Carbon
Graph

To begin to redesign CarbonGraph’s offering to create a competitive advantage, we needed to understand the needs of its target market. Taking on the role of research lead, I conducted interviews with sustainability managers across fashion brands and synthesized our findings. 

These interviews confirmed a general trend in the space: current carbon tracking software utilized generic benchmarking data (public life cycle analyses) that left companies with less than accurate footprints. Companies were left wondering whether they were over or underestimating their emissions and where, specifically, they could make improvements in their supply chains. CarbonGraph’s offering would need to provide for a more flexible approach that automates wherever possible while also allowing companies to input supply-chain-specific data (e.g., supplier location and grid type).

After identifying consumer needs, we aimed to more fully understand CarbonGraph’s current offering. Hopping on a call with the Chief Technology Officer, we walked through a demo of Carbon Graph’s machine learning technology and carbon accounting database.

With a better understanding of CarbonGraph’s current offering, we conducted a competitive analysis and summarized our collective findings into a market requirements doc. (I took the lead on our differentiation section). Once we had reached a consensus on our market strategy, I led our team in brainstorming product specifics & dove into initial wireframes.

After receiving feedback from our in-class advisor and with the product requirements document as our overarching goal, I turned my attention to refining our wireframes—striving to make a simple, inviting home page.

One of our main interview findings was that carbon accounting feels complicated and intimidating. We wanted to condense our product into an easy four step process.

Another key insight was that companies are currently using ad hoc processes or completely externalized products for their carbon accounting. CarbonGraph is looking to integrate more seamlessly with brands’ in-house processes to build up their footprint, one product at a time. First, customers can select their product type.

Customers can then upload their internally generated Bill of Materials to simplify and automate the process.

Next, we sought to resolve a key tension in the carbon accounting space: the desire for simplicity and specificity. With a simple breakdown of the supply chain that follows a chronological process, users are given a clean, logical interface that provides an overall summary.

Users can then deep dive into the footprint by using a drill down structure that allows them to find (and edit) more specific information. 

Finally, brands had two main motivations in tracking their carbon footprint: taking emissions-reducing actions and communicating those actions to their consumers. In order to take action, brands are looking to really understand their product-level footprints and how those relate to their company-wide picture. To meet this need, CarbonGraph will provide comprehensive dashboards that supply brands with product-level comparisons across competitive products as well as the supply chain-specific information they need to optimize their decision making.

The Result

With our market/product requirements docs, wireframes, and final pitch deck in hand, we presented our findings to our class and the Carbon Graph team. Reorienting to the needs of CarbonGraph’s target market segment has allowed them to make critical alterations to their product offering. 

It has also provided them with the needed foundation to continue to gain traction among brands and solidify their funding pitch—enabling them to contribute to making our planet a more energy efficient one for us all.