Identifying the Requirements for Designing a Collaborative Application for Separation of Municipal Waste From Its Source With a User-Centered Design Approach

Articles in Press

Document Type : Scientific- Research Article

Authors

1 Master’s Student, Department of Visual Communication, Faculty of Art, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran.

2 Assistant Professor, Industrial Design Department, Faculty of Applied Arts, Iran University of Art, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Municipal waste management is one of the important concerns of urban management, and separation of waste by citizens from its source is considered one of the most important waste management solutions in recent years, and the use of systems and software in this field is increasing in order to setting the stage for and encourage users to do this. But what characteristics should an application of waste separation of municipal waste from its source have so that it can raise citizens' awareness, facilitate their participation, and have appropriate usability? Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify the requirements for the user interface design of a collaborative application in order to separate waste from its source using a user-centered design approach. In order to study users in detail and facilitate access, the statistical population was selected as citizens of Sari. In this applied research, information collection was carried out through library and field study methods, and the method of implementation is based on the user-centered design process. After planning the process and carefully examining the conditions and context of using the software, user requirements were identified using interview tools and questionnaires and formulated in the form of practical guidelines for designing the software's user interface. Then, using other tools of the user-centered design process, the user interface was designed and prototyped, and its usability was examined by personas representatives, and as a result, software problems were identified and corrected in this test. By designing multi-level affordances, the optimal use of this application has been provided for both normal and disabled users. The results of the research show that adhering to user-centered design principles in designing an application to separate municipal waste from its source will play an effective role in increasing citizens' awareness and facilitating their participation in this matter, leading to improved usability of the application. This research can be considered a successful example of designing applications related to the environment and urban services, as well as promoting social knowledge and culture based on the user-centered design process.

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Journal of Applied Arts

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 30 May 2026

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History

  • Receive Date: 16 March 2025
  • Revise Date: 21 November 2025
  • Accept Date: 22 November 2025

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