their primary challenge was not the data visualization itself but rather the process of turning their raw data and notes into structured, coherent reports.
User Research: Interviewing
Defining User Personas
Core Problem
Our research also highlighted that the final stages of research—writing and publishing papers—required the most time and mental effort, a factor we hadn’t fully considered before. By focusing on this problem, we shifted our solution towards creating a tool that could assist with these later stages, allowing researchers to transform their raw data into structured reports more easily.

From this insight, we redefined the project’s core problem: "How might we streamline the report-writing process to save researchers time and let them focus more on their actual research?".
Reframing the Problem: Our Insights and HMW
02 - Concept Definition
With a clear understanding of the problem, we began brainstorming the potential features for EnviroMate. The tool needed to streamline the entire report-writing process, from gathering notes and drafts to creating structured reports.
Our Concept
Offering Map
Stakeholder Map
Competition Matrix Analysis
03 - Designing the Experience
The design process began with defining the experience through mapping: we created a touchpoint map to define the service interaction, and the user journey map with a System UX Map -very similar to a service blueprint- to outline the stages, interactions, and multiple layers and actors involved.  

Then, we created user flows and wireframes in Figma, focusing on a streamlined interface that would not overwhelm researchers. We proposed a dashboard where users could manage all their ongoing projects, with easy access to key functions like report drafting, visualizations, and collaborative features. The aim was to keep the interface simple and intuitive, while powerful enough to handle complex tasks like organizing research notes and generating reports.
Touchpoint Map
User Journey Map
System UX Map
Prototyping
First approach to the solution
We tested our low-fidelity prototype with several researchers using the Maze platform. The tasks focused on key functionality like generating a report from notes and using the AI-powered tool to structure content. The feedback was largely positive, with users appreciating the intuitive interface and the significant time savings the tool provided.

However, there were some areas for improvement. Users expressed the need for more customization, especially in managing the length of the report summaries, and they requested clearer visual contrast for key interface elements. Based on this feedback, we refined the prototype to make it more user-friendly.

First Approach

We made several previous sketches of the interface we had in mind. We wanted to summarize in max 6 drafts the main functionalities and screens of our solution.

04 - High Fidelity Prototype, Iteration & Testing
The iterative process allowed us to refine EnviroMate based on user feedback. One of the key learnings was the importance of flexibility. Researchers wanted control over how their reports were structured, particularly in terms of the length and tone of summaries. We incorporated more options for customization, allowing users to adjust the report format according to their specific needs.

Another key learning was around accessibility. We improved the contrast in the interface and simplified some of the navigation elements to ensure that all users could easily engage with the tool, regardless of their technical proficiency.

Overall, the iterations resulted in a more polished, usable tool that met the core needs of our target audience. The final product was not only functional but also adaptable, allowing researchers to work efficiently and focus on the actual task of research rather than the mechanics of writing and reporting.
Dashboard
Features: Writing a Report
Features: Summarizing
How Integration Works
Word Integration
PowerPoint Integration
Testing
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