Project Overview
greenimpact.io is a comprehensive sustainability reporting platform designed to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) comply with the European Commission's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).
My Role
As the UX Designer on this project, I led user research, experience design, and visual design to create an intuitive system that simplifies complex regulatory requirements for SMEs without dedicated sustainability teams.
greenimpact.io is a comprehensive sustainability reporting platform designed to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) comply with the European Commission's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).
My Role
As the UX Designer on this project, I led user research, experience design, and visual design to create an intuitive system that simplifies complex regulatory requirements for SMEs without dedicated sustainability teams.
Deliverables
❖ User Research & Insights (Interviews, Surveys)
❖ Personas & User Journey Maps
❖ Competitor Analysis
❖ Information Architecture & User Flows
❖ Wireframes & UI Design
❖ Interactive Prototypes
❖ Usability Testing & Iterations
❖ Visual Identity & Design System
❖ User Research & Insights (Interviews, Surveys)
❖ Personas & User Journey Maps
❖ Competitor Analysis
❖ Information Architecture & User Flows
❖ Wireframes & UI Design
❖ Interactive Prototypes
❖ Usability Testing & Iterations
❖ Visual Identity & Design System
Problem
SMEs are crucial to the green transition but face challenges with complex sustainability reporting, such as CSRD. Unlike larger corporations, they lack dedicated ESG teams and must navigate compliance with limited resources.
SMEs are crucial to the green transition but face challenges with complex sustainability reporting, such as CSRD. Unlike larger corporations, they lack dedicated ESG teams and must navigate compliance with limited resources.
Simple Registration
Register your company quickly and easily in just three steps.
Pay-As-You-Go Tools
Activate the tools you need and pay only for what you use, nothing more.
Support made easy
Use the Help Center for tutorials, FAQs, messaging us, or booking a CSRD consultant - no hiring required.
Data Overview & Files
No more scattered data. Access a single dashboard with a complete overview of all data. Store all sustainability files securely in the cloud, with the ability for each employee to upload, share, and collaborate seamlessly.
Green Profiles & Community Access
An excellent opportunity for small businesses to showcase their sustainability initiatives. Connect with like-minded partners, explore collaboration opportunities, and attract potential investors.
The Product Development Life Cycle has guided the development of this SaaS product from initial concept to launch, ensuring a user-centered experience throughout. The process followed five key stages: Foundational Research, Define, Design, Test, and Launch. Below I’ll walk you through each stage and share how I made design and product decisions that led to the solution you see above.
Foundational Research
User Research
The platform targets SMEs that contribute to the green transition, without being limited to a specific industry, and it is designed to be versatile, offering value across multiple roles:
❖ Business Owners – oversee company-wide sustainability efforts and strategic decisions
❖ Marketing Managers – communicate sustainability initiatives and enhance brand reputation
❖ Business Development Managers – identify growth opportunities through green partnerships and compliance
❖ Compliance Officers – ensure adherence to sustainability regulations and reporting requirements
❖ Sustainability Managers – develop and implement ESG strategies within the company
The platform targets SMEs that contribute to the green transition, without being limited to a specific industry, and it is designed to be versatile, offering value across multiple roles:
❖ Business Owners – oversee company-wide sustainability efforts and strategic decisions
❖ Marketing Managers – communicate sustainability initiatives and enhance brand reputation
❖ Business Development Managers – identify growth opportunities through green partnerships and compliance
❖ Compliance Officers – ensure adherence to sustainability regulations and reporting requirements
❖ Sustainability Managers – develop and implement ESG strategies within the company
Competitive Analysis
An initial competitive analysis was conducted to identify key players and understand their offerings, laying the foundation for refining the product concept. A more detailed analysis will follow later to inform feature prioritization and user experience strategy, uncovering market gaps and opportunities for innovation.
Normative: Sweden-based carbon accounting platform for comprehensive emission measurement and CSRD compliance. Combines software with expert guidance.
Valified: Danish ESG reporting platform tailored for SMEs. User-friendly tool that simplifies sustainability reporting, including CO₂ calculations, to drive business advantage.
Briink: AI-powered ESG and CSRD reporting platform. Automates data extraction from documents and reports, reducing manual effort and consulting costs.
Ignite: Norwegian platform integrating procurement with sustainability reporting, including carbon accounting for CSRD. Offers modules for ESG and compliance, emphasizing Scope 1-3 emissions.
An initial competitive analysis was conducted to identify key players and understand their offerings, laying the foundation for refining the product concept. A more detailed analysis will follow later to inform feature prioritization and user experience strategy, uncovering market gaps and opportunities for innovation.
