Designers on the Run were approached by the Scottish Business in the Community to help create a pioneering online business tool designed to help businesses make energy and, therefore, cost savings across various areas such as water, waste, transport etc. and signpost businesses to the various organisations that can help with these topics.
The online tool had to be interactive, informative, factual, relevant and above all easy to use by it’s target audience and based on an existing hard copy tool which the SBC were already using.
Design solution
Adobe Flash was used to build the online Envirowheel due to it’s neat dynamic, interactive and animation properties that were necessary in creating an attractive and engaging signposting tool.
The tool incorporates additional design elements so that it can be tailored for individual businesses. For instance, a bespoke version might be created for a business to promote specific messages around how employees can take action on environmental sustainability.
The Envirowheel’s unique design allows businesses to ‘embed’ and host the tool directly on their own websites, in the same way as Youtube videos and Google maps. This added functionality enables the user to actively encourage its’ supply chains to act more responsibly, further supporting their own environmental credentials and allowing them greater control of their emissions.
Results
Launched in Summer 2011 by Minister for the Environment and Climate Change, Stewart Stevenson, and key members of the 2020 Climate Group, it is hoped that the Envirowheel will help facilitate businesses from all sectors, and all sizes, to identify the key environmental issues and support mechanisms that are available to help them operate in a more sustainable way.
BT Scotland director Brendan Dick, who chairs Scottish Business in the Community and is a member of the 2020 Climate Group, said: “The Envirowheel will help businesses in all sectors to understand what’s needed and integrate good practices into their workplaces. It’s not just about being responsible or meeting obligations, but, crucially in the current economic climate, it can also save them money.”
Lady Susan Rice, Lloyds Banking Group Scotland, who is a member of the 2020 Climate Group, said “In a society which by nature tends to make things more and more complicated, the Envirowheel really stands out for its simplicity. It’s simple to use, simple to understand, and I can see how it would be genuinely helpful to a business, particularly a smaller one which doesn’t have a whole unit specialising on environmental matters.”
Client testimonial
Designers on the Run are an exceptional young team who have worked diligently to create, what we hope will become, the most important tool for environmental businesses support in Scotland. Their knowledge of the design process, their technical expertise and their account management experience exceeded our expectations. We will certainly be working with Designers on the Run in the future. - Todd Henshaw, Mayday Marketing Manager, Scottish Business in the Community.
