Time management:

One key challenge in this hackathon project was managing time constraints, which prevented the development of an eco-activity tracking feature that could have further enhanced user engagement and provided meaningful insights into environmental impact.

Team efficiency improvement:

I learned the importance of improving team efficiency through clearly defined roles, creating timelines, assigning a minute-taker for meetings, and documenting plans, progress, and feedback to foster better collaboration and accountability. Additionally, I realized that an over-emphasis on implementation led to insufficient focus on the slide presentation, highlighting the need for a better balance between execution and communication.

A stronger business model needed:

Finally, I also recognized that ecoScore needs a stronger business model. Typical credit card incentives range from 1–5%, but even at the higher end, a 5% VISA reward isn't compelling enough to drive user behavior or differentiate the offering. This insight underscored how crucial a sustainable financial strategy is—not just for user incentives, but also for securing partnerships and sponsorships long-term.

This project pushed me to grow beyond just creating beautiful interfaces:

I learned how to pivot quickly in response to shifting priorities, design with behavioral impact in mind, and ground visual decisions in research-driven insights. Moving forward, I aim to apply these lessons by streamlining design workflows, collaborating more effectively across teams, and delivering solutions that balance user needs, business goals, and long-term impact.