Normative: Sweden-based carbon accounting platform for comprehensive emission measurement and CSRD compliance. Combines software with expert guidance.
Valified: Danish ESG reporting platform tailored for SMEs. User-friendly tool that simplifies sustainability reporting, including CO₂ calculations, to drive business advantage.
Briink: AI-powered ESG and CSRD reporting platform. Automates data extraction from documents and reports, reducing manual effort and consulting costs.
Ignite: Norwegian platform integrating procurement with sustainability reporting, including carbon accounting for CSRD. Offers modules for ESG and compliance, emphasizing Scope 1-3 emissions.
Interviews
To create a platform that effectively addresses the needs of SMEs, gathering in-depth qualitative insights from potential users and stakeholders is essential. Explore suggested interview questions designed for various SME roles, along with key discussion points to facilitate meaningful and focused conversations.
To create a platform that effectively addresses the needs of SMEs, gathering in-depth qualitative insights from potential users and stakeholders is essential. Explore suggested interview questions designed for various SME roles, along with key discussion points to facilitate meaningful and focused conversations.
Define stage
“I want a quick way to understand what the CSRD requires of my company and to see our sustainability performance at a glance, so that I can ensure compliance without taking too much time away from running the business.” - Business Owner
Pain Points
Through interviews with business owners, marketing professionals, business development managers, compliance officers and sustainability officers from 27 SMEs, I identified five critical pain points in sustainability reporting:
➤ Time & Resource Constraints
➤ Data Availability & Management Issues
➤ Complexity of CSRD & Compliance Requirements
➤ Impact on Business & Reputation
➤ Lack of Internal Alignment & Tools
Through interviews with business owners, marketing professionals, business development managers, compliance officers and sustainability officers from 27 SMEs, I identified five critical pain points in sustainability reporting:
➤ Time & Resource Constraints
➤ Data Availability & Management Issues
➤ Complexity of CSRD & Compliance Requirements
➤ Impact on Business & Reputation
➤ Lack of Internal Alignment & Tools
Survey Insights
Based on insights gathered from a survey of 210 respondents, it has been determined that:
➤ 78% of SMEs struggle with inconsistent sustainability data, affecting report accuracy
➤ 84% find CSRD reporting, especially Scope 3 emissions, too complex, and 79% struggle to keep up with changing regulations
➤ 65% are concerned about the time and cost of hiring consultants or adopting new systems
➤ 68% still rely on spreadsheets, and 72% lack specialized ESG reporting software
Based on insights gathered from a survey of 210 respondents, it has been determined that:
➤ 78% of SMEs struggle with inconsistent sustainability data, affecting report accuracy
➤ 84% find CSRD reporting, especially Scope 3 emissions, too complex, and 79% struggle to keep up with changing regulations
➤ 65% are concerned about the time and cost of hiring consultants or adopting new systems
➤ 68% still rely on spreadsheets, and 72% lack specialized ESG reporting software
“I want the platform to provide visuals or summaries of our ESG data, so that I can quickly create compelling content (for our website and social media) that is backed by real data.” - Marketing Manager
User Personas, Empathy Maps & Journey Maps
Based on research insights, two primary personas have been developed, representing different user types with distinct needs.
❖ Lars, a business owner, prioritizes efficiency and simplicity
❖ Mette, a marketing manager, needs tools to transform complex data into compelling narratives.
These personas guided feature prioritization and informed key decisions in the interface design.
Based on research insights, two primary personas have been developed, representing different user types with distinct needs.
❖ Lars, a business owner, prioritizes efficiency and simplicity
❖ Mette, a marketing manager, needs tools to transform complex data into compelling narratives.
These personas guided feature prioritization and informed key decisions in the interface design.
"I want to download a concise sustainability credentials document from the platform, so that I can attach it to proposals and meet client requirements during RFPs, increasing our chances of winning new contracts." - Business Development Manager
Problem statement
Nordic SMEs are small businesses with limited resources and ESG expertise who need a simple, accessible way to create credible sustainability reports because the new CSRD requirements are complex, and manual compliance is inefficient and risky.
Hypothesis Statement
Providing SMEs with an easy-to-use CSRD reporting platform will streamline sustainability reporting, reducing time and errors while improving compliance and stakeholder trust.
Value Propositions
❖ Sustainability Toolkit – four integrated tools for green impact assessment, carbon tracking, CSRD reporting, and ESG policy creation
❖ Expert Consulting – on-demand sustainability advisors to guide SMEs through compliance and strategy
❖ Green Solutions Database – a hub to discover and collaborate with other sustainable businesses
FULL CASE STUDY - COMING SOON!
