Introducing Green Token: A climate change solution

There’s a considerable discussion surrounding blockchain’s impact on the environment. Many point out that cryptocurrency mining is highly energy-intensive and generates a massive carbon footprint.

However, Web3 technologies are not doomed to be forever eco-harmful. According to some experts, blockchain has the potential to unlock innovative and environmentally friendly solutions.

Green Token is one of them. 

About

Green Token is an on-chain solution designed to unite purpose-driven individuals, business owners, and startups who value ecology. 

Its primary goal is to create a sustainable future for everyone. How? By building a community and rewarding its members for their eco-conscious decisions with the company’s social token, $GREEN.

Challenge

Green Token first approached us due to our expertise in custom fintech software development. They had identified a few critical opportunities in the Web3 space that could help combat climate change.

The whole product should be based on the idea of community. Creating an engaged and active group of ecology and technology enthusiasts was thought to be crucial for product success. 

They tasked our team with conducting UX research to gain a more holistic understanding of potential target customers—including individuals, businesses, investors, and eco startups—for marketing, targeting, and product planning purposes.

UX research

To understand potential users, our UX team searched for answers to the issues:

1. What does it mean for people to be eco-friendly?
2. How do potential users express their concern for the environment?
3. What can encourage potential users to adopt eco-friendly practices?
4. How do they perceive the potential of blockchain technology and Web 3.0?
5. What factors contribute to individuals feeling a sense of belonging and community connection?

This knowledge would inform Green Token’s business, product, and marketing strategy, especially what they should offer (utility) to build a more engaged community, how to communicate their value proposition (both on social media and their landing page), and what marketing channels to use.

What research methods did we utilize?

• 60-minute moderated interviews 
• Usability tests

After the interviews, we asked users to look at the client’s landing page to observe how they behave, what they see, and if the page content is easy to understand.

Who did we interview?

• We aimed to talk with Green Token’s potential customers: startup founders, investors, individuals, and business owners—key criteria for choosing interview participants were: ecology and technology interests.
• We selected various respondents that met our recruitment criteria and conducted 14 in-depth interviews within two weeks.
• We talked with people from Asia, Europe, and the USA.

What did we learn from the research?

Key findings: Blockchain

• Blockchain offers a sense of freedom and empowerment by bypassing traditional institutions. However, it is vital to acknowledge the potential risks associated with the crypto industry, such as scams and gambling-like activities. 
• The ever-evolving crypto world poses challenges in staying informed and comprehending its complexities. 
• People are interested in practical applications of blockchain technology and desire a clear rationale behind its use in projects like Green Token. 
• Despite the non-environmentally friendly applications of blockchains and their bad PR, people recognize the value in the technology itself and do not exclude its use, even for ecology-related projects.
• The ideal blockchain project should provide both financial opportunities and align with personal interests or passions.
• Transparency and security are highly valued, and finding trustworthy projects is a significant challenge. Projects demonstrating full transparency, including whitepapers, roadmaps, and work processes, can be game-changers.

Key findings: ecology

• For our respondents, being eco-friendly means doing small/daily things & making conscious choices. They believe technology can support ecology and save the world.
• Going green can be a hassle and take time, but it’s something to be proud of.

Key findings: community

• Communities play a vital role in sharing knowledge, experiences, and project discussions with like-minded individuals. They serve as platforms for business interactions and information exchange. 
• To thrive, a good community should be diverse and inclusive, welcoming individuals from various backgrounds. 
• The success of a project often relies on the success of its community. However, there are challenges to be aware of, such as the need for moderation, engagement, and clear guidelines within the community. While rewards (tokens) can serve as encouragement, they alone cannot create a truly engaged and active community.

Product Discovery Workshop

The next step we took was conducting a Product Discovery Workshop session. This workshop aimed to 

• Specify and agree on project fundamentals.
• Define the MVP scope of the selected products yet to be developed.

First, we went into detail about the main three parts of the Green Token product, which are:

• Investment / Support
• Rewards
• Community platform

The main conclusion was that these platforms are interrelated and should be built simultaneously. Still, the Community segment is the core of the project.

Secondly, we selected and prioritized which parts of the Green Token platform should be developed first for maximum value. 

In the workshop’s final part, we concentrated on implementing selected products practically. 

We brainstormed how to build products with already existing tools and how to test ideas offline in a money-saving way. For products that required development, we worked to limit the scope and deliver products that are simple but fully functional, valuable for users, and quick to develop. 

Solution idea

The UX research results fueled not only the scoping process for the MVP. The part of Green Token’s activity that required the most urgent change was its online presence, especially – the landing page.

For startups, landing pages serve as business cards or bargaining chips and can make users sign up for their waitlist or drop it. Thus, making landing pages as easy to understand and compelling as possible is essential.

We leveraged the UX research insights to create a new communication strategy for Green Token. One of the main conclusions was that they needed to demonstrate greater transparency, so we decided to focus on this.

• We created a micro mock-up to show how the research insights can be displayed on their website.
• We advised Green Token to prominently showcase the people behind the project, both on social media and their website, providing information about who they are, how the idea originated, and the individuals involved in the project.
• We suggested that they showcase the number of initiatives they have already undertaken.
• We showed them the importance of displaying the logos of their partners, all within the context of transparency.
• We recommended they write texts explaining why they use blockchain as a technology and how it aligns with climate protection.
• We prepared a draft page showing Green Token’s product roadmap and how it works step by step.
• We suggested they clearly describe their recent green initiatives in their news updates.
• Since users understand being eco-friendly as doing small things, Green Token should provide rewards even for minor actions like small sustainable purchases, not just for participating in large-scale eco-activities.

Results

We’ve armed our clients with insights from UX research to make their product and marketing decisions more informed. We also created an MVP strategy to ensure they can focus on building the most valuable parts of their product first.

Green Token embodies this spirit of sustainability, and we firmly believe that their innovative solution will pave the way toward a greener and more prosperous world!