Ecotrails is a mobile application that aims to reduce the harmful effect of vehicles on the environment by encouraging users to improve the environmental impact of their daily transportation through an emotional response. The app records the users travel on a map, estimates the type of travel used, calculates a score and displays it visually through the avatar of Peter the Pukeko whose health is effected by the 'friendless' of the users travel.
I worked alongside another designer and two developers in creating this application. My contribution included the design and functionality of the login page and the avatar/information page. I designed the character, Peter the Pukeko and his environment and animated him in Flash Professional. I then created user interactions with the avatar in Flash Builder.
We wanted this application to be very different from others alike. Instead of trying to encourage user action through displaying statistics, we wanted to create an emotional response between the user and the character. This allows the application to be understood by everyone and makes saving the environment enjoyable.
