Recycled Safety Net for Urban Renewal (Service + UI/UX + Pilot)

1) Background

During building renovation in Shanghai, construction safety nets and scaffolding often block storefront visibility and narrow sidewalks. After use, most safety net material is discarded, creating avoidable plastic waste and missed opportunities for reuse.

2) Problem

• Street-facing shops lose visibility, foot traffic, and revenue during renovation.

• Residents face reduced walkability and low transparency about timelines and impacts.

• Used safety nets are rarely recycled, causing resource waste and pollution.

• Stakeholders (government, contractors, shops, residents) lack a shared channel to coordinate and communicate.

3) Goal

Create a scalable solution that:

• reduces negative impact on local businesses and residents during renovation,

• turns discarded safety nets into reusable, community-facing assets,

• uses a lightweight digital layer to make renovation information and participation easy.

4) My Role

End-to-end project owner (research → service design → UI/UX → pilot):

• Conducted stakeholder research and synthesized key pain points

• Designed the service blueprint across the renovation lifecycle

• Ran material experiments to upcycle used safety net into usable signage/objects

• Designed the supporting app (IA, flows, high-fidelity UI, prototype)

• Validated the concept through a small pilot with local shops

5) Solution

• Physical layer: upcycled safety-net material turned into practical items (e.g., storefront signage, progress boards, QR touchpoints) to restore visibility and communicate clearly.

• Digital layer (app): a single place for renovation timelines, safety guidance, shop promotions, and community updates—tailored by user type (resident / merchant / public staff).

6) Outcomes

• 4 design iterations; delivered 32 high-fidelity UI screens and a complete prototype.

• Pilot with 3 local shops: average revenue +42.2% and foot traffic +48.3% during renovation.

• Upcycled 120㎡ of discarded safety net with 100% reuse, avoiding ~18kg plastic pollution.

• User satisfaction reached 94% after feedback-driven refinements.